U. S.

Department of Commerce
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
National Weather Service
National Centers for Environmental Prediction
5830 University Research Court
College Park, MD 20740

Technical Note

User manual and system documentation of

WAVEWATCH III R
version 6.07 †

The WAVEWATCH III

R
Development Group ‡

(WW3DG)

Environmental Modeling Center

Marine Modeling and Analysis Branch

March 2019

To refer to this manual, please use the following citation:

The WAVEWATCH III R

Development Group (WW3DG), (2019): User man-
ual and system documentation of WAVEWATCH III
R
version 6.07. Tech.
Note 333, NOAA/NWS/NCEP/MMAB, College Park, MD, USA, 465 pp. +
Appendices.

† MMAB Contribution No. 333.

‡ SeeSection 1.5 for WW3DG group description.
‡ Code manager email: [email protected]
This page is intentionally left blank.
DRAFT WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 i

Contents
1 Introduction 1
1.1 The WAVEWATCH III Modeling Framework . . . . . . 1
1.2 About this manual . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
1.3 Licensing terms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
1.4 Copyrights and trademarks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
1.5 The WAVEWATCH III R
Development Group (WW3DG) 6
1.6 Acknowledgments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

2 Governing equations 14
2.1 Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
2.2 Propagation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
2.3 Source terms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
2.3.1 General concepts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
2.3.2 Snl : Discrete Interaction Approximation (DIA) . 19
2.3.3 Snl : Full Boltzmann Integral (WRT) . . . . . . . 21
2.3.4 Snl : Generalized Multiple DIA (GMD) . . . . . . 25
2.3.5 Snl : Two-Scale Approximation (TSA) . . . . . . 28
2.3.6 Snl : Nonlinear Filter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
2.3.7 Sin + Sds : WAM cycle 3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
2.3.8 Sin + Sds : Tolman and Chalikov 1996 . . . . . . 36
2.3.9 Sin + Sds : WAM cycle 4 (ECWAM) . . . . . . . 42
2.3.10 Sin + Sds : Ardhuin et al. 2010 ... . . . . . . . . . 47
2.3.11 Sin + Sds : Rogers et al. 2012 & Zieger et al. 2015 55
2.3.12 Sln : Cavaleri and Malanotte-Rizzoli 1981 . . . . 64
2.3.13 Sbot : JONSWAP bottom friction . . . . . . . . . 65
2.3.14 Sbot : SHOWEX bottom friction . . . . . . . . . . 65
2.3.15 Smud : Dissipation by viscous mud (D&L) . . . . 67
2.3.16 Smud : Dissipation by viscous mud (Ng) . . . . . 69
2.3.17 Sdb : Battjes and Janssen 1978 . . . . . . . . . . . 69
2.3.18 Str : Triad nonlinear interactions (LTA) . . . . . 71
2.3.19 Sbs : Bottom scattering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73
2.3.20 Suo : Unresolved Obstacles Source Term . . . . . 75
2.3.21 Sxx : User defined . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78
2.4 Source terms for wave-ice interactions . . . . . . . . . . 79
ii WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 DRAFT

2.4.1 Sice : Damping by sea ice (simple) . . . . . . . . . 81

2.4.2 Sice : Damping by sea ice (Liu et al.) . . . . . . . 82
2.4.3 Sice : Damping by sea ice (Shen et al.) . . . . . . 84
2.4.4 Sice : Empirical/parametric damping by sea ice . 87
2.4.5 Sice : Damping by sea ice (Mosig et al.) . . . . . . 90
2.4.6 Sis : Diffusive scattering by sea ice (simple) . . . 91
2.4.7 Sis : Floe-size dependent scattering and dissipation 92
2.4.8 Sref : Energy reflection at shorelines and icebergs 97
2.4.9 Second-order spectrum and free infragravity waves 101
2.5 Air-sea processes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103
2.5.1 General concepts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103
2.5.2 Sea-state dependent τ : Reichl et al. 2014 . . . . 105
2.5.3 Sea-state dependent τ : Donelan et al. 2012 . . . 107
2.6 Output parameters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108
2.7 Derived parameters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117
2.7.1 Directional slopes and near-nadir backscatter . . 117
2.7.2 Stokes drift profile . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117

3 Numerical approaches 120

3.1 Spectral discretization . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 120
3.2 Splitting of the wave action equation . . . . . . . . . . . 121
3.3 Depth variations in time . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123
3.4 Spatial propagation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 124
3.4.1 General concepts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 124
3.4.2 Traditional regular grids . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 126
First-order scheme . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 126
Second-order scheme (UNO) . . . . . . . . 127
Third-order scheme (UQ) . . . . . . . . . . 128
3.4.3 Curvilinear grids . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 130
3.4.4 Triangular unstructured grids . . . . . . . . . . . 131
3.4.5 Spherical Multiple-Cell (SMC) grid . . . . . . . . 134
3.4.6 The Garden Sprinkler Effect . . . . . . . . . . . 142
No GSE alleviation . . . . . . . . . . . . . 142
Booij and Holthuijsen 1987 . . . . . . . . . 143
Spatial averaging . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 146
3.4.7 Unresolved obstacles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 148
3.4.8 Continuously moving grids . . . . . . . . . . . . 149
General concepts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 149
DRAFT WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 iii

3.4.9 Rotated grids . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 152

3.5 Intra-spectral propagation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 153
3.5.1 General concepts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 153
3.5.2 First-order scheme . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 155
3.5.3 Second-order scheme (UNO) . . . . . . . . . . . 155
3.5.4 Third-order scheme (UQ) . . . . . . . . . . . . . 156
3.6 Non-ice source term integration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 157
3.7 Ice source terms integration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 160
3.8 Simple ice blocking (IC0) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 162
3.9 Winds and currents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 163
3.10 Use of tidal analysis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 163
3.11 Wave crest and height space-time extremes . . . . . . . 164
3.12 Spectral partitioning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 168
3.12.1 Topographic partitioning method . . . . . . . . . 169
3.12.2 Sea/swell assignment and partitioning method . . 169
3.13 Spatial and temporal tracking of wave systems . . . . . 173
3.14 Nesting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 175
3.14.1 Traditional one-way nesting . . . . . . . . . . . . 175
3.14.2 Two-way nesting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 176

4 Wave Model Structure and Data Flow 180

4.1 Program design . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 180
4.2 The wave model routines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 183
4.3 The data assimilation interface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 185
4.4 Auxiliary programs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 186
4.4.1 General concepts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 186
4.4.2 Configuration file . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 187
4.4.3 The grid preprocessor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 190
4.4.4 The initial conditions program . . . . . . . . . . . 191
4.4.5 The boundary conditions program . . . . . . . . . 192
4.4.6 The NetCDF boundary conditions program . . . 193
4.4.7 The input field preprocessor . . . . . . . . . . . . 194
4.4.8 The NetCDF input field preprocessor . . . . . . 195
4.4.9 The tide prediction program . . . . . . . . . . . . 196
4.4.10 The generic shell . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 197
4.4.11 Automated grid splitting for ww3 multi (ww3 gspl) 198
4.4.12 The multi-grid shell . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 200
4.4.13 Grid Integration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 201
iv WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 DRAFT

4.4.14 Gridded output post-processor . . . . . . . . . . . 202

4.4.15 Gridded output NetCDF post-processor . . . . . 203
4.4.16 Gridded output post-processor for GrADS . . . . 204
4.4.17 Gridded GRIB output post-processor . . . . . . . 205
4.4.18 Point output post-processor . . . . . . . . . . . . 207
4.4.19 Point output NetCDF post-processor . . . . . . . 208
4.4.20 Point output post-processor for GrADS . . . . . . 209
4.4.21 Track output post-processor . . . . . . . . . . . . 210
4.4.22 Track output NetCDF post-processor . . . . . . . 211
4.4.23 Spatial and temporal tracking of wave systems . . 212
4.4.24 The Restart File Processor . . . . . . . . . . . . . 214

5 Install, Compile and Run the wave model 223

5.1 Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 223
5.2 Distribution . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 223
5.3 Installing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 224
5.4 Setting up . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 224
5.5 Directory Structure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 225
5.6 Optional environment settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 230
5.7 Compiling and linking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 231
5.8 Detailled compilation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 233
5.9 Selecting model options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 236
5.9.1 Mandatory switches . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 236
5.9.2 Optional switches . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 240
5.9.3 Default model settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 244
5.10 Modifying the source code . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 244
5.11 Running test cases . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 246

6 System documentation 252

6.1 Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 252
6.2 The preprocessor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 252
6.3 Program files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 254
6.3.1 Wave model modules . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 254
6.3.2 Multi-grid modules . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 272
6.3.3 Data assimilation module . . . . . . . . . . . . . 274
6.3.4 Auxiliary programs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 274
6.4 Optimization . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 278
6.5 Internal data storage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 280
DRAFT WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 v

6.5.1 Grids . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 280

6.5.2 Distributed memory concepts. . . . . . . . . . . 285
6.5.3 Multiple grids . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 288
6.6 Variables in modules . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 290
6.6.1 Parameter settings in modules . . . . . . . . . . 291
6.6.2 Data structures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 295

References 297

APPENDICES

A Setting model time steps A.1

A.1 Individual grids . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A.1
A.2 Mosaics of grids . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A.3

B Setting up nested runs B.1

B.1 Using ww3 shel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B.1
B.2 Using ww3 bound and/or unstructured grids . . . . . . . B.3
B.3 Using ww3 multi . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B.4

C Setting up for distributed machines (MPI) C.1

C.1 Model setup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . C.1
C.2 Common errors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . C.4
C.3 MPI point-to-point communication errors . . . . . . . . C.5

D Mosaic approach with non-regular grids D.1

D.1 Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . D.1
D.2 SCRIP-WW3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . D.1
D.3 SCRIP Operation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . D.2
D.4 Optimization and common problems . . . . . . . . . . . D.3
D.5 Limitations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . D.5

E Ocean-Ice-Waves-Atmosphere coupling with OASIS E.1

E.1 Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . E.1
E.2 Interfacing with OASIS3-MCT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . E.2
E.3 Compiling with OASIS3-MCT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . E.2
E.4 Launch a coupling simulation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . E.3
vi WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 DRAFT

E.5 Limitations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . E.4

F Coupling with NUOPC F.1

F.1 Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . F.1
F.2 Building and Installing the NUOPC Cap . . . . . . . . . F.1
F.3 Import/Export Fields in the NUOPC Cap . . . . . . . . F.1
F.4 Configuration of Input Files for the NUOPC Cap . . . . F.3
F.5 Running the NUOPC Cap . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . F.3

G Configuration of Input Files G.1

G.1 ww3 grid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . G.1
G.1.1 ww3 grid.inp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . G.1
G.1.2 ww3 grid.nml . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . G.19
G.2 ww3 strt . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . G.37
G.2.1 ww3 strt.inp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . G.37
G.3 ww3 bound . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . G.39
G.3.1 ww3 bound.inp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . G.39
G.4 ww3 bounc . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . G.40
G.4.1 ww3 bounc.inp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . G.40
G.4.2 ww3 bounc.nml . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . G.41
G.5 ww3 prep . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . G.42
G.5.1 ww3 prep.inp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . G.42
G.6 ww3 prnc . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . G.44
G.6.1 ww3 prnc.inp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . G.44
G.6.2 ww3 prnc.nml . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . G.46
G.7 ww3 prtide . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . G.48
G.7.1 ww3 prtide.inp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . G.48
G.8 ww3 shel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . G.49
G.8.1 ww3 shel.inp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . G.49
G.8.2 ww3 shel.nml . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . G.58
G.9 ww3 gspl . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . G.66
G.9.1 ww3 gspl.inp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . G.66
G.10 ww3 multi . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . G.67
G.10.1 ww3 multi.inp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . G.67
G.10.2 ww3 multi.nml . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . G.72
G.11 ww3 gint . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . G.80
G.11.1 ww3 gint.inp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . G.80
G.12 ww3 outf . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . G.81
DRAFT WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 vii

G.12.1 ww3 outf.inp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . G.81

G.13 ww3 ounf . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . G.82
G.13.1 ww3 ounf.inp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . G.82
G.13.2 ww3 ounf.nml . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . G.85
G.14 gx outf . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . G.87
G.14.1 gx outf.inp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . G.87
G.15 ww3 grib . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . G.88
G.15.1 ww3 grib.inp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . G.88
G.16 ww3 outp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . G.89
G.16.1 ww3 outp.inp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . G.89
G.17 ww3 ounp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . G.93
G.17.1 ww3 ounp.inp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . G.93
G.17.2 ww3 ounp.nml . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . G.96
G.18 gx outp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . G.100
G.18.1 gx outp.inp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . G.100
G.19 ww3 trck . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . G.101
G.19.1 ww3 trck.inp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . G.101
G.20 ww3 trnc . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . G.102
G.20.1 ww3 trnc.inp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . G.102
G.20.2 ww3 trnc.nml . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . G.102
G.21 ww3 systrk . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . G.104
G.21.1 ww3 systrk.inp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . G.104
G.22 ww3 uprstr . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . G.105
G.22.1 ww3 uprstr.inp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . G.105
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DRAFT WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 1

1 Introduction

1.1 The WAVEWATCH III Modeling Framework

WAVEWATCH III R
is a community wave modeling framework that includes
the latest scientific advancements in the field of wind-wave modeling and
dynamics.
The core of the framework consists of the WAVEWATCH III third-
generation wave model, developed at the US National Centers for Envi-
ronmental Prediction (NOAA/NCEP) in the spirit of the WAM model
(Komen et al., 1994). The current framework evolved from earlier WAVE-
WATCH I & II model packages (Tolman, 1991, 1992), and differs from its
predecessors in many important points such as governing equations, model
structure, numerical methods and physical parameterizations.
WAVEWATCH III solves the random phase spectral action density bal-
ance equation for wavenumber-direction spectra. The implicit assumption of
this equation is that properties of medium (water depth and current) as well
as the wave field itself vary on time and space scales that are much larger
than the variation scales of a single wave. The model includes options for
shallow-water (surf zone) applications, as well as wetting and drying of grid
points. Propagation of a wave spectrum can be solved using regular (rec-
tilinear or curvilinear) and unstructured (triangular) grids, individually or
combined into multi-grid mosaics.
Source terms for physical processes (source terms) include parameteriza-
tions for wave growth due to the actions of wind, exact and parametrized
forms accounting for nonlinear resonant wave-wave interactions, scattering
due to wave-bottom interactions, triad interactions, and dissipation due to
whitecapping, bottom friction, surf-breaking, and interactions with mud and
ice. The model includes several alleviation methods for the Garden Sprin-
kler Effect, and computes other transofrmation processes such as the effects
of surface currents to wind and wave fields, and sub-grid blocking due to
unresolved islands.
Inputs to WAVEWATCH III may be provided via external files or via
coupling using the OASIS or ESMF/NUOPC frameworks. Input data is
dynamically updated within the wave model driver, and may include ice
coverage, mud, current fields, bottom properties for dissipation on a moveable
2 WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 DRAFT

bed, and data for assimilation within a data assimilation placeholder module
that may be developed by users.
WAVEWATCH III is written in ANSI standard FORTRAN 90, fully mod-
ular and fully allocatable. The model is set up for traditional one-way nesting,
and also using a ‘mosaic’ or multiple-grid approach, where an arbitrary num-
ber of grids can be considered with full two-way interactions between all grids.
Individual or multi-grid mosaics can be used as moving frame of reference
that allows high-resolution modeling of hurricanes away from the coast.
Wave energy spectra are discretized using a constant directional increment
(covering all directions), and a spatially varying wavenumber grid. First-,
second- and third-order accurate numerical schemes are available to describe
wave propagation. Source terms are integrated in time using a dynamically
adjusted time stepping algorithm, which concentrates computational efforts
in conditions with rapid spectral changes. WAVEWATCH III can optionally
be compiled to include shared memory parallelisms using OpenMP compiler
directives, and/or for a distributed memory environment using the Message
Passing Interface.

1.2 About this manual

This is the user manual and system documentation of version 6.07 of the
WAVEWATCH III R
wind-wave modeling framework. Although code man-
agement of the framework is primarily undertaken by NCEP/NOAA, the
model development itself relies on a community of developers, the WAVE-
WATCH III Development Group (WW3DG) with membership indicated be-
low. This manual is describes the wave modeling framework as follows.

• Chapter 2: Governing equations,

• Chapter 3: Numerical approaches,
• Chapter 4: Model structure and data flow,
• Chapter 5: Installing, compiling and running,
• Chapter 6: Details on the general code structure and implementa-
tion of different aspects.

A user wishing to install the framework may thus jump directly to Chap-
ter 5, and then successively modify input files in example runs (eg, Chapter 4).
DRAFT WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 3

However this will not replace a thorough knowledge of WAVEWATCH III

that can be obtained by following Chapters 2 through 5.
The format of a combined user manual and system documentation has
been chosen to give users the necessary background to include new physical
and numerical approaches in the framework according to their own specifi-
cations. This approach became more important as WAVEWATCH III de-
veloped into a wave modeling framework. By design, a user can apply his
or her numerical and/or physical approaches, and thus develop a new wave
model based on the WAVEWATCH III framework. In such an approach, op-
timization, parallelization, nesting, input and output service programs from
the framework can be easily shared between actual models.
Whereas this document is intended to be complete and self-contained,
this is not the case for all elements in the system documentation. For
additional system details, reference is made to the source code, which is
fully documented. Note that a best practices guide for code development
for WAVEWATCH III is now available (Tolman, 2010a, 2014a). Applica-
tions of the modeling framework are widely documented in the literature,
some reviews of recent applications may be found in Tolman et al. (2002),
Hanson et al. (2009), Chawla et al. (2013), Alves et al. (2014), Rogers et al.
(2014), Li and Saulter (2014), Roland and Ardhuin (2014a), Zieger et al.
(2018).

The present model version (6.07) is the new public version based on the
previous official model release (version 5.16). The following are new features
added and code-structure modifications made in WAVEWATCH III 6.07since
the previous release.

• Preparing for next model version, adding optional instrumentation

to code for profiling of memory use (model version 6.00).
• Separates Stokes drift spectrum calculation (US3D) from OUTG and
provides new option to output surface Stokes drift partitioned into
run-time defined frequencies (USSP) (model version 6.01).
• Adds a new module for ESMF interface (model version 6.02).
• Adds a capability to update restart file’s total energy based on inde-
pendent significant wave height analysis (model version 6.03).
• Adds domain decomposition for unstructured implicit schemes us-
ing PDLIB (Parallel Domain Decomposition Library) and ParMetis
(model version 6.04).
4 WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 DRAFT

• Updates the namelist options for the following programs: ww3 ounf,
ww3 ounp, ww3 trnc, ww3 bounc, and ww3 shel (model version
6.05).
• Adding IC5 (the extended FS model) as a sea ice source term option
(model version 6.06)
• Public release (model version 6.07)

Other additions include updates on source term parameterizations such

IC2, IS2, ST4, REF1.

