Waves Evaluation of a Coupled Wave-Circulation Model for US Navy FNMOC COAMPS Op-Test

A coupled coastal wave and ocean circulation model, the Coupled Ocean/Atmosphere Mesoscale Prediction System (COAMPS), was tested by the Fleet Numerical Meteorology and Oceanography Center (FNMOC) of the United States Navy as part of the operational test of a new protocol for configuring and running operational ocean models. The wave portion used the Simulating Waves Nearshore (SWAN) model, while the ocean circulation model used the Navy Coastal Ocean Model (NCOM). Forcing was provided by atmospheric models run twice-daily by FNMOC. The coupled model portion of the COAMPS operational test used a 12-arc-second wave model covering Chesapeake Bay and a circulation model of comparable size and resolution. This poster presents an evaluation of the waves predicted by the coupled model compared to the operational stand-alone SWAN model for Chesapeake Bay and observational wave data from National Data Buoy Center (NDBC) buoys.