A third generation wave model is presented that integrates the basic transport equation describing the evolution of a two-dimensional ocean wave spectrum without additional ad hoe assumptions regarding the spectral shape. The three source functions describing the wind input, nonlinear transfer, and white-capping dissipation are prescribed explicitly. An additional bottom dissipation source function and refraction terms are included in the finite-depth version of the model. The model was calibrated against fetch-limited wave growth data. Only two tuning parameters am introduced in the white-capping dissipation source function. The model runs on a spherical latitude-longitude grid for an arbitrary region of the ocean. Hindcast results am shown for six North Atlantic-North Sea storms, three Gulf of Mexico hurricanes, and a global run for the SEASAT period. The agreement with measurements is encouraging.

The surface wave environment in the GATE B/C scale is described from wave measurements made from buoys and aircraft during Phase III (September 1974). Particular emphasis is given to the wave measurements made from the pitch-roll buoy deployed in the B-scale array from the ship Gilliss and a similar buoy deployed in the C-scale array from Quadra. Reduction of the pitch-roll buoy measurements provided estimates of the one-dimensional wave spectrum as well as of the mean direction and spread of wave energy as a function of frequency. The data clearly revealed the importance of external forcing on the wave climate in GATE. Most of the wave energy present in the GATE areas was found to be swell imported from the trade wind circulations of both hemispheres and from an intense extratropical cyclone which crossed the North Atlantic at high latitudes early in Phase III. Locally generated waves were clearly evident in the wave spectra, but their energy level way have been modulated significantly by the lo...

A deep water hybrid parametrical wave model, first discussed in the Joint North Sea Wave Project (Jonswap), has been used to hindcast long‐term wave height statistics in the northern North Sea. The wave model was validated against wave measurements at two stations near the British Isles. A representative subset of the vigorous gales over the period 1966–1976 was used as input to the model. Extreme value significant wave height statistics were estimated from the independent storm events, taking into account possible secular changes of the wind field extremes. The results are compared with wave height estimates derived in two other studies.