Up to date information on this model can be found (including bugs and bug
fixes) on the WAVEWATCH III GitHub wiki page
https://github.com/NOAA-EMC/WW3/wiki
and at the NCEP WAVEWATCH III page,
http://polar.ncep.noaa.gov/waves/wavewatch/
and comments, questions and suggestions should be directed to the code man-
agers, Ali Abdolali ([email protected]) and Jose-Henrique Alves (hen-
[email protected]), or the general WAVEWATCH III users mailing group
list

[email protected]

NCEP will redirect questions regarding contributions from outside NCEP

to the respective authors of the codes. You may subscribe to the WAVE-
WATCH III users mailing list at the following web page:
https://www.lstsrv.ncep.noaa.gov/mailman/listinfo/ncep.list.wwatch3.users

1.3 Licensing terms

Starting with model version 3.14, WAVEWATCH III is distributed under the
following licensing terms:

start of licensing terms

DRAFT WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 5

Software, as understood herein, shall be broadly interpreted as being inclusive

of algorithms, source code, object code, data bases and related documenta-
tion, all of which shall be furnished free of charge to the Licensee.
Corrections, upgrades or enhancements may be furnished and, if fur-
nished, shall also be furnished to the Licensee without charge. NOAA,
however, is not required to develop or furnish such corrections, upgrades
or enhancements.
NOAA’s software, whether that initially furnished or corrections or up-
grades, are furnished as is. NOAA furnishes its software without any warranty
whatsoever and is not responsible for any direct, indirect or consequential
damages that may be incurred by the Licensee. Warranties of merchantabil-
ity, fitness for any particular purpose, title, and non-infringement, are specif-
ically negated.
The Licensee is not required to develop any software related to the li-
censed software. However, in the event that the Licensee does so, the Licensee
is required to offer same to NOAA for inclusion under the instant licensing
terms with NOAA’s licensed software along with documentation regarding
its principles, use and its advantages. This includes changes to the wave
model proper including numerical and physical approaches to wave model-
ing, and boundary layer parameterizations embedded in the wave model The
Licensee is encouraged but not obligated to provide pre-and post process-
ing tools for model input and output. The software required to be offered
shall not include additional models to which the wave model may be coupled,
such as oceanic or atmospheric circulation models. The software provided by
the Licensee shall be consistent with the latest model version available to the
Licensee, and interface routines to the software provided shall conform to pro-
gramming standards as outlined in the model documentation. The software
offered to NOAA shall be offered as is, without any warranties whatsoever
and without any liability for damages whatsoever. NOAA shall not be re-
quired to include a Licensee’s software as part of its software. Licensee’s
offered software shall not include software developed by others.
A Licensee may reproduce sufficient software to satisfy its needs. All
copies shall bear the name of the software with any version number as well
as replicas of any applied copyright notice, trademark notice, other notices
and credit lines. Additionally, if the copies have been modified, e.g. with
deletions or additions, this shall be so stated and identified.
All of Licensee’s employees who have a need to use the software may have
access to the software but only after reading the instant license and stating,
6 WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 DRAFT

in writing, that they have read and understood the license and have agreed to
its terms. Licensee is responsible for employing reasonable efforts to assure
that only those of its employees that should have access to the software, in
fact, have access.
The Licensee may use the software for any purpose relating to sea state
prediction.
No disclosure of any portion of the software, whether by means of a media
or verbally, may be made to any third party by the Licensee or the Licensee’s
employees
The Licensee is responsible for compliance with any applicable export or
import control laws of the United States.

end of licensing terms

The software will be distributed through our web site after the Licensee has
agreed to the license terms.

1.4 Copyrights and trademarks

WAVEWATCH III R
c 2009-2016 National Weather Service, National
Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. All rights reserved. WAVE-
WATCH III R
is a trademark of the National Weather Service. No unau-
thorized use without permission.

1.5 The WAVEWATCH III

R
Development Group
(WW3DG)

The development of WAVEWATCH III R

relies on the efforts of a team of
developers that have worked tirelessly to make this an effective community
tool. With the expansion of physical and numerical parameterizations avail-
able, the list of contributors to this model keeps growing. The development
group consists of a core group of developers that are involved in overall code
development, debugging and optimization as well as a larger group that has
DRAFT WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 7

either made or continues to make contributions to physics packages and nu-

merics. The following is a list of contributors (both past and present) of this
development group (in alphabetic order):

Abdolali, Ali (UCAR at NOAA/NCEP/EMC, USA)

Unstructured grids, Prallelization efficiency, Wave-Surge coupling, Gen-
eral code development support and code management for WAVE-
WATCH III.

Accensi, Mickael (LOPS, France)

NetCDF for input and output (ww3 prnc, ww3 bounc, ww3 ounf,
ww3 ounp, ww3 trnc), namelist input files, OASIS coupling, installing
and compiling environment, and general code development support.

Alves, Jose-Henrique (SRG at NOAA/NCEP/EMC, USA)

Shallow water physics packages, development of space-time wave-height
extremes approach, General code development support and code man-
agement for WAVEWATCH III.

Ardhuin, Fabrice (LOPS, France, previously at SHOM)

Various parameterization packages (ST3, ST4, BS1, BT4, IG1, REF1,
IS2...), interface with unstructured grid schemes, tidal analysis, and
some I/O aspects (estimation of fluxes, adaptation of NetCDF).

Babanin, Alexander (University of Melbourne, Australia)

ST6 project leader, source functions (wind input, whitecapping dissi-
pation, swell dissipation, negative input, physical constraints); sea ice
source function IC5.

Barbariol, Francesco (ISMAR-CNR, Italy)

Development of a space-time wave-height extremes approach.

Benetazzo, Alvise (ISMAR-CNR, Italy)

Development of a space-time wave-height extremes approach.

Bidlot, Jean (ECMWF, UK)

Updates to physics package ST3.

Booij, Nico (Delft University of Technology, The Netherlands, retired)

Original design of source code pre-processor (w3adc), basic method
8 WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 DRAFT

of documentation and other programming habits. Spatially varying

wavenumber grid.

Boutin, Guillaume (LOPS, France)

Contribution to IS2 and IC2.

Bunney, Chris (Met Office, UK)

Additional spectral partitioning schemes and netCDF outputs for SMC
grid.

Campbell, Tim (Naval Research Laboratory, USA)

Search and regrid utilities, irregular grids, regression testing shell script,
ESMF interface module, and overall code development support.

Chalikov, Dmitry V. (Formerly UCAR at NOAA/NCEP/EMC)

Co-author of the Tolman and Chalikov (1996) input and dissipation
parameterizations and source code.

Chawla, Arun (NOAA/NCEP/EMC, USA)

Support of code development at NCEP, GRIB packing, automated grid
generation software (Chawla and Tolman, 2007, 2008).

Cheng, Sukun (while at Clarkson University, USA)

Original author of the code that was ported into WW3 (for model
version 5) as the improved “IC3” parameterization for effect of sea ice
on waves.

Collins, Clarence (while an NRL/ASEE post-doc, USA)

Origination of IC4 (sea ice source function).

Filipot, Jean-François (France Energy Marine, formerly at SHOM then

LOPS, France).
Unification of whitecapping and breaking in ST4.

Flampouris, Stylianos S. (IMSG at NOAA/NCEP/EMC, USA)

Wave Data Assimilation, communication between DA systems and the
model (ww3 uprstr)

Foreman, Mike (IOS, Canada)

Versatile tidal analysis package.
DRAFT WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 9

Ginis, Isaac (University of Rhode Island, USA)

Development of source code for sea-state dependent wind stress calcu-
lations (FLD1, FLD2).

Hara, Tetsu (University of Rhode Island, USA)

Development of source code for sea-state dependent wind stress calcu-
lations (FLD1, FLD2).

Hesser, Tyler J. (US Army Engineer Research and Development Center

Coastal and Hydraulics Laboratory)
Unstrucutred grids, Shallow water physics.

Janssen, Peter (ECMWF, United Kingdom)

Original version of WAM-Cycle 4 package (ST3), canonical transform
for the second order wave spectrum.

Leckler, Fabien (LOPS, France)

Breaking parameters from source terms and contributions to ST4.

Li, Jian-Guo (UK MetOffice, United Kingdom)

SMC grid, second order UNO schemes and rotated grids.

Lind, Kevin (DoD PETTT, USA)

Improvements to performance of some multi-grid functions.

Liu, Qingxiang (University of Melbourne, Australia)

Sea ice source function IC5; updates to source term package ST6.

Meixner, Jessica (NOAA/NCEP/EMC, USA)

Coupled modeling development, general code development support and
code management for WAVEWATCH III.

Mentaschi, Lorenzo (European Commission, Joint Research Centre, JRC,

formerly at the University of Genova, Italy)
Development of the Unresolved Obstacles Source Term (UOST).

Orzech, Mark (Naval Research Laboratory, USA)

Source terms for effects of mud (BT8, BT9).

Padilla–Hernández, Roberto (IMSG at NOAA/NCEP/EMC, USA)

Support of code development at NCEP, editing.
10 WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 DRAFT

Perrie, William (Bedford Institute of Oceanography, Canada)

Two-Scale Approximations for non-linear interactions (NL4).

Rawat, Arshad (MIO, Mauritius and LOPS, France)

Contribution to second order spectrum and free infragravity wave
sources (IG1).

Reichl, Brandon (NOAA/GFDL and Princeton University; Formerly at Uni-

versity of Rhode Island, USA)
Development and coding of source code for sea-state dependent wind
stress calculations (FLD1, FLD2).

Rogers, W. Erick (Naval Research Laboratory, USA)

Irregular grids, effects of sea ice (e.g. IC1, IC2, IC3, IC4, IC5) and
mud (BT8, BT9), ST6 package (source material and advice), adap-
tation/interfacing of conservative remapping software, tripole grid, re-
gression tests.

Roland, Aron (T. U. Darmstadt, Germany)

Advection on unstructured (triangle-based) grids and meshing tools,
Prallelization efficiency, Implementation of Implicit Solver.

Sevigny, Caroline (UQAR, Canada)

Contribution to ice scattering including ice break-up.

Shen, Hayley (Clarkson Univ.)

Supervised contributions by Zhao and Cheng on the “IC3” parameter-
ization for effect of sea ice on waves.

Saulter, Andy (Met Office, UK)

Testing and support for code development at the Met Office.

Sikiric, Mathieu Dutour (IRB, Croatia)

Multi-grid computations with unstructured (triangle-based) grids, Pral-
lelization efficiency, Implementation of Implicit Solver.

Szyszka, Mark (RPS Group, Australia)

Identifying several bugs in the code development process and providing
fixes for Openmp issues.
DRAFT WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 11

Smith, Jane M. (US Army Engineer Research and Development Center

Coastal and Hydraulics Laboratory)
Unstrucutred grids, Shallow water physics.

Tolman, Hendrik L. (DOC/NOAA/NWS/OSTI, USA).

General code architecture, original WAVEWATCH-I, II and III models.
Ongoing model development.

Toulany, Bash (Bedford Institute of Oceanography, Canada)

Two-Scale Approximations for non-linear interactions (NL4).

Tracy, Barbara (US Army Corps of Engineers, ERDC-CHL, USA, retired)

Spectral partitioning.

Van Vledder, Gerbrant Ph. (Delft University of Technology, NL)

Webb-Resio-Tracy exact nonlinear interaction routines, as well as some
of the original service routines.

Van Der Westhuysen, André (IMSG at NOAA/NCEP/EMC, USA)

Support of code development at NCEP, wave system tracking, addition
of triad interactions.

Young, Ian (University of Melbourne, Australia) ST6 source functions (wind

input, whitecapping dissipation).

Zhao, Xin (while at Clarkson University, USA)

Original author of the code that was ported into WW3 (model version
4) as the “IC3” parameterization for effect of sea ice on waves.

Zieger, Stefan (Bureau of Meteorology, Australia)

ST6 source term package, code and testing.

1.6 Acknowledgments

The WAVEWATCH III wind wave model was started by Hendrik Tolman
with the development of the WAVEWATCH model at Delft University and
WAVE- WATCH II at NASA, Goddard Space Flight Center in the early
1990s. Subsequently a research program started under the auspices of the
12 WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 DRAFT

National Ocean Partnership Program (NOPP) to support developments in

wind wave modeling has helped transition WAVEWATCH III from being
a task undertaken by a single person or group to a community modeling
framework. This program provided the resources to significantly expand
the capability of the modeling system as well as move it to a community
development paradigm. We are thankful to all our partners in the scientific
community who have sustained this effort well past the end of the NOPP
program. We are also extremely grateful to the larger user community who
have tirelessly worked with us to identify bugs and other issues in the model.
WAVEWATCH III Development Team, February 2019
DRAFT WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 13

This page is intentionally left blank.

14 WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 DRAFT

2 Governing equations

2.1 Introduction

Waves or spectral wave components in water with limited depth and non-zero
mean currents are generally described using several phase and amplitude pa-
rameters. Phase parameters are the wavenumber vector k, the wavenumber
k, the direction θ and several frequencies. If effects of mean currents on waves
are to be considered, a distinction is made between the relative or intrinsic
(radian) frequency σ (= 2πfr ), which is observed in a frame of reference mov-
ing with the mean current, and the absolute (radian) frequency ω (= 2πfa ),
which is observed in a fixed frame of reference. The direction θ is by defi-
nition perpendicular to the crest of the wave (or spectral component), and
equals the direction of k. Equations given here follow the geometrical optics
approximation, which is exact in the limit when scales of variation of depths
and currents are much larger than those of an individual wave1 . Diffraction,
scattering and interference effects that are neglected by this approximation
can be added a posteriori as source terms in the wave action equation. Under
this approximation of slowly varying current and depth, the quasi-uniform
(linear) wave theory then can be applied locally, giving the following disper-
sion relation and Doppler-type equation to interrelate the phase parameters

σ 2 = gk tanh kd , (2.1)
ω =σ+k·U, (2.2)
where d is the mean water depth and U is the (depth- and time- averaged
over the scales of individual waves) current velocity. The assumption of slowly
varying depths and currents implies a large-scale bathymetry, for which wave
diffraction can generally be ignored. The usual definition of k and ω from
the phase function of a wave or wave component implies that the number of
wave crests is conserved (see, e.g., Phillips, 1977; Mei, 1983)
∂k
+ ∇ω = 0 . (2.3)
∂t
1
Even with a factor 5 change in wave height over half a wavelength, the geometrical
optics approximation can provide reasonable results as was shown over submarine canyons
(Magne et al., 2007)
DRAFT WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 15

From Eqs. (2.1) through (2.3) the rates of change of the phase parame-
ters can be calculated (e.g., Christoffersen, 1982; Mei, 1983; Tolman, 1990,
equations not reproduced here).
For irregular wind waves, the (random) variance of the sea surface is de-
scribed using the surface elevation variance density spectrum F . In the wave
modeling community this is usually called the ‘energy spectrum’. This spec-
trum F is a function of all independent phase parameters, i.e., F (k, σ, ω), and
furthermore varies in space and time at scales larger than those of individ-
ual waves, e.g., F (k, σ, ω; x, t). However, for waves shorter than 3 times the
dominant wind sea frequency (Leckler et al., 2015), the energy is very close
to the linear dispersion relation so that Eqs. (2.1) and (2.2) interrelate k, σ
and ω. Consequently only two independent phase parameters exist, and the
local and instantaneous spectrum becomes two-dimensional. The effect of
non-linear contributions of bound waves can be added in WAVEWATCH III
as post-processing, following the method of Janssen (2009).
Within WAVEWATCH III the basic spectrum is the wavenumber-
direction spectrum F (k, θ), which has been selected because of its invari-
ance characteristics with respect to physics of wave growth and decay for
variable water depths. The output of WAVEWATCH III, however, consists
of the more traditional frequency-direction spectrum F (fr , θ). The differ-
ent spectra can be calculated from F (k, θ) using straightforward Jacobian
transformations
∂k 2π
F (fr , θ) = F (k, θ) = F (k, θ) , (2.4)
∂fr cg
 −1
∂k 2π k·U
F (fa , θ) = F (k, θ) = 1+ F (k, θ) , (2.5)
∂fa cg kcg
∂σ σ 1 kd
cg = =n , n= + , (2.6)
∂k k 2 sinh 2kd
where cg is the group velocity. From any of these spectra one-dimensional
spectra can be generated by integration over directions, whereas integration
over the entire spectrum by definition gives the total variance E (in the wave
modeling community usually denoted as the wave energy).
In cases without currents, the variance (energy) of a wave packet is a
conserved quantity. In cases with currents the energy or variance of a spec-
tral component is no longer conserved, due to the work done by current on
the mean momentum transfer of waves (Longuet-Higgins and Stewart, 1961,
16 WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 DRAFT

1962). In a general sense, however, wave action A ≡ E/σ is conserved (e.g.,

Whitham, 1965; Bretherthon and Garrett, 1968). This makes the wave ac-
tion density spectrum N (k, θ) ≡ F (k, θ)/σ the spectrum of choice within the
model. Wave propagation then is described by

DN S
= , (2.7)
Dt σ
where D/Dt represents the total derivative (moving with a wave component)
and S represents the net effect of sources and sinks for the spectrum F . Be-
cause the left side of Eq. (2.7) generally considers linear propagation without
scattering, effects of nonlinear wave propagation (i.e., wave-wave interactions)
and partial wave reflections arise in S. Propagation and source terms will be
discussed separately in the following sections.

2.2 Propagation

In a numerical model, an Eulerian form of the balance equation (2.7) is

needed. This balance equation can either be written in the form of a trans-
port equation (with velocities outside the derivatives), or in a conservation
form (with velocities inside the derivatives). The former form is valid for the
vector wavenumber spectrum N (k; x, t) only, whereas valid equations of the
latter form can be derived for arbitrary spectral formulations, as long as the
corresponding Jacobian transformation as described above is well behaved
(e.g., Tolman and Booij, 1998). Furthermore, the conservation equation con-
serves total wave energy/action, unlike the transport equation. This is an
important feature of an equation when applied in a numerical model. The
balance equation for the spectrum N (k, θ; x, t) as used in WAVEWATCH III
is given as (for convenience of notation, the spectrum is henceforth denoted
simply as N ):

∂N ∂ ∂ S
+ ∇x · ẋN + k̇N + θ̇N = , (2.8)
∂t ∂k ∂θ σ
ẋ = cg + U , (2.9)
∂σ ∂d ∂U
k̇ = − −k· , (2.10)
∂d ∂s ∂s
DRAFT WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 17

 
1 ∂σ ∂d ∂U
θ̇ = − +k· , (2.11)
k ∂d ∂m ∂m
where cg = (cg sin θ, cg cos θ, s is a coordinate in the direction θ and m is
a coordinate perpendicular to s. Equation (2.8) is valid for Cartesian coor-
dinates. For large-scale applications, this equation is usually transferred to
spherical coordinates, defined by longitude λ and latitude φ, but maintain-
ing the definition of the local variance (i.e., per unit surface, as in WAMDIG,
1988)

∂N 1 ∂ ∂ ∂ ∂ S
+ φ̇N cos θ + λ̇N + k̇N + θ̇g N = , (2.12)
∂t cos φ ∂φ ∂λ ∂k ∂θ σ
cg cos θ + Uφ
φ̇ = , (2.13)
R
cg sin θ + Uλ
λ̇ = , (2.14)
R cos φ
cg tan φ cos θ
θ̇g = θ̇ − , (2.15)
R
where R is the radius of the earth and Uφ and Uλ are current components.
Equation (2.15) includes a correction term for propagation along great circles,
using a Cartesian definition of θ where θ = 0 corresponds to waves traveling
from west to east. WAVEWATCH III can be run using either Cartesian or
Spherical coordinates. Note that unresolved obstacles such as islands can be
included in the equations. In WAVEWATCH III this is done at the level of
the numerical scheme, as is discussed in section 3.4.7. Also, depth variations
at the scale of the wavelength can be introduced by a scattering source term
described in section 2.3.19.
Finally, both Cartesian and spherical coordinates can be discretized in
many ways, using quadrangles (rectangular, curvilinear or SMC grids) and
triangles. That aspect is treated in chapter 3.

