Dataset
European Atlantic Wave Data under Historical and Future Climate Scenarios (EAWAVES-CLIM)
Abstract
This dataset provides 3-hourly ocean wave data for the European Atlantic domain spanning three 30-year periods: a historical simulation (1985–2014) and future projections (2030–2059) under two Shared Socioeconomic Pathways (SSP2-4.5 and SSP5-8.5). It includes directional wave spectral data at 1,031 fixed offshore locations along the Atlantic coast of Europe, as well as gridded wave parameters covering the full North Atlantic simulation domain.
The wave data were generated using the Simulating WAves Nearshore (SWAN) model, forced with high-resolution winds obtained through dynamical downscaling of global climate models using the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model, and open boundary conditions derived from WaveWatch III simulations.
The spectral component consists of NetCDF-4 files describing wave energy distribution across 25 frequency bands and 36 directions at offshore locations spaced approximately 10 km alongshore and 50 km from the coast.
Details
| Previous Info: |
No news update for this record
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| Previously used record identifiers: |
No related previous identifiers.
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| Access rules: |
Public data: access to these data is available to both registered and non-registered users.
Use of these data is covered by the following licence(s): http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/ When using these data you must cite them correctly using the citation given on the CEDA Data Catalogue record. |
| Data lineage: |
This dataset was generated using a multi-stage modeling workflow. First, atmospheric variables from multiple CMIP6 climate models were bias-corrected and dynamically downscaled using the WRF model to produce high-resolution wind fields. These winds were then used to drive WaveWatch III simulations across the North Atlantic to provide offshore boundary conditions. Finally, the SWAN wave model was run at high resolution along the European Atlantic coast using WRF winds and WaveWatch III boundaries to compute detailed 3-hourly wave spectra at 1,031 offshore points. The entire workflow was repeated for three periods: historical (1985–2014) and future scenarios SSP2-4.5 and SSP5-8.5 (2030–2059). The output files were processed, verified, and stored in NetCDF-4 format following CF conventions before being transferred to the CEDA data centre. |
| Data Quality: |
The wave data generated using the SWAN model were validated against two independent data sources, focusing on the main variables that characterize wave conditions: significant wave height (Hs), peak wave period (Tp), and wave direction. Validation was performed for both mean conditions and extreme values following established practices in wave model evaluation.
First, the SWAN outputs were compared with wave parameters from the ERA5 reanalysis, enabling a spatially consistent assessment across the European Atlantic and North Atlantic domains. Extreme wave conditions were assessed by comparing the 90th, 95th, and 99th percentiles derived from the model simulations and the ERA5 dataset.
Second, the model results were validated against in-situ observations from wave buoys operated by Puertos del Estado (Spain), the Hydrographic Institute of the Portuguese Navy, and the UK Met Office. These comparisons (mean and extreme values) confirm the reliability of the dataset.
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| File Format: |
NetCDF
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Related Documents
| Python script to convert NetCDF files to .sp2 format |
Process overview
| Title | Simulating Waves Nearshore (SWAN) |
| Abstract | SWAN propagates offshore wave conditions to the nearshore, and can account for: Wave propagation in time and space, shoaling, refraction due to current and depth, frequency shifting due to currents and non-stationary depth. Wave generation by wind. Three- and four-wave interactions. Whitecapping, bottom friction and depth-induced breaking. Dissipation due to aquatic vegetation, turbulent flow and viscous fluid mud. Wave-induced set-up. Propagation from laboratory up to global scales. Transmission through and reflection (specular and diffuse) against obstacles. Diffraction. |
| Input Description | None |
| Output Description | None |
| Software Reference | None |
- units: degrees
- var_id: Dspr
- long_name: Directional Spreading
- units: degrees_north
- long_name: Latitude
- var_id: Yp
- units: degrees_east
- long_name: Longitude
- var_id: Xp
- var_id: Dir
- units: degrees (nautical convention)
- long_name: Mean Wave Direction
- var_id: PkDir
- long_name: Peak Direction
- units: degrees (nautical convention)
- units: meters
- var_id: Hsig
- long_name: Significant Wave Height
- units: seconds
- var_id: TPsmoo
- long_name: Smoothed Peak Period
Co-ordinate Variables
- standard_name: time
- var_id: time
- units: hours
Temporal Range
1985-01-01T00:00:00
2059-12-31T00:00:00
Geographic Extent
63.0000° |
||
-20.0000° |
10.0000° |
|
30.0000° |