Numerical investigation of ocean waves generated by three typhoons in offshore China

The influences of the three types of reanalysis wind fields on the simulation of three typhoon waves occurred in 2015 in offshore China were numerically investigated. The typhoon wave model was based on the simulating waves nearshore model (SWAN), in which the wind fields for driving waves were derived from the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) Re-Analysis-Interim (ERA-interim), the National Centers for Environmental Prediction climate forecast system version 2 (CFSv2) and cross-calibrated multi-platform (CCMP) datasets. Firstly, the typhoon waves generated during the occurrence of typhoons Chan-hom (1509), Linfa (1510) and Nangka (1511) in 2015 were simulated by using the wave model driven by ERA-interim, CFSv2 and CCMP datasets. The numerical results were validated using buoy data and satellite observation data, and the simulation results under the three types of wind fields were in good agreement with the observed data. The numerical results showed that the CCMP wind data was the best in simulating waves overall, and the wind speeds pertaining to ERA-Interim and CCMP were notably smaller than those observed near the typhoon centre. To correct the accuracy of the wind fields, the Holland theoretical wind model was used to revise and optimize the wind speed pertaining to the CCMP near the typhoon centre. The results indicated that the CCMP wind-driven SWAN model could appropriately simulate the typhoon waves generated by three typhoons in offshore China, and the use of the CCMP/Holland blended wind field could effectively improve the accuracy of typhoon wave simulations.