2.3 Source terms

2.3.1 General concepts

In deep water, the net source term S is generally considered to consist of three
parts, an atmosphere-wave interaction term Sin , which is usually a positive
18 WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 DRAFT

energy input but can also be negative in the case of swell, a nonlinear wave-
wave interactions term Snl and a wave-ocean interaction term that is generally
dominated by wave breaking Sds . The input term Sin is dominated by the
exponential wind-wave growth term, and this source term generally describes
this dominant process only. For model initialization, and to provide more
realistic initial wave growth, a linear input term Sln can also be added in
WAVEWATCH III.
In shallow water additional processes have to be considered, most notably
wave-bottom interactions Sbot (e.g., Shemdin et al., 1978). In extremely shal-
low water, an additional breaking term (Sdb ) should be considered, if not well
represented in Sds (see Filipot and Ardhuin, 2012a). Triad wave-wave inter-
actions (Str ) may also be considered, but present parameterizations have
limited accuracy. Also available in WAVEWATCH III are source terms for
scattering of waves by bottom features (Ssc ), wave-ice interactions (Sice ), re-
flection off shorelines or floating objects such as icebergs which can include
sources of infragravity wave energy (Sref ), and a general purpose slot for
additional, user defined source terms (Suser ).
This defines the general source terms used in WAVEWATCH III as

S = Sln + Sin + Snl + Sds + Sbot + Sdb + Str + Ssc + Sice + Sref + Suser . (2.16)
Other source terms could be easily added. Those source terms are defined
for the energy spectra. In the model, however, most source terms are directly
calculated for the action spectrum. The latter source terms are denoted as
S ≡ S/σ.
The explicit treatment of the nonlinear interactions defines third-
generation wave models. Therefore, the options for the calculation of Snl
will be discussed first, starting in section 2.3.2. Sin and Sds represent sepa-
rate processes, but are often interrelated, because the balance of these two
source terms governs the integral growth characteristics of the wave energy.
Several combinations of these basic source terms are available, and are de-
scribed in section 2.3.7 and following. The description of linear input starts in
section 2.3.12, and section 2.3.13 and following describe available additional
processes, mostly related to shallow water and sea ice.
A third-generation wave model effectively integrates the spectrum only
up to a cut-off frequency fhf (or wavenumber khf ), that is ideally equal to
the highest discretization frequency. In practice the source terms parameter-
ization or the time step used may not allow a proper balance to be obtained,
DRAFT WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 19

and thus fhf may be taken within the model frequency range. Above the
cut-off frequency a parametric tail is applied (e.g., WAMDIG, 1988)
 −m
fr
F (fr , θ) = F (fr,hf , θ) , (2.17)
fr,hf

which is easily transformed to any other spectrum using the Jacobian trans-
formations as discussed above. For instance, for the present action spectrum,
the parametric tail can be expressed as (assuming deep water for the wave
components in the tail)
 −m−2
fr
N (k, θ) = N (khf , θ) , (2.18)
fr,hf

the actual values of m and the expressions for fr,hf depend on the source
term parameterization used, and will be given below.
Before actual source term parameterizations are described, the definition
of the wind requires some attention. In cases with currents, one can either
consider the wind to be defined in a fixed frame of reference, or in a frame of
reference moving with the current. Both definitions are available in WAVE-
WATCH III, and can be selected during compilation. The output of the
program, however, will always be the wind speed which is not in any way
corrected for the current.
The treatment of partial ice coverage (ice concentration) in the source
terms follows the concept of a limited air-sea interface. This means that the
momentum transferred from the atmosphere to the waves is limited. There-
fore, input and dissipation terms are scaled by the fraction of ice concentra-
tion. The nonlinear wave-wave interaction term can be used in areas of open
water and ice (Polnikov and Lavrenov, 2007). The scaling is implemented so
that it is independent of the source term selected.

2.3.2 Snl : Discrete Interaction Approximation (DIA)

Switch: NL1
Origination: WAM model
Provided by: H. L. Tolman
20 WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 DRAFT

Nonlinear wave-wave interactions can be modeled using the discrete interac-

tion approximation (DIA, Hasselmann et al., 1985). This parameterization
was originally developed for the spectrum F (fr , θ). To assure the conserva-
tive nature of Snl for this spectrum (which can be considered as the ”final
product” of the model), this source term is calculated for F (fr , θ) instead of
N (k, θ), using the conversion (2.4).
Resonant nonlinear interactions occur between four wave components
(quadruplets) with wavenumber vector k1 through k4 . In the DIA, it is
assumed that k1 = k2 . Resonance conditions then require that

k1 + k2 = k3 + k4 


σ2 = σ1
, (2.19)
σ3 = (1 + λnl )σ1  

σ4 = (1 − λnl )σ1

where λnl is a constant. For these quadruplets, the contribution δSnl to the
interaction for each discrete (fr , θ) combination of the spectrum correspond-
ing to k1 is calculated as
   
δSnl,1 −2
 δSnl,3  = D  1  Cg −4 fr,1 11
×
δSnl,4 1
   
2 F3 F4 2F1 F3 F4
F1 + − , (2.20)
(1 + λnl )4 (1 − λnl )4 (1 − λ2nl )4

where F1 = F (fr,1 , θ1 ) etc. and δSnl,1 = δSnl (fr,1 , θ1 ) etc., C is a proportion-

ality constant. The nonlinear interactions are calculated by considering a
limited number of combinations (λnl , C). In practice, only one combination
is used. Default values for different source term packages are presented in
Table 2.1.
This source term is developed for deep water, using the appropriate dis-
persion relation in the resonance conditions. For shallow water the expression
is scaled by the factor D (still using the deep-water dispersion relation, how-
ever)
c1  
D =1+ 1 − c2 k̄d e−c3 k̄d . (2.21)
k̄d
Recommended (default) values for the constants are c1 = 5.5, c2 = 5/6
and c3 = 1.25 (Hasselmann and Hasselmann, 1985). The overbar notation
DRAFT WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 21

λnl C
ST6 0.25 3.00 107
WAM-3 0.25 2.78 107
ST4 (Ardhuin et al.) 0.25 2.50 107
Tolman and Chalikov 0.25 1.00 107

Table 2.1: Default constants in DIA for input-dissipation packages.

denotes straightforward averaging over the spectrum. For an arbitrary pa-

rameter z the spectral average is given as
Z 2π Z ∞
−1
z̄ = E zF (fr , θ) dfr dθ , (2.22)
0 0
Z 2π Z ∞
E= F (fr , θ) dfr dθ . (2.23)
0 0

For numerical reasons, however, the mean relative depth is estimated as

k̄d = 0.75k̂d , (2.24)

where k̂ is defined as
 
√ −2
k̂ = 1/ k . (2.25)

The shallow water correction of Eq. (2.21) is valid for intermediate depths
only. For this reason the mean relative depth k̄d is not allowed to become
smaller than 0.5 (as in WAM). All above constants can be reset by the user
in the input files of the model (see Section 4.4.3).

2.3.3 Snl : Full Boltzmann Integral (WRT)

Switch: NL2
Origination: Exact-NL model
Provided by: G. Ph. van Vledder
22 WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 DRAFT

The second method for calculating the nonlinear interactions in WAVE-

WATCH III is the so-called Webb-Resio-Tracy method (WRT), which is
based on the original work on the six-dimensional Boltzmann integral for-
mulation of Hasselmann (1962, 1963a,b), and additional considerations by
Webb (1978), Tracy and Resio (1982) and Resio and Perrie (1991).
The Boltzmann integral describes the rate of change of action density of
a particular wavenumber due to resonant interactions between pairs of four
wavenumbers. To interact, these wavenumbers must satisfy the following
resonance conditions

k 1 + k2 = k3 + k 4
, (2.26)
σ1 + σ2 = σ3 + σ4
which is a more general version of the resonance conditions (2.19). The
rate of change of action density N1 at wavenumber k1 due to all quadruplet
interactions involving k1 is given by

ZZZ
∂N1
= G (k1 , k2 , k3 , k4 ) δ (k1 + k2 − k3 − k4 ) δ (σ1 + σ2 − σ3 − σ4 )
∂t
× [N1 N3 (N4 − N2 ) + N2 N4 (N3 − N1 )] dk2 dk3 dk4 , (2.27)

where the action density N is defined in terms of the wavenumber vector

k, N = N (k). The term G is a complicated coupling coefficients for which
expressions have been given by Herterich and Hasselmann (1980). In the
WRT method a number of transformations are made to remove the delta
functions. A key element in the WRT method is to consider the integration
space for each (k1 , k3 ) combination (see Resio and Perrie, 1991)
Z
∂N1
= 2 T (k1 , k3 ) dk3 , (2.28)
∂t
in which the function T is given by

ZZ
T (k1 , k3 ) = G (k1 , k2 , k3 , k4 ) δ (k1 + k2 − k3 − k4 )
× δ (σ1 + σ2 − σ3 − σ4 ) θ (k1 , k3 , k4 )
× [N1 N3 (N4 − N2 ) + N2 N4 (N3 − N1 )] dk2 dk4 , (2.29)

in which
DRAFT WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 23


1 when |k1 − k3 | ≤ |k1 − k4 |
θ (k1 , k3 , k4 ) = (2.30)
0 when |k1 − k3 | > |k1 − k4 |
The delta functions in Eq. (2.29) determine a region in wavenumber space
along which the integration should be carried out. The function θ determines
a section of the integral which is not defined due to the assumption that k1 is
closer to k3 than k2 . The crux of the Webb method consists of using a local
coordinate system along a so-named locus, that is, the path in k space given
by the resonance conditions for a given combination of k1 and k3 . To that
end the (kx , ky ) coordinate system is replaced by a (s, n) coordinate system,
where s (n) is the tangential (normal) direction along the locus. After some
transformations, the transfer integral can then be written as a closed line
integral along the closed locus

I  
 ∂W (s, n) −1
T (k1 , k3 ) = G   θ(k1 , k3 , k4 )
∂n 
× [N1 N3 (N4 − N2 ) + N2 N4 (N3 − N1 )] ds , (2.31)

in which G is the coupling coefficient and |∂W/∂n| is the gradient term of

a function representing the resonance conditions (see Van Vledder, 2000).
Numerically, the Boltzmann integral is computed as the finite sum of many
line integrals T for all discrete combinations of k1 and k3 . The line integral
(2.31) is solved by dividing the locus in typically 30 pieces, such that the
discretized version is given as:
ns
X
T (k1 , k3 ) ≈ G(si )W (si )P (si ) ∆si , (2.32)
i=1

in which P (si ) is the product term for a given point on the locus, ns is the
number of segments, and si is the discrete coordinate along the locus. Finally,
the rate of change for a given wavenumber k1 is given by
nk X
X nθ
∂N (k1 )
≈ k3 T (k1 , k3 ) ∆kik3 ∆θiθ3 , (2.33)
∂t i =1 i =1
k3 θ3

where nk and nθ are the discrete number of wavenumbers and directions in

the computational grid, respectively. Note that although the spectrum is
defined in terms of the vector wavenumber k, the computational grid in a
24 WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 DRAFT

wave model is more conveniently defined in terms of the absolute wavenumber

and wave direction (k, θ) to assure directional isotropy of the calculations.
Taking all wavenumbers k1 into account produces the complete source term
due to nonlinear quadruplet wave-wave interactions. Details of the efficient
computation of a locus for a given combination of the wavenumbers k1 and
k3 can be found in Van Vledder (2000, 2002a,b).
It should be noted that these exact interaction calculations are extremely
expensive, typically requiring 103 to 104 times more computational effort
than the DIA. Presently, these calculations can therefore only be made for
highly-idealized test cases involving a limited spatial grid.
The nonlinear interactions according to the WRT method have been im-
plemented in WAVEWATCH III using the portable subroutines developed
by Van Vledder (2002b). In this implementation, the computational grid of
the WRT method is taken identical to the discrete spectral grid of WAVE-
WATCH III. In addition, the WRT routines inherit the power of the para-
metric spectral tail as in the DIA. Choosing a higher resolution than the
computational grid of WAVEWATCH III for computing the nonlinear inter-
actions is possible in theory, but this does not improve the results and is
therefore not implemented.
Because nonlinear quadruplet wave-wave interactions at high frequencies
are important, it is recommended to choose the maximum frequency of the
wave model about five times the peak frequency of the spectra that are ex-
pected to occur in a wave model run. Note that this is important as the
spectral grid determines the range of integration in Eq. (2.33). The recom-
mended number of frequencies is about 40, with a frequency increment factor
1.07. The recommended directional resolution for computing the nonlinear
interactions is about 10◦ . For specific purposes other resolutions may be used,
and some testing with other resolutions may be needed.
An important feature of most algorithms for the evaluation of the Boltz-
mann integral is that the integration space can be pre-computed. This is
also the case for the subroutine version of the WRT method used in WAVE-
WATCH III. In the initialization phase of the wave model the integration
space, consisting of the discretized paths of all loci, together with the inter-
action coefficients and gradient terms, are computed and stored in a binary
data file. For each water depth such a data file is generated and stored in
the current directory. The names of these data files consist of a keyword,
“quad”, followed by the keyword “xxxx”, with xxxx the water depth in meters,
or 9999 for deep water. The extension of the binary data file is “bqf” (Bi-
DRAFT WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 25

nary Quadruplet File, BQF). If a BQF file exists, the program checks if this
BQF file has been generated with the proper spectral grid. If this is not the
case, the existing BQF file is overwritten with the correct BQF file. During
a wave model run with various depths, the optimal BQF is used, by looking
at the nearest water depths for which a valid BQF file has been generated.
In addition, the result is rescaled using the ratio of the depth scaling factors
(2.21) for the target depth and the depth corresponding to the BQF file.

2.3.4 Snl : Generalized Multiple DIA (GMD)

Switch: NL3
Origination: WAVEWATCH III
Provided by: H. L. Tolman

The GMD has been developed as an extension to the DIA. Its development is
documented in a set of Technical notes (Tolman, 2003a, 2005, 2008a, 2010b),
reports (Tolman and Krasnopolsky, 2004; Tolman, 2009a, 2011a), and papers
(Tolman, 2004, 2013a). As part of the development of the GMD, a holistic
genetic optimization technique was developed (Tolman and Grumbine, 2013).
A package to perform this optimization within WAVEWATCH III was first
provided by Tolman (2010c). The most recent version of this package is
version 1.5 (Tolman, 2014b).
The GMD expands on the DIA in three ways. First, the definition of
the representative quadruplets is expanded. Second, the equations are devel-
oped for arbitrary depths, including the description of strong interactions in
extremely shallow water (e.g., Webb, 1978). Third, multiple representative
quadruplets are used.
The GMD allows for arbitrary configurations of the representative quadru-
plet, by expanding on the resonance conditions (2.19) as

σ1 = a1 σ r 



σ2 = a2 σ r 
σ3 = a3 σ r , (2.34)


σ4 = a4 σ r 


θ12 = θ1 ± θ12
where a1 + a2 = a3 + a4 to satisfy the general resonance conditions (2.26),
26 WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 DRAFT

Table 2.2: One, two, or three parameter definitions of the representative

quadruplet in the GMD. kd or (σd , θd ) represents the discrete spectral grid
point for which the discrete interaction contributions are evaluated. All
quadruplets are aligned with the discrete directions by taking k1 + k2 //kd .

parameters a1 a2 a3 a4 θ12 σr
(λ) 1 1 1+λ 1−λ 0 σd
(λ, µ) 1+µ 1−µ 1+λ 1−λ implied* σd
σd
(λ, µ, θ12 ) 1 + µ 1−µ 1+λ 1−λ free 1+µ

*
assuming k1 + k2 = k3 + k4 = 2kd

σr is a reference frequency, and θ12 is the angular gap between the wave-
numbers k1 and k2 . The latter parameter can either be implicit to the
quadruplet definition, or can be an explicitly tunable parameter. With this,
a one- (λ), two- (λ, µ) or three-parameter (λ, µ, θ12 ) quadruplet definition
have been constructed as outlined in Table 2.2. Note that, unlike in the DIA,
all quadruplets are evaluated for the actual water depth and frequency.

In the GMD, the discrete interactions are computed for arbitrary depths.
Somewhat surprisingly, interactions computed for the F (f, θ) spectrum and
converted to the native WAVEWATCH III spectrum N (k, θ) using a Ja-
cobian transformation proved more easily optimizable than computing the
interaction contributions for the latter spectrum directly. Furthermore, a
two-component scaling function was introduced with a ‘deep’ scaling func-
tion for the traditionally represented weak interactions in intermediate to
deep water, and a ‘shallow’ scaling function representing strong interactions
in extremely shallow water. With these modifications, the discrete interac-
DRAFT WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 27

tion contributions (2.20) of the DIA become

   
δSnl,1 −1  
 δSnl,2   −1  1 1
   
 δSnl,3  =  1  nq,d Cdeep Bdeep + nq,s Cshal Bshal ×
δSnl,4 1
  
cg,1 F1 cg,2 F2 cg,3 F3 cg,4 F4
+
k1 σ1 k2 σ2 k3 σ3 k4 σ4
  
cg,3 F3 cg,4 F4 cg,1 F1 cg,2 F2
− + (2.35)
,
k3 σ3 k4 σ4 k1 σ1 k2 σ2

where Bdeep and Bshal are the deep and shallow water scaling functions

k 4+m σ 13−2m
Bdeep = , (2.36)
(2π)11 g 4−m c2g
g 2 k 11
Bshal = (kd)n , (2.37)
(2π)11 cg
with m and n as tunable parameters, Cdeep and Cshal in Eq. (2.35) are the
corresponding deep and shallow water tunable proportionality constants, and
nq,d and nq,s are the number of representative quadruplets with deep and
shallow water scaling, respectively, representing the feature of the GMD that
multiple representative quadruplets can be used.
In the namelists snl3 and anl3 the user defines the number of quadru-
plets, and per quadruplet λ, µ, θ12 , Cdeep and Cshal . Values of m and n are
defined once, and used for all quadruplets. Finally relative depth below which
deep water scaling is not used and above which shallow water scaling is not
used are defined. Examples of some of the GMD configurations from Tolman
(2010b) are included in the example input file ww3 grid.inp in Section 4.4.3.
The default setting is to reproduce the traditional DIA.
Note that the GMD is significantly more complex that the DIA formu-
lation, and requires evaluation of the quadruplet layout for every spectral
frequency (compared to a single layout used for the DIA). For effective com-
putation, quadruplet layouts are pre-computed and stored in memory for a
set of nondimensional depths. Even with these and other optimizations, the
GMD is roughly twice as expensive to compute for a single representative
quadruplet than the DIA when using the one-parameter quadruplet layout.
Using the two- or three-parameter quadruplet layout, the GMD has four
28 WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 DRAFT

rather than two quadruplet realizations, making the GMD per quadruplet
four times as expensive as the traditional DIA. Using multiple representative
quadruplets is linearly additive in computational costs. For more in depth as-
sessment of computational costs of a model including the GMD, see Tolman
(2010b) and Tolman (2013a).

