Wind waves on the Black Sea: results of a hindcast study

Abstract

Abstract. In this study we describe the wind waves fields on the Black Sea. The general aims of the work were the estimation of statistical wave parameters and the assessment of interannual and seasonal storm variability. The domain of this study was the entire Black Sea. Wave parameters were calculated by means of the SWAN wave model on a 5 km × 5 km rectangular grid. Initial conditions (wind speed and direction) for the period between 1948 and 2010 were derived from the NCEP/NCAR reanalysis. In our calculations the average significant wave height on the Black Sea does not exceed 0.7 m. Areas of most significant storminess are the south-western and the north-eastern corners as expressed in the spatial distribution of wave heights, wave lengths and periods. Besides that, long-term annual variations of storminess were estimated. Thus, linear trends of the annual total duration of storms and of their quantity are nearly stable over the reanalysis period. However, an intensification of storm activity is observed in the 1960s–1970s.

Comparing wave heights simulated in the Black Sea by the SWAN model with satellite data and direct wave measurements

“…This model successfully simulates the parameters of wind waves in the open sea and coastal areas [Akpinar et al, 2012;Akpinar and Ponce de León, 2016;Arkhipkin et al, 2014;Lopatuhin et al, 2006;Medvedeva et al, 2015;Myslenkov and Arkhipkin, 2013]. It is important that the SWAN model successfully simulates sea waves in the shallow water as well because depth of Tsemes Bay essentially varies between 20 and 40 m.…”

“…The results of wave modelling strongly depend on the choice of the wind forcing data-in and computation grid [Akpinar et al, 2012;Akpinar and Ponce de León, 2016;Arkhipkin et al, 2014].…”

“…This is default configuration for SWAN model and we used it because we have successful wave modelling with this settings [Arkhipkin et al, 2014;Arhipkin et al, 2015;Medvedeva et al, 2015;Myslenkov and Arkhipkin, 2013;Myslenkov et al, 2016;Stoliarova and Myslenkov, 2015;Toropov et al, 2012] and we had no physical justification for changing any of the coefficients. Scientists have used this model in several investigation and its detailed description and technical summary are present in publications [Akpinar et al, 2012;Akpinar and Ponce de León, 2016;Booij et al, 1999;SWAN Team, 2007;Van Vledder and Akpinar, 2015].…”

“…The work [Roland and Ardhuin, 2014] describes several parameterizations for coastal wave models. Wind forcing from the NCEP/NCAR reanalysis and the SWAN model used in [Arkhipkin et al, 2014] to develop the wave database of the Black Sea. However, there are few quality estimates of the model presented in this paper.…”

Assessment of vulnerability to storm induced flood hazard along diverse coastline settings

“…Xynthia [1], Ligurian Flash Floods [2] and 1953 North Sea storm surges [3]) have proved the damage that could be caused by marine hazards, which European coastal areas are exposed to. In western Black Sea, particularly large damage was caused by storms that occurred in the late 1970s and the early 1980s, although increased storm activity was also observed in the early 1990s [4][5][6]. Even if the past decade has seen a return to relatively calmer storm conditions, reducing vulnerability to storm impacts is not likely to be expected, especially considering severe storms during 2010-2012 [7][8][9].…”