This paper presents a modeling study conducted on the central Oregon coast for wave\nresource characterization, using the unstructured grid SimulatingWAve Nearshore (SWAN) model\ncoupled with a nested gridWAVEWATCH III�® (WWIII) model. The flexibility of models with various\nspatial resolutions and the effects of open boundary conditions simulated by a nested grid WWIII\nmodel with different physics packages were evaluated. The model results demonstrate the advantage\nof the unstructured grid-modeling approach for flexible model resolution and good model skills in\nsimulating the six wave resource parameters recommended by the International Electrotechnical\nCommission in comparison to the observed data in Year 2009 at National Data Buoy Center Buoy\n46050. Notably, spectral analysis indicates that the ST4 physics package improves upon the ST2\nphysics packageâ��s ability to predict wave power density for large waves, which is important for\nwave resource assessment, load calculation of devices, and risk management. In addition, bivariate\ndistributions show that the simulated sea state of maximum occurrence with the ST4 physics package\nmatched the observed data better than with the ST2 physics package. This study demonstrated\nthat the unstructured grid wave modeling approach, driven by regional nested grid WWIII outputs\nalong with the ST4 physics package, can efficiently provide accurate wave hindcasts to support wave\nresource characterization. Our study also suggests that wind effects need to be considered if the\ndimension of the model domain is greater than approximately 100 km, or O (102 km).
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