2.3.5 Snl : The Two-Scale Approximation (TSA) and the Full

Boltzmann Integral (FBI)

Switch: NL4 with INDTSA=1 for TSA or 0 for FBI

Origination: Full Boltzmann Integral
Provided by: B. Toulany, W. Perrie, D. Resio & M. Casey

The Boltzmann integral describes the rate of change of action density of a par-
ticular wavenumber due to resonant interactions among four wavenumbers.
The wavenumbers must satisfy a resonance:

k1 + k2 = k3 + k4 . (2.38)

The Two-Scale Approximation (TSA) for calculating the nonlinear in-

teractions that is implemented in WAVEWATCH III is based on pa-
pers by Resio and Perrie (2008) (hereafter RP08), Perrie and Resio (2009),
Resio et al. (2011) and Perrie et al. (2013a). A description of TSA with re-
spect to the Boltzmann integral is similar to the description for the WRT
method. Here, we focus on the TSA derivation and the differences with the
WRT method.
Starting from RP08 Eq. (2), the integral of the transfer rate from wave-
number k3 to wavenumber k1 , denoted T (k1 , k3 ), satisfies:

Z Z
∂n(k1 )
= T (k1 , k3 )dk3 (2.39)
∂t
DRAFT WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 29

which can be re-written (as in RP08) as:

I
T (k1 , k3 ) = 2 [n1 n3 (n4 − n2 ) + n2 n4 (n3 − n1 )]C(k1 , k2 , k3 , k4 )
 
 ∂W −1
ϑ(|k1 − k4 | − |k1 − k3 |)   ds
∂η 
I  
 ∂W −1
3
≡ 2 N Cϑ    ds (2.40)
∂η 

as a line integral on contour s and where the function W is given by

W = ω1 + ω2 − ω3 − ω4 (2.41)

where ϑ is the Heaviside function and k2 = k2 (s, k1 , k3 ). Here, ni is the

action density at ki and function W is given by W = ω1 + ω2 − ω3 − ω4
requiring that the interactions conserve energy on s, which is the locus of
points satisfying W = 0 and η is the local orthogonal to the locus s. Note
that Eq.(2.40) is similar to Eq. (2.31) of WRT in section 2.3.3 with coupling
coefficient C equal to the WRT coupling coefficient G divided by 2.

TSA and FBI For FBI, as well as for WRT, we numerically compute the
discretized form of Eq.(2.40) as a finite sum of many line integrals (around
locus s) of T (k1 , k3 ) for all discrete combinations of k1 and k3 . The line inte-
gral is determined by dividing the locus into a finite number of segments, each
with the length ds. A complete ‘exact’ computation is expensive, requiring
103 − 104 times DIAs run time.
The methodology for TSA is to decompose a directional spectrum into a
parametric (broadscale) spectrum and a (local-scale) nonparametric residual
component. The residual component allows the decomposition to retain the
same number of degrees of freedom as the original spectrum, a prerequisite
for the nonlinear transfer source term in 3G models. As explained in the
cited literature, this decomposition leads to a representation of the nonlin-
ear wave-wave interactions in terms of the broadscale interactions, local-scale
interactions, and the cross terms: the interactions between the broadscale
and local-scale components of the spectrum. This method allows the broad-
scale interactions and certain portions of the local-scale interactions to be
pre-computed. TSA’s accuracy is dependent on the accuracy of the parame-
terization used to represent the broadscale component.
30 WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 DRAFT

We begin by decomposing a given action density spectrum ni into the

parametric broadscale term n̂i and a residual local-scale (or ‘perturbation-
scale’) term n′i . The broadscale term n̂i is assumed to have a JONSWAP-type
form, depending on only a few parameters,

n′i = ni − n̂i (2.42)

TSA’s accuracy depends on n̂i , in that if the number of degrees of freedom

used for n̂i approaches the number of degrees of freedom in a given wave
spectrum ni , the local-scale n′i becomes quite small, and thus, TSA is very
accurate. However, it is time-consuming to set up large multi-dimensional
sets of pre-computed matrices for n̂i . Therefore an optimal TSA formulation
must minimize the number of parameters needed for n̂i . However, even for
complicated multi-peaked spectra ni , a small set of parameters can be used
to let n̂i capture most of the spectra so that the residual n′i , can be small
(RP08; Perrie and Resio (2009)).
RP08 describe the partitioning of ni so that the transfer integral T in
Eq. (2.40) consists of the sum of broadscale terms n̂i , denoted B, local-scale
terms n′i , denoted L, and cross-scale terms of n̂i and n′i , denoted X. Thus
the nonlinear transfer term can be represented as,

Snl (f, θ) = B + L + X (2.43)

where B depends on JONSWAP-type parameters xi and can be pre-

computed,
Snl (f, θ)broadscale = B(f, θ, x1 , . . . , xn ). (2.44)
TSA needs to find accurate efficient approximations for L + X. If all terms
in Eq. (2.43) are computed as in FBI, this might result in an 8× increase
in the computations, compared to B in Eq. (2.43). While this approach can
provide a means to examine the general problem of bimodal wave spectra,
for example in mixed seas and swells, by subtracting the interactions for a
single spectral region from the interactions for the sum of the two spectral
regions, it does not provide the same insight as the use of the split density
function, where the cross-interaction terms can be examined algebraically.
In any case, to simplify Eq. (2.43), terms involving n′2 and n′4 are ne-
glected assuming that these local-scale terms are deviations about the broad-
scale terms, n̂2 and n̂4 , which are supposed to capture most of the spectra,
whereas n′2 and n′4 , with their positive/negative differences and products tend
DRAFT WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 31

to cancel. TSA’s ability to match the FBI (or WRT) results for test spectra is
used to justify the approach. Moreover, the broadscale terms n̂2 and n̂4 , tend
to have much longer lengths along locus s and therefore should contribute
more to the net transfer integral. Thus, RP08 show that
Z Z I  −1

3  ∂W 

Snl (k1 ) = B + L + X = B + N∗ C  dsk3 dθ3 dk3 , (2.45)
∂n 

where N∗3 is what’s left from all the cross terms, after neglecting terms in-
volving n′2 and n′4 ,

N∗3 = n̂2 n̂4 (n′3 − n′1 ) + n′1 n′3 (n̂4 − n̂2 ) + n̂1 n′3 (n̂4 − n̂2 ) + n′1 n̂3 (n̂4 − n̂2 ), . (2.46)

and they use known scaling relations, with specific parameterizations, for
example for f −4 or f −5 based spectra. To implement this formulation, we
generally fit each peak separately.
It should be noted that to speed up the computation, a pre-computed
set of multi-dimensional arrays, for example the grid geometry arrays and
the gradient array, which are functions of spectral parameters, number of
segments on the locus and depth, are generated and saved in a file with
filename ‘grd dfrq nrng nang npts ndep.dat’, for example, ‘grd 1.1025-
35 36 30 37.dat’, etc.
The flow chart for TSA’s main subroutine W3SNL4 in w3snl4md.ftn is
as follows:
/
|
|*** It’s called from:
| -----------------
| (1) W3SRCE in w3srcemd.ftn; to calc. & integrate source
| term at single pt
| (2) GXEXPO in gx_outp.ftn; to perform point output
| (3) W3EXPO in ww3_outp.ftn; to perform point output
| (4) W3EXNC in ww3_ounp.ftn; to perform point output
|*** It can also be called from:
| (5) W3IOGR in w3iogrmd.ftn; to perform I/O of "mod_def.ww3"
|
W3SNL4 -->|
|
|*** It calls:
| ---------
| /
32 WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 DRAFT

| |
| |*** It’s called from:
| | -----------------
| | W3SNL4 in w3snl4md.ftn; main TSA subr.
| |*** It can also be called from: subr W3IOGR
| | W3IOGR in w3iogrmd.ftn; I/O of mod_def.ww3
| |
| |*** It calls:
| | ---------
| |--> wkfnc (function)
| |--> cgfnc (function)
|(1) |
|--> INSNL4 -->| /
| | |--> shloxr (uses func wkfnc)
| |--> gridsetr -->|--> shlocr
| | |--> cplshr
| | \
|(2) \
|--> optsa2
|
| /
|(3) | if (ialt=2)
|--> snlr_tsa -->|--> interp2
| |
| \
|
|
| /
|(4) | if (ialt=2)
|--> snlr_fbi -->|--> interp2
| |
| \
|
\

2.3.6 Snl : Nonlinear Filter

Switch: NLS
Origination: WAVEWATCH III
Provided by: H. L. Tolman

When the DIA of Eqs. (2.19) and (2.20) is applied with a quadruplet where
DRAFT WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 33

λnl is small enough so that the resulting quadruplet is not resolved by the dis-
crete spectral grid, then the resulting numerical form of the DIA corresponds
to a simple diffusion tensor. If this tensor is filtered so that it is applied to
the high-frequency tail of the spectrum only, then a conservative filter re-
sults, which retains all conservation properties of the nonlinear interactions
(Tolman, 2008a, 2011b). This filter can be used as a part of a parameteri-
zation of nonlinear interactions. For instance, it was shown to be effective
in removing high-frequency spectral noise in some GMD configurations in
Figs. 5 and 6 of Tolman (2011b). Since it is essential that the quadruplet
is not resolved by the spectral grid, the free parameter of the filter defining
the quadruplet is the relative offset of quadruplets 3 and 4 in the discrete
frequency grid (α34 , 0 < α34 < 1), from which λnl is computed as

λnl = α34 (Xσ − 1), (2.47)

where Xσ is the increment factor for the discrete frequency grid, typically
Xσ = 1.1 [Eq. (3.1)]. Using the native spectral description of WAVE-
WATCH III, the change in spectral density δNi at quadruplet component
i, is written in the form of a discrete diffusion equation as (Tolman, 2011b,
page 294)
     
δN3 0 1
 δN1  = N1  1  + N1 S∆t  −2  , (2.48)
N1
δN4 0 1
with    
Cnlf k 4 σ 12 N12 N3 N4 N1 N3 N4
S= + −2 , (2.49)
(2π)9 g 4 cg k12 k3 k4 k1 k3 k4
where Cnlf is the proportionality constant of the DIA used in the filter. The
DIA results in changes S for two mirror-image quadruplets (Sa and Sb ). A
JONSWAP style filter (Φ) is applied to localize the smoother at higher fre-
quencies only, with
"  −c3 #
f
Φ(f ) = exp −c1 , (2.50)
c2 fp

where c1 through c3 are tunable parameters. The latter three parameters

need to be chosen such that Φ(fp ) ≈ 0, Φ(f > 3fp ) ≈ 1 and that Φ ≈ 0.5 for
34 WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 DRAFT

frequencies moderately larger than fp . This can be achieved by setting

c1 = 1.25, c2 = 1.50, c3 = 6.00. (2.51)

Accounting for the redistribution of the changes Sa,b over the neighboring
discrete spectral grids points, the effective nondimensional strengths (S̃a,b ) of
the interactions for both quadruplets become

S̃a = Φ(f )M1 Sa ∆t/N1 , S̃b = Φ(f )M1 Sb ∆t/N1 , (2.52)

where N1 is the action density at the center component of the quadruplet,
and M1 is a factor accounting for the redistribution of the contribution over
the discrete spectral grid (for details, see Tolman, 2011b). To convert this
DIA into a stable diffusive filter, |S̃a,b | should be limited to S̃max ≈ 0.5
(e.g., Fletcher, 1988). The maximum change is distributed over the two
quadruplets using

|S̃a |S̃max |S̃b |S̃max

S̃m,a = , S̃m,b = , (2.53)
|S̃a | + |S̃b | |S̃a | + |S̃b |

and the normalized changes S̃a and S̃b are limited as

− S̃m,a ≤ S̃a ≤ S̃m,a , −S̃m,b ≤ S̃b ≤ S̃m,b . (2.54)

With this, the free parameters of the conservative nonlinear filter are α34
in Eq. (2.47), Cnlf in Eq. (2.49), S̃max in Eq. (2.53), and c1 through c3 in
Eq. (2.50). All these parameters can de adjusted by the user through the
namelist snls in ww3 grid.inp (parameters a34 , fhfc, dnm, fc1, fc2 and
fc3, respectively). Note that this filter is applied in addition to a parame-
terization of Snl , but does not replace it. Hence, it is used on concert with a
full parameterization of Snl , described in the preceding sections.

2.3.7 Sin + Sds : WAM cycle 3

Switch: ST1
Origination: WAM model
Provided by: H. L. Tolman
DRAFT WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 35

The input and dissipation source terms of WAM cycles 1 through 3 are based
on Snyder et al. (1981) and Komen et al. (1984) (see also WAMDIG, 1988).
The input source term is given as

  
ρa 28 u∗
Sin (k, θ) = Cin max 0, cos(θ − θw ) − 1 σ N (k, θ) , (2.55)
ρw c
p
u∗ = u10 (0.8 + 0.065u10 )10−3 , (2.56)
where Cin is a constant (Cin = 0.25), ρa (ρw ) is the density of air (water),
u∗ is the wind friction velocity (Charnock, 1955; Wu, 1982), c is the phase
velocity σ/k, u10 is the wind speed at 10 m above the mean sea level and θw
is the mean wind direction. The corresponding dissipation term is given as
 2
k α̂
Sds (k, θ) = Cds σ̂ N (k, θ) , (2.57)
k̂ α̂P M
 −1
σ̂ = σ −1 , (2.58)

α̂ = E k̂ 2 g −2 , (2.59)
where Cds is a constant (Cds = −2.36 10−5 ), α̂P M is the value of α̂ for a pm
spectrum (α̂P M = 3.02 10−3 ) and where k̂ is given by Eq. (2.25).
The parametric tail [Eqs. (2.17) and (2.18)] corresponding to these source
terms is given by2 m = 4.5 and by
h i
fhf = max 2.5 fˆr , 4 fP M , (2.60)
g
fP M = , (2.61)
28 u∗
where fP M is the Pierson and Moskowitz (1964) frequency, estimated from
the wind friction velocity u∗ . The shape and attachment point of this tail
is hardcoded to the present model. The tunable parameters Cin , Cds and
αP M are preset to their default values, but can be redefined by the user in
the input files of the model. Alternative fP M and αP M values proposed by
Alves et al. (2003) may also be used.

2
originally, WAM used m = 5, present setting used for consistent limit behavior (e.g.,
Tolman, 1992).
36 WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 DRAFT

2.3.8 Sin + Sds : Tolman and Chalikov 1996

Switch: ST2
Origination: WAVEWATCH III
Provided by: H. L. Tolman

The source term package of Tolman and Chalikov (1996) consists of the input
source term of Chalikov and Belevich (1993) and Chalikov (1995), and two
dissipation constituents. The input source term is given as

Sin (k, θ) = σ β N (k, θ) , (2.62)

where β is a nondimensional wind-wave interaction parameter, which is ap-

proximated as



 −a1 σ̃a2 − a2 , σ̃a < −1


 a3 σ̃a (a4 σ̃a − a5 ) − a6 , −1 ≤ σ̃a < Ω1 /2
4
10 β = (a4 σ̃a − a5 )σ̃a , Ω1 /2 ≤ σ̃a < Ω1 (2.63)



 a7 σ̃a − a8 , Ω1 ≤ σ̃a < Ω2

a9 (σ̃a − 1)2 + a10 , Ω2 ≤ σ̃a

where

σ uλ
σ̃a = cos(θ − θw ) (2.64)
g

is the non-dimensional frequency of a spectral component, θw is the wind

direction and uλ is the wind velocity at a height equal to the ‘apparent’ wave
length

2π
λa = . (2.65)
k| cos(θ − θw )|

The parameters a1 − a10 and Ω1 , Ω2 in Eq. (2.63) depend on the drag coeffi-
cient Cλ at the height z = λa :
DRAFT WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 37

Ω1 = 1.075 + 75Cλ Ω2 = 1.2 + 300Cλ

a1 = 0.25 + 395Cλ , a3 = (a0 − a2 − a1 )/(a0 + a4 + a5 )
a2 = 0.35 + 150Cλ , a5 = a4 Ω1
a4 = 0.30 + 300Cλ , a6 = a0 (1 − a3 ) (2.66)
a9 = 0.35 + 240Cλ , a7 = (a9 (Ω2 − 1)2 + a10 )/(Ω2 − Ω1 )
a10 = −0.05 + 470Cλ , a8 = a7 Ω1
a0 = 0.25a25 /a4
The wave model takes the wind ur at a given reference height zr as its input,
so that uλ and Cλ need to be derived as part of the parameterization. Ex-
cluding a thin surface layer adjusting to the water surface, the mean wind
profile is close to logarithmic
 
v∗ z
uz = ln , (2.67)
κ z0
where κ = 0.4 is the Von Kàrmàn constant, and z0 is the roughness parameter.
This equation can be rewritten in terms of the drag coefficient Cr at the
reference height zr as (Chalikov, 1995)

Cr = κ2 [R − ln(C)]2 , (2.68)
where  
zr g
R = ln √ , (2.69)
χ αu2r
where χ = 0.2 is a constant, and where α is the conventional nondimensional
energy level at high frequencies. An accurate explicit approximation to these
implicit relations is given as
 
−3 10.4
Cr = 10 0.021 + 1.23 . (2.70)
R + 1.85
The estimation of the drag coefficient thus requires an estimate of the
high-frequency energy level α, which could be estimated directly from the
wave model. However, the corresponding part of the spectrum is generally
not well resolved, tends to be noisy, and is tainted by errors in several source
terms. Therefore, α is estimated parametrically as (Janssen, 1989)
 3/2
u∗
α = 0.57 . (2.71)
cp
38 WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 DRAFT

