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SOWM Hindcast Wind and Wave Climatology for North Pacific, North Atlantic, and Mediterranean (DSI-9786)

Entry ID: gov.noaa.ncdc.C00007

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Summary

Abstract: SOWM Hindcast Wind and Wave Climatology for North Pacific, North Atlantic and Mediterranean is historical digital data set DSI-9786, archived at the National Climatic Data Center (NCDC). It is a digital ocean atlas. SOWM is the Spectral Ocean Wave Model, a computer software methodology which was developed by Dr. Willard J. Pierson and others and adopted in December 1974 by what was then the US ... Navy Fleet Numerical Oceanography Center (FLENUMOCEANCEN). FLENUMOCEANCEN was a predecessor of the current Fleet Numerical Meteorology and Oceanography Center (FNMOC). SOWM is a computer-based procedure that produces a directional variance spectrum at specified grid points that are a maximum of 180 nautical miles apart. This spectrum defines the sea surface at each grid point through a two dimensional matrix (direction/ frequency) of 12 directions and 15 frequency bands. The David Taylor Naval Ship Research and Development Center (DTNSRDC), a predecessor to the US Naval Surface Warfare Center, Carderock Division (NSWCCD), with Operations Research, Inc. (ORI), developed computer programs to derive a number of numerical parameters from the SOWM spectral wave data. The NCDC used many of the concepts from these programs and others written by FLENUMOCEANCEN to devise a parameterization program that was used for this atlas (DSI-9786). This atlas contains climatological summaries for seven parameters: wind speed and direction, wave height, wave direction, wave slope code, modal wave period, and wave directionality. The first four parameters had appeared in US Navy climatologies. The latter three parameters had not appeared, because they cannot be directly derived from visual observations. However, they can be very important operating considerations. Ship rolling and stability is affected by the wave slope of higher waves. Wave slope of a regular wave is defined as the ratio of wave height to wave length. The modal wave period is the period associated with the maximum wave energy in the wave spectrum. Modal wave periods associated with wavelengths of about 0.75 and 1.25 ship lengths (depending on ship course and speed) can cause resonance pitching and heaving. The modal wave is not necessarily equal to the wave period associated with the higher of the two waves, the sea or the swell as summarized in past US Navy climatologies (US Navy, 1974). Wave directionality is the uniformity of the direction of movement of the waves. If the waves are all moving in a uniform direction, then the directionality is one. When there is no preferred direction of wave movement (a completely confused sea state), the directionality is zero. Obviously, ship response and maneuverability can be affected by the directional spread of the wave energy. Data in this atlas are derived using winds and waves from the period January 1973 to December 1982, i.e. 10 years.

Purpose: To make a wide range of climatic data available to researchers and the public.

SUPPLEMENTAL INFORMATION: data set

CURRENTNESS REFERENCE: Ground Condition

Related URL

Link: VIEW EXTENDED METADATA

Description: View Source Metadata document from the Metadata Manager and Repository (NMMR).

Geographic Coverage

(Click for Interactive Map)

Spatial coordinates

N: 68.0

S: 3.0

E: 37.0

W: 130.0

Data Set Citation

Dataset Originator/Creator: National Climatic Data Center, NESDIS, NOAA, U.S. Department of Commerce

Dataset Title: SOWM Hindcast Wind and Wave Climatology for North Pacific, North Atlantic, and Mediterranean (DSI-9786)

Dataset Release Date: Unknown

Data Presentation Form: atlas

Online Resource: http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov

Temporal Coverage

Start Date: 1973-01-01

Stop Date: 1982-12-31

Science Keywords

OCEANS > OCEAN WAVES > SEA STATE

OCEANS > OCEAN WAVES > SIGNIFICANT WAVE HEIGHT

ISO Topic Category

CLIMATOLOGY/METEOROLOGY/ATMOSPHERE

GEOSCIENTIFIC INFORMATION

IMAGERY/BASE MAPS/EARTH COVER

INLAND WATERS

Platform

ASOS > Automated Surface Observing System

FIXED OBSERVATION STATIONS

Instrument

DOPPLER RADAR

NEXRAD > NEXt Generation RADar

Project

COMET > Cooperative Program for Operational Meteorology, Education, and Training

ESIP > Earth Science Information Partners Program

Ancillary Keywords

BOW ECHO

CASE STUDY

Data Set Progress

IN WORK

Originating Center

UCAR/JOSS

Data Center

Cooperative Distributed Interactive Atmospheric Catalog System, Earth Observing Laboratory, National Center for Atmospheric Research, University Corporation for Atmospheric Research

Data Center URL: http://data.eol.ucar.edu/codiac/

Data Center Personnel
Name: USER SERVICES/CODIAC Email: codiac at ucar.edu Contact Address: Codiac Data Archive University Corporation for Atmospheric Research P.O. Box 3000-FL4 City: Boulder Province or State: CO Postal Code: 80307-3000 Country: USA