Hurricane Laura (2020) Fast Response Hindcast Options

In order to support hurricane recovery activities and to improve future resiliency, Oceanweather (OWI) is in the process of producing a “fast-response” hindcast for Hurricane Laura (2020). A detailed reanalysis of the conditions experienced in a land-falling hurricane are required in any ocean response modeling to provide critical guidance on the extent of the storm wave and surge inundation. OWI can provide wind, pressure, and/or OWI’s standard wave fields for this recent event.

As experts in providing meteorological forcing for ocean response modeling of extreme wind, wave and storm surge events, OWI has a long history of quickly responding to the need for hindcasts of recent or active tropical events. This expertise is also applied in long-term operational and storm hindcasts in public and private sectors around the globe.

New SEAFINE2 Hindcast

Oceanweather (OWI) has started work on our second-generation South East Asia Fine hindcast (SEAFINE2) using new wind forcing and a unified grid setup (see figure below for the SEAFINE2 unified wind and wave model domain).  The original SEAFINE Joint Industry Project (JIP) was first launched in 2006 as a follow on to the SEAMOS, SUS and SOUP JIPs all produced by OWI. The hindcasts included detailed reanalysis of typhoons and monsoons in the Southern and Northern South China Seas and ocean response modeling for wind waves and 3-D currents.

OWI’s initial efforts will be to produce an extension of the SEAFINE wind and wave deliverables for 2015-2019, and then extend the new modeling backwards to eventually replace the original SEAFINE results. 

New Arctic Wave Forecast

The Oceanweather Inc. (OWI) forecast group is now running an Arctic wave model domain covering 50N up to the North Pole, with a grid resolution of roughly 18 km. The model implements the parametric ice physics in WavewatchIII (WW3) using continuous and time-varying ice concentration inputs from the European Center for Medium Range Forecasting (ECMWF) forecast cycle. The wave model runs to a forecast horizon of 7 days, and outputs include fields of up to three wave trains. Full spectra points are available in addition to standard bulk wave parameters.