As the latter equation depends on the drag coefficient, Eqs. (2.69) through
(2.71) formally need to be solved iteratively. Such iterations are performed
during the model initialization, but are not necessary during the actual
model run, as u∗ generally changes slowly. Note that Eq. (2.71) can be
considered as an internal relation to the parameterization of Cr , and can
therefore deviate from actual model behavior without loss of generality. In
Tolman and Chalikov (1996), Cr is therefore expressed directly in terms of
cp .
Using the definition of the drag coefficient and Eq. (2.67) the roughness
parameter z0 becomes


z0 = zr exp −κCr−1/2 , (2.72)
and the wind velocity and drag coefficient at height λ become

ln(λa /z0 )
u λ = ur , (2.73)
ln(zr /z0 )
 2
ua
Cλ = Cr , (2.74)
uλ
Finally, Eq. (2.71) requires an estimate for the peak frequency fp . To ob-
tain a consistent estimate of the peak frequency of actively generated waves,
even in complex multimodal spectra, this frequency is estimated from the
equivalent peak frequency of the positive part of the input source term (see
Tolman and Chalikov, 1996)
R R −2 −1
f cg max [ 0 , Swind (k, θ) ] df dθ
fp,i = R R −3 −1 , (2.75)
f cg max [ 0 , Swind (k, θ) ] df dθ
from which the actual peak frequency is estimated as (the tilde identifies
nondimensional parameter based on u∗ and g)

f˜p = 3.6 10−4 + 0.92f˜p,i − 6.3 10−10 f˜p,i

−3
. (2.76)
All constants in the above equations are defined within the model. The user
only defines the reference wind height zr .
During testing of a global implementation of WAVEWATCH III including
this source term (Tolman, 2002f), it was found that its swell dissipation
due to opposing or weak winds was severely overestimated. To correct this
deficiency, a filtered input source term is defined as
DRAFT WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 39


 Si for β ≥ 0 or f > 0.8fp
Si,m = Xs Si for β < 0 and f < 0.6fp , (2.77)

Xs Si for β < 0 and 0.6fp < f < 0.8fp

where f is the frequency, fp is the peak frequency of the wind sea as computed
from the input source term, Si is the input source term (2.62), and 0 < Xs < 1
is a reduction factor for Si , which is applied to swell with negative β only
(defined by the user). Xs represents a linear reduction of Xs with fp providing
a smooth transition between the original and reduced input.
The drag coefficient that follows from Eq. (2.71) becomes unrealistically
high for hurricane strength wind speeds, leading to unrealistically high wave
growth rates. To alleviate this, the drag coefficient at the reference height
Cr can be capped with a maximum allowed drag coefficient Cr,max , either as
a simple hard limit

Cr = min(Cr , Cr,max ) , (2.78)

or with a smooth transition

Cr = Cr,max tanh(Cr /Cr,max ) . (2.79)

Selection of the capped drag coefficient occurs at the compile stage of the
code. The cap level and cap type can be set by the user. Defaults settings
are Cr,max = 2.5 10−3 and Eq. (2.78).
The corresponding dissipation source term consists of two constituents.
The (dominant) low-frequency constituent is based on an analogy with energy
dissipation due to turbulence,

Sds,l (k, θ) = −2 u∗ h k 2 φ N (k, θ) , (2.80)

Z 2π Z ∞ 1/2
h=4 F (f, θ) df dθ . (2.81)
0 fh

φ = b0 + b1 f˜p,i + b2 f˜p,i
−b3
. (2.82)
where h is a mixing scale determined from the high-frequency energy content
of the wave field and where φ is an empirical function accounting for the
development stage of the wave field. The linear part of Eq. (2.82) describes
dissipation for growing waves. The nonlinear term has been added to allow
40 WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 DRAFT

for some control over fully grown conditions by defining a minimum value
for φ (φmin ) for a minimum value of fp,i (fp,i,min ). If φmin is below the linear
curve, b2 and b3 are given as
 
b2 = f˜b3 φmin − b0 − b1 f˜p,i,min ,
p,i,min (2.83)
b3 = 8 . (2.84)
If φmin is above the linear curve, b2 and b3 are given as

φmin − b0 n o
˜
fa = ˜ ˜
, fb = max fa − 0.0025 , fp,i,min˜ , (2.85)
b1
h i
b2 = f˜bb3 φmin − b0 − b1 f˜b , (2.86)

b1 f˜b
b3 = . (2.87)
φmin − b0 − b1 f˜b
The above estimate of b3 results in ∂φ/∂ f˜p,i = 0 for f˜p,i = f˜b . For f˜p,i < f˜b ,
φ is kept constant (φ = φmin ).
The empirical high-frequency dissipation is defined as
 2
u∗
Sds,h (k, θ) = −a0 f 3 αnB N (k, θ) , (2.88)
g
 −a2
f u∗
B = a1 ,
g
Z 2π
σ6
αn = N (k, θ) dθ , (2.89)
cg g 2 αr 0
where αn is Phillips’ nondimensional high-frequency energy level normalized
with αr , and where a0 through a2 and αr are empirical constants. This
parameterization implies that m = 5 in the parametric tail, which has been
preset in the model. Note that in the model Eq. (2.89) is solved assuming a
deep water dispersion relation, in which case αn is evaluated as

2 k3
αn = F (k) . (2.90)
αr
The two constituents of the dissipation source term are combined using a
simple linear combination, defined by the frequencies f1 and f2 .
DRAFT WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 41

Tuned to : a0 a1 a2 b0 b1 φmin
KC stable 4.8 1.7 10−4 2.0 0.3 10−3 0.47 0.003
KC unstable 4.5 2.3 10−3 1.5 −5.8 10−3 0.60 0.003

Table 2.3: Suggested constants in the source term package of Tolman and
Chalikov. KC denotes Kahma and Calkoen (1992, 1994). First line repre-
sents default model settings.

Sds (k, θ) = ASds,l + (1 − A) Sds,h , (2.91)


 1 for f < fl ,
f −f2
A= for f1 ≤ f < f2 , (2.92)
 f1 −f2
0 for f2 ≤ f .
To enhance the smoothness of the model behavior for frequencies near the
parametric cut-off fhf , a similar transition zone is used between the prognos-
tic spectrum and the parametric high-frequency tail as in Eq. (2.18)

 −m−2
fi
N (ki , θ) = (1 − B) N (ki , θ) + BN (ki−1 , θ) , (2.93)
fi−1

where i is a discrete wavenumber counter, and B is defined similarly to A,

ranging from 0 to 1 between f2 and fhf .
The frequencies defining the transitions and the length scale h are prede-
fined in the model as

fhf = 3.00 fp,i  

f1 = 1.75 fp,i
. (2.94)
f2 = 2.50 fp,i  

fh = 2.00 fp,i
Furthermore, fp,i,min = 0.009 and αr = 0.002 are preset in the model. All
other tunable parameters have to be provided by the user. Suggested and
default values are given in Table 2.3.
Test results of these source terms in a global model implementation
(Tolman, 2002f) suggested that (i) the model tuned in the classical way to
42 WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 DRAFT

fetch-limited growth for stable conditions underestimates deep-ocean wave

growth (a deficiency apparently shared by the WAM model) and that (ii)
effects of stability on the growth rate of waves (Kahma and Calkoen, 1992,
1994) should be included explicitly in the parameterization of the source
terms. Ideally, both problems would be dealt with by theoretical investiga-
tion of the source terms. Alternatively, the wind speed u can be replaced by
an effective wind speed ue . In Tolman (2002f) the following effective wind
speed is used :
 1/2
ue co
= , (2.95)
u 1 + C1 + C2

C1 = c1 tanh [max(0, f1 {ST − ST o })] , (2.96)

C2 = c2 tanh [max(0, f2 {ST − ST o })] , (2.97)

hg Ta − Ts
ST = , (2.98)
u2h T0
where ST is a bulk stability parameter, and Ta , Ts and T0 are the air, sea
and reference temperature, respectively. Furthermore, f1 ≤ 0, c1 and c2
have opposite signs and f2 = f1 c1 /c2 . Following Tolman (2002f), default
settings of c0 = 1.4, c1 = −0.1, c2 = 0.1, f1 = −150 and ST o = −0.01
in combination with the tuning to stable stratification wave growth data
(‘KC stable’ parameter values in Table 2.3) are used. Note that this effective
wind speed was derived for winds at 10 m height. The wind correction can
be switched off by the user during compilation of the model, and default
parameter settings can be redefined by the user in the program input files.
This stability correction is activated with the STAB2 switch. The air-sea
temperature differences need to be provided by the user, e.g. using ww3 prep.

2.3.9 Sin + Sds : WAM cycle 4 (ECWAM)

Switch: ST3
Origination: WAM model
Provided by: F. Ardhuin
DRAFT WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 43

The wind-wave interaction source terms described here are based on the wave
growth theory of Miles (1957), modified by Janssen (1982). The pressure-
slope correlations that give rise to part of the wave generation are parame-
terized following Janssen (1991).
This parameterization was further extended by Abdalla and Bidlot (2002)
to take into account a stronger gustiness in unstable atmospheric conditions.
This effect is included in the present parameterization and is activated with
the optional STAB3 switch. The formula used in STAB3 is not described herein.
For that, the reader is referred to Abdalla and Bidlot (2002). If STAB3 is used,
the air-sea temperature differences should be provided by the user, e.g. using
ww3 prep.
Efforts have been made to make the present implementation as close as
possible to the one in the ECWAM model (Bidlot et al., 2005), in particular
the stress lookup tables were verified to be identical. Later modifications
include the addition of a negative part in the wind input to represent swell
dissipation.
The source term reads (Janssen, 2004)

ρa βmax Z 4  u⋆ 2
Sin (k, θ) = e Z + z α cospin (θ − θu )σN (k, θ) + Sout (k, θ),
ρw κ 2 C
(2.99)
where ρa and ρw are the air and water densities, βmax is a non-dimensional
growth parameter (constant), κ is von Kármán’ constant, and pin is a
constant that controls the directional distribution of Sin . In the present
implementation the air/water density ratio ρa /ρw is constant. We define
Z = log(µ) where µ is given by Janssen (1991) Eq. (16), and corrected for
intermediate water depths, so that

Z = log(kz1 ) + κ/ [cos (θ − θu ) (u⋆ /C + zα )] , (2.100)

where z1 is a roughness length modified by the wave-supported stress τw , and

zα is a wave age tuning parameter3 . The roughness z1 is defined as,
3
Although this tuning parameter zα is not well described in WAM-Cycle4 documenta-
tion, it has an important effect on wave growth. Essentially it shifts the wave age of the
long waves, which typically increases the growth, and even generates waves that travel
faster than the wind. This accounts for some gustiness in the wind and should possibly be
resolution-dependent. For reference, this parameter was not properly set in early versions
of the SWAN model, as discovered by R. Lalbeharry.
44 WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 DRAFT

 
u⋆ zu
U10 = log (2.101)
κ z1
τ
z1 = α0 p , (2.102)
1 − τw /τ

where τ = u2⋆ , and zu is the height at which the wind is specified. These two
equations provide an implicit functional dependence of u⋆ on U10 and τw /τ .
This relationship is then tabulated (Janssen, 1991; Bidlot et al., 2007).
An important part of the parameterization is the calculation of the wave-
supported stress τw ,

Z kmax Z 2π

 Sin (k ′ , θ) 
τw =  (cos θ, sin θ) dk dθ + τhf (u⋆ , α) (cos θu , sin θu ) ,
′
0 0 C
(2.103)
which includes the resolved part of the spectrum, up to kmax , as well as
the stress supported by shorter waves, τhf . Assuming a f −X diagnostic tail
beyond the highest frequency, τhf is given by

Z 2π
u2⋆ σmax
X
2πσ
τhf (u⋆ , α) = 2 N (kmax , θ) max {0, cos (θ − θu )}3 dθ
g 2πCg (kmax ) 0
Z
βmax 0.05∗g/u⋆ eZhf Zhf
4
× 2 dσ (2.104)
κ σmax σ X−4
where the second integral is a function of u⋆ and the Charnock coefficient
α only, which is easily tabulated. In practice the calculation is coded with
X = 5, and the variable Zhf is defined by,

Zhf (σ) = log(kz1 ) + min {κ/ (u⋆ /C + zα ) , 20} . (2.105)

This parameterization is sensitive to the spectral level at kmax . A higher
spectral level will lead to a larger value of u⋆ and thus positive feedback on
the wind input via z1 . This sensitivity is exacerbated by the sensitivity of
the high-frequency spectral level to the presence of swell via the dissipation
term.
A linear damping of swells was introduced in the operational ECWAM
model in September 2009. It takes the form given by Janssen (2004)
DRAFT WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 45

Par. WWATCH var. namelist WAM4 BJA Bidlot 2012

zu ZWND SIN3 10.0 10.0 10.0
α0 ALPHA0 SIN3 0.01 0.0095 0.0095
βmax BETAMAX SIN3 1.2 1.2 1.2
pin SINTHP SIN3 2 2 2
zα ZALP SIN3 0.0110 0.0110 0.0080
s1 SWELLF SIN3 0.0 0.0 1.0

Table 2.4: Parameter values for WAM4, BJA and the 2012 update in the
ECWAM model. Source term parameterizations that can be reset via the
SIN3 and SDS3 namelist. BJA is generally better than WAM4. The default
parameters in ST3 corresponds to BJA. Please note that the names of the
variables only apply to the namelists. In the source term module the names
are slightly different, with a doubled first letter, in order to differentiate the
variables from the pointers to these variables.

 
ρa  u⋆ 2 κC
Sout (k, θ) = 2s1 κ cos (θ − θu ) − (2.106)
ρw C u⋆ log(kz0 )

where s1 is set to 1 when this damping is used and 0 otherwise. For s1 = 0

the parameterization is the WAM4 or BJA parameterization (see Table 2.4).
Due to the increase in high-frequency input compared to WAM3, the
dissipation function was adapted by Janssen (1994) from the WAM3 dissi-
pation, and later reshaped by Bidlot et al. (2005). That later modification
is referred to as ”BJA” for Bidlot, Janssen and Abdallah. A more recent
modification, strongly improved the model results for Pacific swells, at the
price of an underestimation of the highest sea states. This corresponds to the
ECMWF WAM model contained in the IFS version CY38R1 (Bidlot, 2012).
Note that these parameters were optimized for use of neutral winds from the
operational ECMWF analysis. Using these with other wind products may
require a re-tuning of these coefficients. For example, with NCEP or CF-
SRR winds, the value of BETAMAX should probably be reduced or ZWND
increased.
The generic form of the WAM4 dissipation term is,
46 WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 DRAFT

Par. WWATCH var. namelist WAM4 BJA Bidlot 2012

Cds SDSC1 SDS3 -4.5 -2.1 -1.33
p WNMEANP SDS3 -0.5 0.5 0.5
ptail WNMEANPTAIL SDS3 -0.5 0.5 0.5
δ1 SDSDELTA1 SDS3 0.5 0.4 0.5
δ2 SDSDELTA2 SDS3 0.5 0.6 0.5

Table 2.5: Parameter values for WAM4, BJA and the update by Bidlot (2012).
Source term parameterizations that can be reset via the SDS3 namelist. BJA
is generally better than WAM4. Please note that the names of the variables
only apply to the namelists. In the source term module the names are slightly
different, with a doubled first letter, in order to differentiate the variables
from the pointers to these variables.

"  2 #
k k
Sds (k, θ)WAM = Cds α2 σ δ1 + δ2 N (k, θ) (2.107)
k k
where Cds is a non-dimensional constant δ1 and δ2 are weight parameters,
R p 1/p
k N (k, θ) dθ
k= R (2.108)
N (k, θ) dθ
with p a constant power. Similarly, the mean frequency is defined as
R 1/p
σ p N (k, θ) dθ
σ= R , (2.109)
N (k, θ) dθ
2
so that the mean steepness is α = Ek .
The mean frequency also occurs in the definition of the maximum fre-
quency of prognostic integration of the source terms. Since the definition of
that frequency may be different from that of the source term it is defined
with another exponent ptail .
Unfortunately these parameterizations are sensitive to swell. An increase
in swell height typically reduces dissipation at the windsea peak because the
mean wavenumber k and thus the mean steepness α are reduced. For p < 2,
as in the WAM-Cycle 4 and BJA parameterizations, this sensitivity is much
DRAFT WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 47

larger and opposite to the expected effect of short wave modulation by long
waves.
The source term code was generalized to allow the use of WAM4, BJA
or others ECWAM parameterization, via a simple change of the parameters
in the namelists SIN3 and SDS3, see Tables 2.4 and 2.5. At present, the
default values of the namelist parameters correspond to BJA (Bidlot et al.,
2005).

2.3.10 Sin + Sds : Ardhuin et al. 2010 ...

Switch: ST4
Origination: WAVEWATCH III
Provided by: F. Ardhuin

This family of parameterizations uses a positive part of the wind input taken
from WAM cycle 4 with an ad hoc reduction of u⋆ , implemented in order to
allow a balance with a saturation-based dissipation that uses different options
for a cumulative term. This correction also reduces the drag coefficient at
high winds. This is done by reducing the wind input for high frequencies
and high winds. Many different adjustments can be made by changing the
namelist parameters. A few successful combinations are given by tables 2.6
and 2.7, with results described by (Rascle and Ardhuin, 2013; Stopa et al.,
2016). Further calibration to any particular wind field should be done for
best performance. Guidance for this is given by Stopa (2018). We also note
that the particular set of parameters T400 corresponds to setting IPHYS=1
in the ECWAM code cycle 45R2, with a few differences related to the fact
that precomputed stress tables have now been removed from ECWAM.
The reduction of u⋆ in eq. (2.99) is obtained by replacing it with u′⋆ (k)
defined for each frequency as

 Z k Z 2π

2  2 Sin (k ′ , θ) 
(u′⋆ ) = u⋆ (cos θu , sin θu ) − |su | (cos θ, sin θ) dk dθ, 
′
0 0 C
(2.110)
where the sheltering coefficient |su | ∼ 1 can be used to tune the stresses
at high winds, which would be largely overestimated for su = 0. For su >
0 this sheltering is also applied within the diagnostic tail in eq. (2.104),
48 WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 DRAFT

which requires the estimation of a 3-dimensional look-up table for the high
frequency stress, the third parameter being the energy level of the tail.
The STAB3 switch, described above for use with ST3, may also be used
with ST4. If STAB3 is used, the air-sea temperature differences should be
provided by the user, e.g. using ww3 prep.
The swell dissipation parameterization of Ardhuin et al. (2009a) is acti-
vated by setting s1 to a non-zero integer value, and is given by a combination
of the viscous boundary layer value,
ρa n √ o
Sout,vis (k, θ) = −s5 2k 2νσ N (k, θ) , (2.111)
ρw
with the turbulent boundary layer expression
ρa 
Sout,tur (k, θ) = − 16fe σ 2 uorb,s /g N (k, θ) , (2.112)
ρw
giving the full term

Sout (k, θ) = rvis Sout,vis (k, θ) + rtur Sout,tur (k, θ) , (2.113)

where the two weights rvis and rtur are defined from a modified air-sea bound-
ary layer significant Reynolds number Re = 2uorb,s Hs /νa

rvis = 0.5(1 − tanh((Re − Rec )/s7 ), (2.114)

rtur = 0.5(1 + tanh((Re − Rec )/s7 ). (2.115)

The significant surface orbital velocity is defined by

ZZ 1/2
3
uorb,s = 2 σ N (k, θ) dkdθ . (2.116)

The first equation (2.111) is the linear viscous decay by Dore (1978), with
νa the air viscosity and s5 is an O(1) tuning parameter. A few tests have
indicated that a threshold Rec = 2×105 ×(4 m/Hs )(1−s6 ) provides reasonable
result with s6 = 0, although it may also be a function of the wind speed, and
we have no explanation for the dependence on Hs . With s6 = 1, a constant
threshold close to 2 × 105 provides similar – but less accurate – results.
 DRAFT
Par. WWATCH var. namelist T471 T471f T400/Iphys = 1 T405 T500 T601
zu ZWND SIN4 10.0 10.0 10.0 10.0 10.0 10.0
α0 ALPHA0 SIN4 0.0095 0.0095 0.0062 0.0095 0.0095 0.0095
βmax BETAMAX SIN4 1.43 1.33 1.42 1.55 1.52 2.0
pin SINTHP SIN4 2 2 2 2 2 1
zα ZALP SIN4 0.006 0.006 0.008 0.006 0.006 0.006

WAVEWATCH III version 6.07

su TAUWSHELTER SIN4 0.3 0.3 0.25 0.0 1.0 0.5
s1 SWELLF SIN4 0.66 0.66 0.66 0.8 0.8 0.66
s2 SWELLF2 SIN4 -0.018 -0.018 -0.018 -0.018 -0.018 -0.018
s3 SWELLF3 SIN4 0.022 0.022 0.022 0.015 0.015 0.022
Rec SWELLF4 SIN4 1.5 × 105 1.5 × 105 1.5 × 105 105 105 1.5 × 105
s5 SWELLF5 SIN4 1.2 1.2 1.2 1.2 1.2 1.2
s6 SWELLF6 SIN4 0. 0. 1.0 0. 0. 0.
s7 SWELLF7 SIN4 3.6×105 3.6×105 3.6×105 0.0 0.0 3.6×105
zr Z0RAT SIN4 0.04 0.04 0.04 0.04 0.04 0.04
z0,max Z0MAX SIN4 1.002 1.002 1.002 0.002 1.002 1.002

Table 2.6: Parameter values for T471, T471f, T400, T405, T500, and T601 source term parameterizations
that can be reset via the SIN4 namelist. Please note that the names of the variables only apply to the
namelists. In the source term module the names are slightly different, with a doubled first letter, in order
to differentiate the variables from the pointers to these variables, and the SWELLFx are combined in one
array SSWELLF. Values highlighted in bold are different from the default values set by ww3 grid.

