Wave Hindcast in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea

Wave hindcast is widely used to assess the wave conditions in both offshore and nearshore regions. A third generation ocean wind-wave model is implemented to hindcast the wave climate in the eastern Mediterranean Sea offshore Egypt coastline. The effects of the spatial grid resolution, the model physics, and input wind fields are examined using results of wave hindcast. Model results of wave hindcast during two selected storms are compared against wave observations offshore the Egyptian and Italian coasts as well as remotely sensed wave height data recorded by TOPEX satellite in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Sensitivity computations are performed to confirm that a spatial grid with 0.5° resolution is adequate for assessment of wave conditions in the open sea (deep water). In intermediate water near the coast, a spatial grid with 0.25° resolution is required to take into account the local bathymetry and coastal details. The model-data comparisons recommend the use of Tolman and Chalikov (1996) parameterizations, for the wave input and dissipation terms, and the NCEP wind fields for wave hindcast in the eastern Mediterranean Sea.