Coupled extreme wave prediction model from meteorological data

The accurate forecast of the maximum waves which may act on breakwaters or other maritime structures during its life span is a major issue in Coastal Engineering. In order to predict the extreme storm events in the long term, a hindcast of wave conditions at the site comprising at least 25 years is required. In many cases, direct wave measurements are lacking, and the Coastal Engineer can only resort to meteorological charts. In this paper a method is proposed for the evaluation of extreme wave conditions from such charts. Two models are solved in a coupled way, the one for surface wind, the other for wave characteristics. The results show that this coupled model, applied to a series of previously selected storm events, is an efficient, practical tool for establishing the long-term wave actions to be considered in the design of breakwaters and in other Coastal Engineering projects.