49
50 WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 DRAFT

TEST471 generally provides the best results at global scale when using
ECMWF winds, with the only serious problem being a low bias for Hs >
8 m. TEST451f corresponds to a retuning for CSFR wind reanalysis from
NCEP/NCAR (Saha et al., 2010), and has almost no bias all the way to
Hs = 15 m. Simulations and papers prepared before March 2012, used
slightly different values, e.g. TEST441 and TEST441f can be recovered by
setting SWELLF7 to 0, and TEST471 also used su = 1 and a few other
adjustements (see manual of version 4.18). TEST405 is slightly superior for
short fetches, and TEST500 is intermediate in terms of quality but it also
includes depth-induced breaking in the same formulation, and thus may be
more appropriate for depth-limited conditions.
Eq. (2.112) is a parameterization for the nonlinear turbulent decay. When
comparing model results to observations, it was found that the model tended
to underestimate large swells and overestimate small swells, with regional
biases. This defect is likely due, in part, to errors in the generation or non-
linear evolution of theses swells. However, it was chosen to adjust fe as a
function of the wind speed and direction,

fe = s1 fe,GM + [|s3 | + s2 cos(θ − θu )] u⋆ /uorb , (2.117)

where fe,GM is the friction factor given by Grant and Madsen’s (1979) theory
for rough oscillatory boundary layers without a mean flow, using a roughness
length adjusted to rz times the roughness for the wind z1 . The coefficient
s1 is an O(1) tuning parameter, and the coefficients s2 and s3 are two other
adjustable parameters for the effect of the wind on the oscillatory air-sea
boundary layer. When s2 < 0, wind opposing swells are more dissipated than
following swells. Further, if s3 > 0, Sout is applied to the entire spectrum
and not just the swell.
The dissipation term is parameterized from the wave spectrum saturation,
following the general ideas of Phillips (1985), which were initially explored
in a numerical modeling framework by Alves and Banner (2003). However,
using a saturation parameterization only makes sense when the spectrum
is smooth. In general, going from the spectral space to the physical space
requires integrating the saturation over a finite spectral band in wavenumber
and direction to compute the breaking probability and then deconvolve this
integral to obtain a spectral dissipation rate. Because such operations would
be too time consuming we have implemented two approaches. One uses on
integration over directions only (Ardhuin et al., 2010), while the other uses
DRAFT WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 51

an integration over frequency bands (Filipot and Ardhuin, 2012a). These

are activated by different namelist parameters, see e.g. T471 for the first
approach and T500 for the second.
Because the directional wave spectra were too narrow when using a sat-
uration spectrum integrated over the full circle (Ardhuin and Boyer, 2006),
(Ardhuin et al., 2010) restricted over a sector of half-width ∆θ ,
Z θ+∆θ
′
B (k, θ) = σk 3 cossB (θ − θ′ ) N (k, θ′ )dθ′ . (2.118)
θ−∆θ

As a result, a sea state with two systems of same energy but opposite direction
will typically produce less dissipation than a sea state with all the energy
radiated in the same direction.
Based on recent analysis by Veras Guimarães et al. (2018) and
Peureux et al. (2019), this saturation is enhanced by a factor that represents
the effect of long waves on short waves
√ √
1 + Mθ mssθ + Nθ nssθ . (2.119)

where Mθ is twice the modulation transfer function for short wave

steepness, with Mθ = 8 when following the simplified theory by
Longuet-Higgins and Stewart (1960) and using the root mean square en-
hancement of B over a long wave cycle. Nθ is an additional straining factor
due to the instability of the wave action envelope of short waves propagating
in the direction close to that of the long wave (Peureux et al., 2019). The
squared slopes mssθ is the mean square slope in direction θ, wheras nssθ is a
slope of long waves propagating in a narrow window ±δθ , around the short
wave direction θ.
We finally define our dissipation term as the sum of the saturation-based
term and a cumulative breaking term Sbk,cu ,
sat 
Cds
Sds (k, θ) = σ 2
δd max {B (k) − Br , 0}2
Br
i
2
+ (1 − δd ) max {B ′ (k, θ) − Br , 0} N (k, θ)
+Sbk,cu (k, θ) + Sturb (k, θ). (2.120)

where
B (k) = max {B ′ (k, θ), θ ∈ [0, 2π[} . (2.121)
52 WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 DRAFT

The combination of an isotropic part (the term that multiplies δd ) and a

direction-dependent part (the term with 1 − δd ) was intended to allow some
control of the directional spread in resulting spectra.
The cumulative breaking term Sbk,cu represents the smoothing of the
surface by big breakers with celerity C ′ that wipe out smaller waves of
phase speed C. Due to uncertainties in the estimation of this effect in var-
ious observations, we use the theoretical model of Ardhuin et al. (2009b).
Briefly, the relative velocity of the crests is the norm of the vector difference,
∆C = |C − C′ |, and the dissipation rate of short wave is simply the rate of
passage of the large breaker over short waves, i.e. the integral of ∆C Λ(C)dC,
where Λ(C)dC is the length of breaking crests per unit surface that have ve-
locity components between Cx and Cx + dCx , and between Cy and Cy + dCy
(Phillips, 1985). Here Λ is inferred from breaking probabilities. Based on
2
Banner et al. (2000, figure 6, bT = 22 (ε − p0.055) ), and taking their satura-
tion parameter ε to be of the order of 1.6 B ′ (k, θ), the breaking probability
of dominant waves is approximately
 p p 2
P = 56.8 max{ B ′ (k, θ) − Br′ , 0} . (2.122)

However, because they used a zero-crossing analysis, for a given wave scale,
there are many times when waves are not counted because the record is
dominated by another scale: in their analysis there is only one wave at any
given time. This tends to overestimate the breaking probability by a factor
of 2 (Filipot et al., 2010), compared to the present approach in which it is
considered that several waves (of different scales) may be present at the same
place and time. This effect is corrected simply dividing P by 2.
With this approach the spectral
R density of crest length (breaking or not)
per unit surface l(k) such that l(k)dkx dky , we take

l(k) = 1/(2π 2 k), (2.123)

and the spectral density of breaking crest length per unit surface is Λ(k) =
l(k)P (k). Assuming that any breaking wave instantly dissipates all the en-
ergy of all waves with frequencies higher than a factor rcu or more, the cu-
mulative dissipation rate is simply given by the rate at which these shorter
waves are taken over by larger breaking waves, times the spectral density,
namely Z
Sbk,cu (k, θ) = −Ccu N (k, θ) ∆C Λ(k′ )dk′ , (2.124)
f ′ <rcu f
DRAFT WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 53

where rcu defines the maximum ratio of the frequencies of long waves that
will wipe out short waves. This gives the source term,
−14.2Ccu
Sbk,cu (k, θ) = N (k, θ)
π2
Z rcu
2 k Z 2π np p o2
max B(f ′ , θ′ ) − Br , 0 dθ′ dk ′(. 2.125)
0 0

We shall take rcu = 0.5, and Ccu is a tuning coefficient expected to be of

order 1, which also corrects for errors in the estimation of l.
Finally, the wave-turbulence interaction term of Teixeira and Belcher
(2002) and Ardhuin and Jenkins (2006), is given by

TURB ρa u2⋆
Sds (k, θ) = −2Cturb σ cos(θu − θ)k N (k, θ) . (2.126)
gρw
The coefficient Cturb is of order 1 and can be used to adjust for ocean strati-
fication and wave groupiness.
All relevant source term parameters can be set via the namelists SIN4 and
SDS4 to yield parameterizations TEST441b, TEST405, both described by
Ardhuin et al. (2010) or TEST500 described by Filipot and Ardhuin (2012b)
(see Tables 2.6 and 2.7). Please note that the DIA constant C has been
slightly adjusted in TEST441b, C = 2.5 × 107 . TEST441f corresponds to a
re-tuned wind input formulation when using NCEP/NCAR winds.
 54
Par. WWATCH var. namelist T471 T400/Iphys = 1 T405 T500 T601
fFM FXFM3 SDS4 2.5 2.5 2.5 9.9 5
SDSC1 SDS4 0 0 0 1.0 0
sat
Cds SDSC2 SDS4 −2.2 × 10−5 −2.2 × 10−5 −2.2 × 10−5 0.0 −2.2 × 10−5
BCK
Cds SDSBCK SDS4 0 0 0 0.185 0
HCK
Cds SDSHCK SDS4 0 0 0 1.5 0

WAVEWATCH III version 6.07

∆θ SDSDTH SDS4 80 80 80 80 80
δθ SDSSTRAINA SDS4 0 0 0 0 15
Mθ SDSSTRAIN SDS4 0 0 0 0 10
Nθ SDSSTRAIN2 SDS4 0 0 0 0 20
Br SDSBR SDS4 0.0009 0.0009 0.00085 0.0009 0.0009
Ccu SDSCUM SDS4 -0.40344 0.0 0.0 -0.40344 -0.40344
sB SDSCOS SDS4 2.0 2.0 0.0 2.0 2.0
B0 SDSC4 SDS4 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0
psat SDSP SDS4 2.0 2.0 2.0 2.0 2.0
Cturb SDSC5 SDS4 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 1.0
δd SDSC6 SDS4 0.3 0.3 0.3 0.3 0.3
C NLPROP SNL1 2.5 × 107 2.7 × 107 2.7 × 107 2.5 × 107 2.5 × 107

Table 2.7: Same as Table 2.6, for the SDS4 and SNL1 namelists. Bold values are different from the default
values set by ww3 grid.

DRAFT
DRAFT WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 55

2.3.11 Sin + Sds : Rogers et al. 2012 & Zieger et al. 2015

Switch: ST6
Origination: AUSWEX, Lake George
Provided by: A. Babanin, I. Young, M. Donelan, E. Rogers, S. Zieger, Q. Liu

This version implements observation-based physics for deep-water

source/sink terms. These include wind input source term, and sink terms
due to negative wind input, whitecapping dissipation and wave-turbulence
interactions (swell dissipation). The wind input and whitecapping dissi-
pation source terms are based on measurements taken at Lake George,
Australia; wave-turbulence dissipation on laboratory experiments and field
observations of swell decay; negative input on laboratory testing. Constraint
is imposed on the total wind energy input through the wind stress, known
independently.

Wind input. Apart from first direct field measurements of the wind input
under strong wind forcing, the Lake George experiment revealed a number
of new physical features for wind-wave exchange, previously not accounted
for: (i) full air-flow separation that leads to a relative reduction of wind
input for conditions of strong winds/steep waves; (ii) dependence of the wave
growth rate on wave steepness, which signifies nonlinear behavior of the wind-
input source function; (iii) enhancement of input in the presence of wave
breaking (Donelan et al., 2006; Babanin et al., 2007) (the last feature was
not implemented in here). Following Rogers et al. (2012), this input source
term is formulated as
ρa
Sin (k, θ) = σ γ(k, θ) N (k, θ), (2.127)
ρw
p
γ(k, θ) = G Bn W, (2.128)
 p 
G = 2.8 − 1 + tanh(10 Bn W − 11) , (2.129)
Bn = A(k) N (k)σ k 3 , (2.130)
 2
Us
W = −1 . (2.131)
c
In (2.127)−(2.131) ρa and ρw are densities of air and water, respectively, Us
is the scaling wind speed, c refers to wave phase speed, σ is radian frequency
56 WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 DRAFT

and k is wavenumber. The spectral saturation (2.130), introduced by Phillips

(1984), is a spectral measure of steepness ak. The omni-directional
R action
density is obtained by integration over all directions: N (k) = N (k, θ)dθ.
The inverseR 2πof the directional spectral narrowness A(k)  is defined
as
−1
A (k) = 0 [N (k, θ)/Nmax (k)]dθ, where Nmax (k) = max N (k, θ) , for all
directions θ ∈ [0, 2π] (Babanin and Soloviev, 1987).
Donelan et al. (2006) parameterized the growth rate (2.128) in terms of
winds 10 m above the mean surface. Wave models, however, typically employ
friction velocity u⋆ = τ /ρa to assure a consistent fetch law across different
wind speeds (Komen et al., 1994, p. 253). Therefore, Rogers et al. (2012)
advocated using an approximation
Us = U10 ≃ Υu∗ , and Υ = 28 (2.132)
by following Komen et al. (1984).

 
U
2
W1 = max 0, cos(θ − θw ) − 1 , (2.133)
c
 
2 U
W2 = min 0, cos(θ − θw ) − 1 . (2.134)
c
The directional distribution of W is implemented as the sum of favorable
winds (2.133) and adverse winds (2.134), so that they complement one an-
other (i.e. W = {W1 ∪ W2 }, see Negative Input later this section):
W = W 1 − a0 W 2 . (2.135)

Wind input constraint. One important part of the input is the calcula-
tion of the momentum flux from the atmosphere to the ocean, which must
agree with the flux received by the waves. At the surface, the stress ~τ can
be written as the sum of the viscous and wave-supported stress: ~τ = ~τv + ~τw .
The wave-supported stress ~τw is used as the principal constraint for the wind
input and cannot exceed the total stress ~τ ≤ ~τtot . Here the total stress is de-
termined by the flux parameterization: ~τtot = ρa u⋆ |u⋆ |. The wave-supported
stress τw can be calculated by integration over the wind-momentum-input
function:
Z 2π Z kmax
Sin (k ′ , θ)  
~τw = ρw g cos θ, sin θ dk ′ dθ. (2.136)
0 0 c
DRAFT WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 57

Computation of the wave-supported stress (2.136) includes the resolved part

of the spectrum up to the highest discrete wavenumber kmax , as well as the
stress supported by short waves. To account for the latter, an f −5 diagnostic
tail is assumed beyond the highest frequency in the energy density spectrum.
In order to satisfy the constraint and in the case of ~τ > ~τtot , a wavenumber
dependent factor L is applied to reduce energy from the high frequency part
of the spectrum: Sin (k ′ ) = L(k ′ ) Sin (k ′ ) with
n
o
L(k ′ ) = min 1, exp µ [1 − U/c] . (2.137)

The reduction (2.137) is a function of wind speed and phase speed and follows
an exponential form designed to reduce energy from the discrete part of the
spectrum. The strength of reduction is controlled by coefficient µ, which has
a greater impact at high frequencies and only little impact on the energy-
dominant part of the spectrum. The value of µ is dynamically calculated by
iteration at each integration time step (Tsagareli et al., 2010).
The drag coefficient is given by

Cd × 104 = 8.058 + 0.967U10 − 0.016U10

2
, (2.138)

which was selected and implemented as switch FLX4. The parameterization

was proposed by Hwang (2011) and accounts for saturation, and further
decline for extreme winds, of the sea drag at wind speeds in excess of 30 m s−1 .
To prevent u⋆ from dropping to zero at very strong winds (U10 ≥ 50.33m s−1 )
expression (2.138) was modified to yield u⋆ = 2.026m s −1 . Important! In ST6,
bulk adjustment to any uniform bias in the wind input field is done in terms
of the wind stress parameter u⋆ rather than U10 . In order to achieve that, the
factor in expression Cd × 104 on the left hand side of (2.138) was substituted
with Cd × FAC and added as the FLX4 namelist parameter CDFAC (see Bulk
Adjustment at the end of this section). The viscous drag coefficient,

Cv × 103 = 1.1 − 0.05U10 , (2.139)

was parameterized by Tsagareli et al. (2010) as a function of wind speed

using data from Banner and Peirson (1998).

Negative Input. Apart from the positive input, ST6 also has a negative
input term in order to attenuate the growth of waves in those parts of the
wave spectrum where an adverse component of the wind stress is present
58 WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 DRAFT

(2.133–2.134). The growth rate for adverse winds is negative (Donelan, 1999)
and is applied after the constraint of the wave-supported stress τw is met.
The value of a0 (in 2.135) is a tuning parameter in the parameterization of
the input and is adjustable through the SIN6 namelist parameter SINA0.

