The Impact of Wave Model Source Terms and Coupling Strategies to Rapidly Developing Waves across the North-West European Shelf during Extreme Events

Prediction of severe natural hazards requires accurate forecasting systems. Recently, there has been a tendency towards more integrated solutions, where different components the Earth system are coupled to explicitly represent physical feedbacks between them. This study focuses on rapidly developing waves under extratropical storms understand impact wave source term parameterisations in WAVEWATCH III (WWIII) model (ST4 and ST6) coupling strategies (surface roughness closure versus surface stress closure) accuracy Met Office regional atmosphere-ocean-wave research for north-west (NW) European shelf (UKC4). Results focused simulations during winter 2013/14 demonstrate that ST6 allows faster growth than ST4 parameterisation but might degrade low mid energy states. The difference is larger higher wind speeds short fetches. experiment with consistently under-predicts those locations fetch dependence an important factor (i.e., seas at East (E) Ireland UK coming from NW-WNW). implementation physics strategy appears improve young wind-seas, reducing bias underestimated. slower when using seems be related underestimation momentum transfer computed by speeds. For very seas, this can overcome atmospheric directly passed ocean.