Modeling the wave climate in the baltic sea / Modellering av vågklimat i Östersjön
Based on a 6-year simulation of the wave conditions for the Baltic Sea the wave climate at five locations along the Swedish SE coast was constructed. Using the WAM wave model to hindcast the waves between Jan 1st 2004 and Dec 31st 2009 the parameters significant wave height, direction of wave propagation, and spectral wave peak period were extracted from the time series and assembled in a wave atlas. The model was forced with point source wind measurements from meteorological stations in coastal areas around the southern Baltic Sea. To accommodate for differences in winds on land and over water the wind measurements were corrected through a logarithmic expression originating from experiments on the American Great Lakes. Validation of the model results against buoy measurements in the Baltic Sea showed that the chosen approach was able to reproduce the general trends and overall statistics of the wave climate, even if single events could be less well represented. Larger wave heights were generally underestimated. The resulting wave atlas is primarily intended to be used in practical applications and as guidelines for design in and around the five selected locations. The results can also be used as input to more detailed computer models of the nearshore processes.