Whitecapping Dissipation. For dissipation due to wave breaking, the

Lake George field study revealed a number of new features: (i) the thresh-
old behavior of wave breaking (Babanin et al., 2001). The waves do not
break unless they exceed a generic steepness in which case the wave breaking
probability depends on the level of excedence above this threshold steep-
ness. For waves below the critical threshold, whitecapping dissipation is
zero. (ii) the cumulative dissipative effect due to breaking and dissipation of
short waves affected by longer waves (Donelan, 2001; Babanin and Young,
2005; Moon et al., 2006; Young and Babanin, 2006; Babanin et al., 2010),
(iii) nonlinear dissipation function at strong winds (Moon et al., 2006;
Babanin et al., 2007), (iv) bimodal distribution of the directional spreading
of the dissipation (Young and Babanin, 2006; Babanin et al., 2010) (the last
feature was not implemented in ST6). Following Rogers et al. (2012), the
whitecapping dissipation term is implemented as:
h i
Sds (k, θ) = T1 (k, θ) + T2 (k, θ) N (k, θ), (2.140)

where T1 is the inherent breaking term, expressed as the traditional function

of the wave spectrum, and T2 , expressed as an integral of the wave spec-
trum below wavenumber k, accounts for the cumulative effect of short-wave
breaking or dissipation due to longer waves at each frequency/wavenumber.
The inherent breaking term T1 is the only breaking-dissipation term if this
frequency is at or below the spectral peak. Once the peak moves below this
particular frequency, T2 becomes active and progressively more important as
the peak downshifts further.
The threshold spectral density FT is calculated as
εT
FT (k) = , (2.141)
A(k) k 3
where k is the wavenumber and with εT = 0.0352 being an empirical constant
(Babanin et al., 2007; Babanin, 2011). Let the level of exceedence above the
critical threshold spectral density (at which stage wave breaking is predom-
inant) be defined as ∆(k) = F (k) − FT (k). Furthermore, let F(k) be a
DRAFT WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 59

generic spectral density used for normalization, then the inherent breaking
component can be calculated as
 p
σ ∆(k) 1
T1 (k) = a1 A(k) . (2.142)
2π F(k)
The cumulative dissipation term is not local in frequency space and is based
on an integral that grows towards higher frequencies, dominating at smaller
scales:

Zk  p
cg ∆(k) 2
T2 (k) = a2 A(k) dk. (2.143)
2π F(k)
0

The dissipation terms (2.142)−(2.143) depend on five parameters: a generic

spectral density F(k) used for normalization, and four coefficients a1 , a2 , p1 ,
and p2 . The coefficients p1 and p2 control the strength of the normalized
threshold spectral density ∆(k)/F(k) of the dissipation terms. Namelist
parameter SDSET changes between the spectral density F (k) and threshold
spectral density FT (k) for normalization in (2.142)–(2.143). According to
Babanin et al. (2007) and Babanin (2009), the directional narrowness pa-
rameter is set to unity A(k) ≈ 1 in Eqs. (2.141)−(2.143).
Rogers et al. (2012) calibrated the dissipation terms based on duration-
limited academic tests. Calibration coefficients used in ST6 and listed in
Table 2.8 differ somewhat from those of Rogers et al. (2012) mainly due to the
fact that the wave-supported stress ~τw is implemented in the form of vector
components and the non-breaking swell dissipation (2.144) was previously
not accounted for in Rogers et al. (2012).

Swell Dissipation. In the absence of wave breaking, other mechanisms

of wave attenuation are present. Here, they are referred to as swell dissi-
pation and parameterized in terms of the interaction of waves with oceanic
turbulence (Babanin, 2011). This mechanism, however, remains active for
the wind-generated waves too. Its contribution across the spectrum is small,
if the spectrum is above the wave-breaking threshold, but it is dominant
at the front face of the spectrum, or even at the peak in case of the full
Pierson-Moscowitz development.
2 p
Sswl (k, θ) = − b1 σ Bn N (k, θ). (2.144)
3
60 WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 DRAFT

Parameter WWATCH var. namelist vers. 4.18 vers. 5.16 vers. 6.07
FT SDSET SDS6 T T T
a1 SDSA1 SDS6 6.24E-7 3.74E-7 4.75E-6
p1 SDSP1 SDS6 4 4 4
a2 SDSA2 SDS6 8.74E-6 5.24E-6 7.00E-5
p2 SDSP2 SDS6 4 4 4
Υ† SINWS SIN6 n/a n/a 32.0
Nhf † SINFC SIN6 n/a n/a 6.0
a0 SINA0 SIN6 0.04 0.09 0.09
b1 is constant CSTB1 SWL6 n/a F F
b1 , B 1 SWLB1 SWL6 0.25E-3 0.0032 0.0041
FAC CDFAC FLX4 1.00E-4 1.00E-4 1.0
C NLPROP SNL1 3.00E7 3.00E7 3.00E7
†
In WW3 version 4.18 and 5.16, Υ = 28.0 and Nhf = 6.0 were hard-coded in
ST6 module.

Table 2.8: Summary of calibration parameters for ST6 when it is applied

with the DIA nonlinear solver (section 2.3.2). Values tabulated represent
default model settings. Abbreviation “n/a” indicates that the variable is not
applicable in that release of the code.
DRAFT WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 61

By making coefficient b1 in Eq. (2.144) dependent on steepness the large

gradient in the spatial bias in wave height can be reduced:
√
b1 = B1 2 E kp . (2.145)
In Eq. (2.145), B1 is a scaling coefficient, E is the total sea surface vari-
ance Eq. (2.23) and kp is the peak wavenumber. Eq. (2.145) can be flagged
through the SWL6 namelist parameter CSTB1.The value for the coefficient
B1 in Eq. (2.145) and/or b1 in Eq. (2.144) is customizable through the
SWL6 namelist parameter SWLB1 (see Table 2.8).

Updates since vers. 6.07 Following Rogers et al. (2012), the scaling wind
speed Us = 28u∗ (2.132) were adopted in vers. 4.18 and vers. 5.16 (Table 2.8).
Such configurations of ST6 have been proven skillful for different spatial scales
and under different weather conditions (e.g. Zieger et al., 2015; Liu et al.,
2017). Zieger et al. (2015, their Fig. 5), however, also suggested ST6 (vers.
4.18 and vers. 5.16) was inclined to overestimate the energy level of the high-
frequency tail of the spectrum, indicating an inaccurate balance of different
source terms in this specific frequency range.
Rogers (2014, unpublished work) found that using Us = 32u∗ (i.e.,
Υ = 32) could improve model skills in estimating tail level in the ST6 im-
plementation in SWAN [see also Rogers (2017)]. Following this, Liu et al.
(2019) carried out a thorough recalibration of ST6 with WW3, and the new
set of parameters (i.e., a0 , a1 , a2 , B1 ) is summarized in the last column
of Table 2.8. The updated ST6 package not only performs well in predict-
ing commonly-used bulk wave parameters (e.g., significant wave height and
wave period) but also yields a clearly-improved estimation of high-frequency
energy level (in terms of saturation spectrum and mean square slope). In the
duration-limited test, the omnidirectional frequency spectrum E(f ) from the
recalibrated ST6 shows a clear transition behavior from the power law of ap-
proximately f −4 to the power law of about f −5 , comparable to previous field
studies (Forristall, 1981).
Apart from applying ST6 with the DIA (section 2.3.2) nonlinear solver,
Liu et al. (2019) also made an attempt to run ST6 with the GMD parame-
terization of Snl (section 2.3.4). As a first step, only the GMD configuration
with 5 quadruplets and a three-parameter quadruplet definition (i.e., G35
in Tolman, 2013a) was adopted. The tunable parameters of the GMD which
were specifically optimized for ST6 by using the holistic genetic optimization
62 WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 DRAFT

ST6 a0 a1 a2 B1
0.05 4.75 × 10−6 7.00 × 10−5 6.00 × 10−3
GMD λ µ θ12 (◦ ) Cdeep
0.127 0.000 3.0 4.88 × 107
0.127 0.097 21.0 1.26 × 108
0.233 0.098 26.5 6.20 × 107
0.283 0.237 24.7 2.83 × 107
0.355 0.183 − 1.17 × 107

Table 2.9: Summary of calibration parameters for ST6 when it is applied with
the GMD nonlinear solver (or specifically, G35)

technique designed by Tolman and Grumbine (2013), and the corresponding

tunable parameters of ST6 are summarized in Table 2.94 ,5 . Liu et al. (2019)
demonstrated that in the duration-limited test, the GMD-simulated E(f ) is in
excellent agreement with that from the exact solutions of Snl (e.g., WRT; sec-
tion 2.3.3) (see also Tolman, 2013a)]. In a 1-yr global hindcast, the DIA-based
model overestimates the low-frequency wave energy (wave period T > 16 s)
by 90%. Such model errors are reduced significantly by the GMD to ∼20%. It
is noteworthy that the computational expense of the GMD approach presented
in Table 2.9, however, is about 5 times larger than that of the DIA.
To flexibly control the high-frequency extent of the prognostic frequency
region, we introduced
fhf = Nhf /Tm0,−1 (2.146)
in vers. 6.07, where fhf is the cut-off high-frequency limit (2.17), Tm0,−1 is
the mean wave period defined in (2.235). Nhf is set through a namelist
parameter SINFC (Table 2.8), and a negative Nhf (say, Nhf = −1) means
the high-frequency spectral tail evolves freely without any prescribed slope.
4
For the fifth quadruplet layout of GMD shown in Table 2.9, the three-parameter
(λ, µ, θ12 ) quadruplet definition degrades to a two-parameter (λ, µ) form, and θ12 is
implied by the value of µ (Tolman, 2013a). Accordingly, a combination of ST6+GMD and
the conservative nonlinear high-frequency filter of Tolman (2011b) [see also section 2.3.6]
might be necessary to stabilize the model integration, particularly for high-resolution spec-
tral grid (say, ∆θ < 5◦ ).
5
Unlike Table 2.8, here we only show important parameters of ST6 and GMD. The reader
is refered to bin/README.UoM for the detailed set up of namelist variables for this specific
model configuration.
DRAFT WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 63

Dominant Wave Breaking Probability Following Babanin et al. (2001,

their Fig. 12), the dominant wave breaking probability bT can be estimated
from the wave spectrum F (f, θ) according to the following parametric form
h i2.33
bT = 85.1 (ǫp − 0.055)(1 + Hs /d) , (2.147)

where Hs is the significant wave height, d is the water depth, ǫp is the signif-
icant steepness of the spectral peak, given by

ǫp = Hp kp /2
hR R i1/2 (2.148)
2π 1.3f
Hp = 4 0 0.7fpp F (f, θ)df dθ

where kp and fp are the peak wavenumber and frequency, respectively. Note
that only the contribution from wind seas is considered when we calculate Hs ,
Hp and fp (kp ) from F (f, θ) (Eqs. 2.147 and 2.148). Following Janssen et al.
(1989) and Bidlot (2001), we consider spectral components as wind seas when

c(k)
< βw , (2.149)
U10 cos(θ − θu )

where c(k) is the phase velocity, U10 is the wind speed at 10 m above the
sea surface, θu is the wind direction and βw is the constant wind forcing
parameter. We implemented βw as a tunable parameter (the MISC namelist
parameter BTBET), and used βw = 1.2 by default.

Bulk Adjustments. The source term ST6 has been calibrated with flux
parameterization FLX4. Bulk adjustment to the wind filed can be achieved by
re-scaling the drag parameterization FLX4 through the FLX4 namelist pa-
rameter CDFAC=1.0E-46 . This has a similar effect to tuning variable βmax
in ST4 source term package, equations (2.99) and (2.104), which is cus-
tomizable through namelist parameter BETAMAX (see section 2.3.9–2.3.10).
Ardhuin et al. (2011a) and Rascle and Ardhuin (2013) listed different sets
of values that allow us to adjust to different wind fields. When optimizing
the wave model, it is recommended to only re-tune parameters a0 , b1 and
FAC. Again, FAC can potentially eliminate a bias in the wind field, which
6
This was changed to CDFAC=1.0 since vers. 6.07 as the magnitude 10−4 was hard-coded
in FLX4 module. (Table 2.8)
64 WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 DRAFT

typically changes with the selection of the reanalysis product. This reduc-
tion was tested for extreme wind conditions such as hurricanes (Zieger et al.,
2015). In a global hindcast, the coefficient for the negative input can be used
to tune the bulk of the wave heights in scatter comparisons, whereas the scal-
ing coefficient for swell dissipation primarily affects large sea states. When
the discrete interaction approximation (DIA) is used to compute the four-
wave interaction, the default value for the proportionality constant changes
to C = 3.00 × 107 .
Limitations of the code: For vers. 4.18 and vers. 5.16, in cases where
the minimum time step for the dynamical source term integration is much
smaller than the overall time step (i.e. less than 1/15th), the model becomes
unstable. The issue has been solved since vers. 6.07.

2.3.12 Sln : Cavaleri and Malanotte-Rizzoli 1981

Switch: LN1
Origination: Pre-WAM
Provided by: H. L. Tolman

A linear input source term is useful to allow for the consistent spin-up of a
model from quiescent conditions, and to improve initial wave growth behavior.
The parameterization of Cavaleri and Malanotte-Rizzoli (1981) is available
in WAVEWATCH III, with a filter for low-frequency energy as introduced
by Tolman (1992). The input term can be expressed as
 2
ρa
Slin (k, θ) = 80 g −2 k −1 max [0, u∗ cos(θ − θw )]4 G , (2.150)
ρw
where ρa and ρw are the densities of air and water, respectively, and where
G is the filter function
"  −4 #
f
G = exp − . (2.151)
ff ilt
In Tolman (1992) the filter frequency ff ilt was given as the Pierson-Moskowitz
frequency fP M , which in turn was estimated as in Eq. (2.61). In the present
implementation, the filter can be related to both fP M and the cut-off fre-
quency of the prognostic part of the spectrum fhf as defined in Eq. (2.17)
DRAFT WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 65

ff ilt = max [αP M fP M , αhf fhf ] , (2.152)

where the constants αP M and αhf are user-defined. Default values of these
constants are set to αP M = 1 and αhf = 0.5. Addition of the dependency on
fhf assures consistent growth behavior at all fetches, without the possibility
of low-frequency linear growth to dominate at extremely short fetches.

2.3.13 Sbot : JONSWAP bottom friction

Switch: BT1
Origination: JONSWAP experiment
Provided by: H. L. Tolman

A simple parameterization of bottom friction is the empirical, linear JON-

SWAP parameterization (Hasselmann et al., 1973), as used in the WAM
model (WAMDIG, 1988). Using the notation of Tolman (1991), this source
term can be written as
n − 0.5
Sbot (k, θ) = 2Γ N (k, θ) , (2.153)
gd
where Γ is an empirical constant, which is estimated as Γ = −0.038 m2 s−3
for swell (Hasselmann et al., 1973), and as Γ = −0.067 m2 s−3 for wind seas
(Bouws and Komen, 1983). n is the ratio of phase velocity to group velocity
given by (2.6). The default value for Γ = −0.067 can be redefined by the
user by changing the SBT1 namelist parameter GAMMA.

2.3.14 Sbot : SHOWEX bottom friction

Switch: BT4
Origination: Crest model
Provided by: F. Ardhuin

A more realistic parameterization for sandy bottoms is based on the eddy

viscosity model by Grant and Madsen (1979) and a roughness parameteriza-
tion that includes the formation of ripples and transition to sheet flow. The
66 WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 DRAFT

Par. WWATCH var. namelist SHOWEX Tolman (1994)

A1 RIPFAC1 BT4 0.4 1.5
A2 RIPFAC2 BT4 -2.5 -2.5
A3 RIPFAC3 BT4 1.2 1.2
A4 RIPFAC4 BT4 0.05 0.0
σd SIGDEPTH BT4 0.05 user-defined
A5 BOTROUGHMIN BT4 0.01 0.0
A6 BOTROUGHFAC BT4 1.00 0.0

Table 2.10: Parameter values for the SHOWEX bottom friction (default
values) and the original parameter values used by Tolman (1994). Source
term parameters can be modified via the BT4 namelist. Please note that the
name of the variables only apply to the namelists. In the source term module
the seven variables are contained in the array SBTCX.

parameterization of Tolman (1994), was adjusted by Ardhuin et al. (2003) to

field measurements from the DUCK’94 and SHOWEX experiments on the
North Carolina continental shelf. The parameterization has been adapted
to WAVEWATCH III by also including a sub-grid parameterization for the
variability of the water depth, as given by Tolman (1995a). This parameter-
ization is activated by the switch BT4.
The source term can be written as

σ2
Sbot (k, θ) = −fe ub N (k, θ) , (2.154)
2g sinh2 (kd)

where fe is a dissipation factor that is a function of the r.m.s. bottom orbital

displacement amplitude ab and the Nikuradse roughness length kN , and ub
is the r.m.s. of the bottom orbital velocity.
The present bed roughness parameterization (2.155)–(2.161) contains
seven empirical coefficients listed in Table 2.10.
The roughness kN is decomposed in a ripple roughness kr and a sheet flow
DRAFT WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 67

roughness ks ,
 A 2
ψ
kr = ab × A1 , (2.155)
ψc
u2.8
b a−0.4
b
ks = 0.57 . (2.156)
[g (s − 1)] (2π)2
1.4

In Eqs. (2.155) and (2.156) A1 and A2 are empirical constants, s is the

sediment specific density, ψ is the Shields number determined from ub and
the median sand grain diameter D50 ,
ψ = fw′ u2b / [g (s − 1) D50 ] , (2.157)
with fw′ the friction factor of sand grains (determined in the same way as
fe with D50 instead of kr as the bottom roughness), and ψc is the critical
Shields number for the initiation of sediment motion under sinusoidal waves
on a flat bed. We use an analytical fit (Soulsby, 1997)
0.3
ψc = + 0.055 [1 − exp (−0.02D∗ )] , (2.158)
1 + 1.2D∗
 1/3
g (s − 1)
D∗ = D50 , (2.159)
ν2
where ν is the kinematic viscosity of water.
When the wave motion is not strong enough to generate vortex ripples,
i.e. for values of the Shields number less than a threshold ψrr , kN is given by
a relic ripple roughness krr . The threshold is
ψrr = A3 ψc . (2.160)
Below this threshold, kN is given by
krr = max {A5 m,A6 D50 , A4 ab } for ψ < ψrr . (2.161)

2.3.15 Smud : Dissipation by viscous mud (D&L)

Switch: BT8
Origination: NRL/SWAN
Provided by: M. Orzech and E. Rogers
68 WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 DRAFT

Two formulations for wave damping by viscous fluid mud have been imple-
mented in WAVEWATCH III based on earlier implementations in a SWAN
code at NRL. As with wave damping by ice (Sect. 2.4.1), both rely on the
concept of complex wave number (Eq. (2.182)). Both treat the mud layer
as a viscous fluid, and both assume that the mud depth is comparable to its
Stokes’ boundary layer thickness. The first formulation (Dalrymple and Liu
(1978); hereafter D&L) is a numerical solution. The second formulation (Ng
(2000); hereafter Ng) is an analytical, asymptotic solution, so calculations
tend to be much faster than with D&L. For the range of mud characteristics
used by Rogers and Holland (2009), which are based on field measurements
(and estimates), the methods produce very similar results.
In each case, the mud-induced dissipation is added to contributions from
other source/sink terms in Eq. (2.8).

Smud = 2ki Cg,mud , (2.162)

where ki = imag(kmud ) and Cg,mud is the mud-modified wave group velocity.
The above follows from exponential decay of a single wave train with
initial amplitude a0 :
a = a0 e−ki x . (2.163)
Both methods operate by solving for a modified dispersion relation, where
the wavenumber being solved for, kmud , is a complex number. The D&L
method uses an iterative procedure for this dispersion relation. For details,
see Section 2 and Appendix B of Dalrymple and Liu (1978). Descriptions
specific to BT9 (Ng) are given in the following section.
To activate viscous mud effects with the (D&L) routines, the user specifies
BT8 in the switch parameter file.
In the case where any of the new ice and mud source functions are acti-
vated with the switches IC1, IC2, IC3, BT8, or BT9, ww3 shel will anticipate
instructions for 8 new fields (5 for ice, then 3 for mud). These are given prior
to the “water levels” information. The new fields can also be specified as
homogeneous field using ww3 shel.inp. The mud parameters are mud density
(kg/m3 ), mud thickness (m), and mud viscosity (m2 /s), in that order.
The user is referred to the regression tests ww3 tbt1.1 ww3 tbt2.1 for
examples of how to use the new mud source functions.
Limitations of the code: In the case of ww3 multi, the interface for the
necessary mud and ice forcing fields has only been implemented when using
the namelist type of input file. In the case of mud, though the kr is calculated,
DRAFT WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 69

its effect is not passed back to the main program. The only effect is via ki
(dissipation). Full implementation of kr , already possible with IC3, and will
be available in a future version of the model.
Limitations of the physics: 1) Both models (BT8, BT9) neglect elasticity in
the mud layer. 2) Non-Newtonian response of the mud (e.g. as a thixotropic
fluid) is not available. 3) Mud thickness should be interpreted not as the total
mud thickness, but rather as the thickness of the fluidized mud layer. This
value is notoriously difficult to determine in practice (Rogers and Holland
(2009)). Fortunately, since WAVEWATCH III supports nonstationary and
non-uniform input for the mud parameters, it is possible to address items (2)
and (3) via coupling with a numerical model of the mud layer: no additional
changes to the WAVEWATCH III code are required for this.

2.3.16 Smud : Dissipation by viscous mud (Ng)

Switch: BT9
Origination: NRL/SWAN
Provided by: M. Orzech and E. Rogers

To activate viscous mud effects with the Ng routines, the user specifies BT9
in the switch parameter file. The Ng method computes ki as:
δm (Br′ + Bi′ )k1 2
ki ≈ Dmud ≡ , (2.164)
sinh2k1 d + 2k1 d
Here, δm is the Stokes boundary layer thickness for mud, d is water depth,
and k1 is leading order term of the real part of the mud-modified wave number
kmud , respectively, in a Taylor expansion about the mud-water interface, and
Dmud is the leading order term in the full expansion of ki . B ′ is a complex
coefficient affecting the depth profile of the velocities. For additional details,
see Section 2.3.15 and Ng (2000).

2.3.17 Sdb : Battjes and Janssen 1978

Switch: DB1 / MLIM

Origination: Pre-WAM
Provided by: J. H. G. M. Alves
70 WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 DRAFT

The implementation in WAVEWATCH III of depth-induced breaking algo-

rithms is intended to extend the applicability of the model to within shallow
water environments, where wave breaking, among other depth-induced trans-
formation processes, becomes important.
For this reason the approach of Battjes and Janssen (1978, henceforth
denoted as BJ78), which is based on the assumption that all waves in a
random field exceeding a threshold height, defined as a function of bottom
topography parameters, will break. For a random wave field, the fraction
of waves satisfying this criterion is determined by a statistical description
of surf-zone wave heights (i.e., a Rayleigh-type distribution, truncated at a
depth-dependent wave-height maximum).
The bulk rate δ of spectral energy density dissipation of the fraction of
breaking waves, as proposed by BJ78, is estimated using an analogy with
dissipation in turbulent bores as

2
δ = 0.25 Qb fm Hmax , (2.165)
where Qb is the fraction of breaking waves in the random field, fm is the
mean frequency and Hmax is the maximum individual height a component in
the random wave field can reach without breaking (conversely, above which
all waves would break). In BJ78 the maximum wave height Hmax is defined
using a Miche-type criterion (Miche, 1944),

k̄Hmax = γM tanh(k̄d), (2.166)

where γM is a constant factor. This approach also removes energy in deep-
water waves exceeding a limiting steepness. This can potentially result in
double counting of dissipation in deep-water waves. Alternatively, Hmax can
be defined using a McCowan-type criterion, which consists of simple constant
ratio

Hmax = γ d, (2.167)
where d is the local water depth and γ is a constant derived from field and
laboratory observation of breaking waves. This approach will exclusively
represent depth-induced breaking. Although more general breaking criteria
for Hmax as a simple function of local depth exist (e.g., Thornton and Guza,
1983), it should be noted that the coefficient γ refers to the maximum height
of an individual breaking wave within the random field. McCowan (1894)
DRAFT WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 71

calculated the limiting wave-height-to-depth ratio for a solitary wave prop-

agating on a flat bottom to be 0.78, which is still used presently as a con-
servative criteria in engineering applications. The average value found by
Battjes and Janssen (1978) was γ = 0.73. More recent analyses of waves
propagating over reefs by Nelson (1994, 1997) suggest a ratio of 0.55.
The fraction of breaking waves Qb is determined in terms of a Rayleigh-
type distribution truncated at Hmax (i.e., all broken waves have a height equal
to Hmax ), which results in the following expression:
 2
1 − Qb Hrms
= , (2.168)
− ln Qb Hmax
where Hrms is the root-mean-square wave height. In the current imple-
mentation, the implicit equation (2.168) is solved for Qb iteratively. With
the assumption that the total spectral energy dissipation δ is distributed
over the entire spectrum so that it does not change the spectral shape
(Eldeberky and Battjes, 1996) the following depth-induced breaking dissipa-
tion source function is obtained

δ H2
Sdb (k, θ) = −α F (k, θ) = −0.25 α Qb fm max F (k, θ), (2.169)
E E
where E is the total spectral energy, and α = 1.0 is a tunable parameter.
The user can select between Eqs. (2.166) and (2.167), and adjust γ and α.
Defaults are Eq. (2.167), γ = 0.73 and α = 1.0.

2.3.18 Str : Triad nonlinear interactions (LTA)

Switch: TR1
Origination: SWAN
Provided by: A. Van der Westhuysen

Nonlinear triad interactions are modelled using the LTA model of

Eldeberky (1996). This stochastic model is based on the Boussinesq-type
deterministic equations of Madsen and Sorensen (1993). These determinis-
tic equations are ensemble averaged, and the hierarchy of spatial evolution
equations truncated by a zero-fourth-order-cumulant assumption, yielding a
72 WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 DRAFT

set of equations for the spectral and bispectral evolution in one-dimension.

The bispectrum appearing in the spectral evolution equation is split up into
a biamplitude and a biphase. The biphase corresponding to the self inter-
action of the peak frequency σp is parameterised as a function of the local
Ursell number by
 
π π 0.2
β(σp , σp ) = − + tanh , (2.170)
2 2 Ur
in which the spectrally based Ursell number U r is given by

g Hs Tm01 2
Ur = √ . (2.171)
8 2π 2 d2
The biamplitude is obtained by spatially integrating the evolution equa-
tion for the bispectrum, by which the biamplitude is rendered a spatially local
function. This result in a expression for the biamplitude which has a spa-
tially slowly-varying component and a fast-oscillating component, of which
the latter is neglected. Using the derived expressions for the biphase and
biamplitude, the spectral evolution equation (a one-equation model) can be
solved. To reduce the computational cost even further, the complete set of all
interacting triads are represented by only the set of self sum interactions, that
is, triads in which a component of frequency σ interacts with a component of
the same frequency to exchange energy flux with a component of frequency
σ + σ = 2σ. The final expression for the effect of triad interactions on a com-
ponent with frequency σ is made up of two contributions—one adding energy
flux to σ (transferred flux arriving from 1/2σ) and one subtracting energy
flux from σ (transfer going to 2σ). The expression implemented, adapted for
radian frequencies, reads:

− +
Snl3 (σ, θ) = Snl3 (σ, θ) + Snl3 (σ, θ), (2.172)
with

+

Snl3 (σ, θ) = max[0, αEB 2πccg J 2 | sin β| E 2 (σ/2, θ) − 2E(σ/2, θ)E(σ, θ) ],
(2.173)
and

− +
Snl3 (σ, θ) = −2Snl3 (2σ, θ) . (2.174)
DRAFT WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 73

Because of a Jacobian in the transfer of the energy flux from σ to 2σ, the flux
density arriving at 2σ is half that leaving σ (hence the factor 2 appearing in
Eq. (2.174)). The interaction coefficient J, describing self interaction in the
nonlinearity range 0 ≤ U r ≤ 1, is given by (Madsen and Sorensen, 1993):
2
kσ/2 (gd + 2c2σ/2 )
J= 2 . (2.175)
kσ d(gd + 15
gd3 kσ2 − 52 σ 2 d2 )
The LTA formulation is implemented along each propagation direction of the
directional spectrum, yielding an isotropic, directionally decoupled represen-
tation of triad interaction. The value of the proportionality coefficient is
set at αEB = 0.05. The results produced by the LTA are furthermore quite
sensitive to the choice of the frequency up to which the interactions are cal-
culated, denoted here as fmax,EB . (Eldeberky, 1995) recommends that the
interactions be computed up to a frequency of 2.5 times the mean frequency
(fmax,EB = 2.5fm01 ).

2.3.19 Sbs : Bottom scattering

Switch: BS1
Origination: CREST model
Provided by: F. Ardhuin

Waves propagating over a sloping bottom are partially reflected. In the

limit of small variation in water depth ∆d with respect to the mean water
depth d, the reflection coefficient is proportional to the bottom spectrum
Kreisel (1949) and leads to a redistribution of wave energy in direction. This
process may be formulated as a source term, which leads to accurate reflection
coefficients when considering the evolution of the spectrum over scales larger
than the bottom auto-correlation length, with reasonable accuracy up to
∆d/d ≃ 0.6 (Ardhuin and Magne, 2007). The source term reads,

Z 2π
π k ′2 M 2 (k, k′ )
Sbs (k) =
F B (k − k′ ) [N (k′ ) − N (k)] dθ′ , (2.176)
2 0 σσ k Cg + k · U
′ ′ ′

with the coupling coefficient

74 WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 DRAFT

gk · k′
M (k, k′ ) ≃ Mb (k, k′ ) = (2.177)
cosh(kd) cosh(k ′ d)
where the effect of bottom-induced current and elevation changes are ne-
glected, as appropriate for low to moderate current velocity relative to the
intrinsic phase speed, i.e. U/C < 0.3. For larger Froude numbers, in partic-
ular in near-blocking conditions, the present implementation is not expected
to be accurate. In Eq. (2.176), k and k ′ are related by the resonance condi-
tion, ω = ω ′ , i.e. σ + k · U = σ ′ + k′ · U, where U is the phase advection
velocity (see, e.g., WISE Group, 2007).
The bottom spectrum F B (k) is specified in the file bottom spectrum.inp.
This spectrum may be determined from multi-beam bathymetric data. In the
absence of detailed bathymetric data, the sand dune spectrum may be pa-
rameterized based on the work of Hino (1968). Recent observations generally
confirm the earlier data on sand dune spectra (Ardhuin and Magne, 2007),
with a non-dimensional constant spectrum for large k, i.e. F B (k) ∼ k −4 .
The bottom spectrum is double-sided for simplicity of calculation and
normalized such that the bottom variance (in square meters) is
Z ∞Z ∞
2
< d >= F B (kx , ky )dkx dky . (2.178)
−∞ −∞

In the present implementation this bottom spectrum is assumed to be the

same at all grid points.
The source term is computed according to different methods depending
on the value of the current. For zero current, the interactions only involves
waves of the same frequency and the interaction is always the same and
linear in terms of the directional spectrum. In this case the interaction is
expressed as a matrix problem. Namely, the directional spectrum F is a
vector of NTH components, and the source term is a vector of same size
that is obtained by the matrix multiplication S = M F with M a square
(NTH,NTH) array. This array is a function of the bottom spectrum and
the non-dimensional depth kd. This scattering matrix is precomputed and
diagonalized as a preprocessing step for a finite number of wavenumber magni-
tudes (Ardhuin and Herbers, 2002). The cost of this preprocessing increases
linearly with the number of discrete wavenumbers.
For non-zero current, the interaction pattern depends on the current mag-
nitude and direction (magnitude only for an isotropic bottom spectrum), and
DRAFT WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 75

a precomputation of the scattering matrix would increase the overhead cost

by at least one order of magnitude. In the present implementation, the inter-
action integration with non-zero current is recomputed at every source term
call.

2.3.20 Suo : Unresolved Obstacles Source Term

Switch: UOST
Origination: WAVEWATCH III
Provided by: L. Mentaschi

Unresolved bathymetric and coastal features, such as cliffs, shoals and

small islands, are a major source of local error in spectral wave models. Their
dissipating effects can be accumulated over long distances, and neglecting
them can compromise the simulation skill on large portions of the domain
(Tolman, 2001; Tolman et al., 2002; Tuomi et al., 2014; Mentaschi et al.,
2015a). In WAVEWATCH III two approaches are available for subscale mod-
elling the dissipation due to unresolved obstacles: a) a propagation-based
approach established for regular grids, described in section 3.4.7 (Tolman,
2003b; Chawla and Tolman, 2008); and b) the Unresolved Obstacles Source
Term (UOST, Mentaschi et al., 2018a, 2015b) described here. In addition
to supporting virtually any type of mesh, UOST takes into account the di-
rectional/spatial layout of the unresolved features, which can improve the
model skill with respect to the established approach (Hardy et al., 2000;
Mentaschi et al., 2018b).
UOST relies on the hypothesis that any mesh can be considered as a set
of polygons, called cells, and that the model estimates the average value of
the unknowns in each cell. Given a cell (let us call it A, figure 2.1ab) UOST
estimates, for each spectral component, the effect of a) the unresolved fea-
tures located in A (Local Dissipation, LD); b) the unresolved features located
upstream of A, and projecting their shadow on A (Shadow Effect, SE). For
the estimation of SE, an upstream polygon A' is defined for each cell/spectral
component, as the intersection between the joint cells neighboring A (cells
B, C and D in figure 2.1ab), and the flux upstream of A. For each cell or up-
stream polygon, and for each spectral component, two different transparency
coefficients are estimated. 1) The overall transparency coefficient α; and 2)
a layout-dependent transparency β, defined as the average transparency of
76 WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 DRAFT

cell sections starting from the cell upstream side.

The source term can be expressed as:

Suo = Sld + Sse , (2.179)

1 − βl (k) cg (k)
Sld = −ψld (k) N , (2.180)
βl (k) ∆L
 
βu (k) cg (k)
Sse = −ψse (k) −1 N , (2.181)
αu (k) ∆L
where Sld and Sse are the local dissipation and the shadow effect, N is
the spectral density, k is the wave vector, cg is the group velocity, ∆L is
the path length of the spectral component in the cell, and the ψ factors
model the reduction of the dissipation in presence of local wave growth. The
subscripts l and u of α and β indicate that these coefficients can be referred,
respectively, to the cell and to the upstream polygon. For a more detailed
explanation on the theoretical framework of UOST, the reader is referred to
(Mentaschi et al., 2015b, 2018a).
Automatic generation of mesh parameters. An open-source python
package (alphaBetaLab, https://github.com/menta78/alphaBetaLab) was
developed for the automatic estimation, from real-world bathymetry, of the
upstream polygons, of the transparency coefficients αl , βl , αu , βu , and of the
other parameters needed by UOST. alphaBetaLab considers the cells as free
polygons, and estimates the transparency coefficients from the cross section
of the unresolved obstacles versus the incident spectral component (figure
2.1cd). This involves, that it can be applied to any type of mesh, including
unstructured triangular and SMC meshes (as of August 2018 only regular
and triangular meshes are handled, but support for SMC meshes will be
soon added). We need to mention that while UOST would be able to modu-
late the energy dissipation with the spectral frequency, only the direction is
currently considered in alphaBetaLab. For more details on the algorithms im-
plemented in alphaBetaLab, the user is referred to Mentaschi et al. (2018a).
Mentaschi et al. (2018c) provides the documentation of the software and of
its architecture, along with use guidance and illustrative examples.
Time step settings. In WAVEWATCH III the source terms are ap-
plied at the end of each global time step. Therefore, to work properly on a
given cell, UOST needs a global time step lower or equal to the critical CFL
DRAFT WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 77

Figure 2.1: a: a square cell (A) and its upstream polygon (A', delimited by
blue line, in light blue color) for a spectral component propagating with group
velocity cg . The joint BCD polygon represents the neighborhood polygon. b:
same as a, but for a triangular mesh (the hexagons approximate the median
dual cells). c: Computation of α and β for a square cell, Ns = 4, and
a spectral component propagating along the x axis. d: Like c, but for a
hexagonal cell and for a tilted spectral component. In panel d the gray
squares represent unresolved obstacles.
78 WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 DRAFT

Namelist parameter
Description default value
UOSTFILELOCAL Local α/β input obstructions local.gridname.in
file path
UOSTFILESHADOW Shadow α/β in- obstructions shadow.gridname.in
put file path
UOSTFACTORLOCAL Calibration 1
factor for local
transparencies
UOSTFACTORSHADOW Calibration fac- 1
tor for shadow
transparencies

Table 2.11: UOST parameters, their description and default values.

time step of the cell, i.e., the amount of time needed by the fastest spectral
component to entirely cross the cell. Otherwise, part of the energy will leak
through the cell without being blocked (Mentaschi et al., 2018a).
In unstructured grids with cells of very different sizes, the application
of UOST to all the cells, including the smallest ones, may come with an
excedingly small global time step that would affect the economy of the model.
To avoid this problem the user can set alphaBetaLab in order to neglect cells
smaller than a user-defined threshold, and then set in WAVEWATCH III
a global time step equal to the critical CFL time step related with that
threshold (Mentaschi et al., 2018c).

2.3.21 Sxx : User defined

Switch: XXn
Origination: —
Provided by: user

This slot is intended for a source term that is not yet classified in Eq. (2.16).
Almost by definition, it cannot be provided here.
DRAFT WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 79

2.4 Source terms for wave-ice interactions

Wave-ice interaction processes have been the topic of many investigations.

In general, wave-ice interactions require a description of the ice properties
that usually include at least the ice concentration (fraction of ocean surface
covered by ice), mean ice thickness, and maximum floe diameter. Indeed,
the ice is often broken into pieces (the floes) that can have a wide variety of
sizes, and these sizes strongly modify the dispersion and wave-ice interaction
processes.
In the present version of WAVEWATCH III R
, the different options for
treating the ice represent ongoing research. There are now five different
versions of dissipation processes activated with the switches IC1, IC2, IC3,
IC4 and IC5 that can be combined with two different versions of scattering
effects IS1 and IS2. The second scattering routine, because it was the only
routine to use a maximum floe diameter, also contains an estimation of ice
break-up and resulting maximum floe diameter and some dissipation due to
hysteresis.
Some features of these switch selections require care in application. For
example, other than ice concetration and thickness, the forcing fields are
context-based: they take different meanings for different source terms.
At present it is not possible to combine dissipation parametrizations de-
signed for frazil or pancake ice (IC3 or IC4) with a parametrization designed
for the ice pack, such as IC2. Further, all parameterizations are not yet fully
integrated: for example the floe size is not yet taken into account in some
modified dispersion relations that take into account the ice. We expect to
have a more streamlined way of combining various processes in future ver-
sions of WAVEWATCH III, possibly using a maximum floe diameter to call
one or the other routines.
In most cases, WAVEWATCH III now permits spatial and temporal vari-
ability of ice-related inputs, but in practice this information is usually avail-
able only for ice concentration (from satellite or model) and thickness (most
often from a model). The variability of other parameters representing the
nature of the sea ice is rarely available to the user.
Observational study of effects of sea ice on waves are challenging, and
the modeling of these effects in and near the ice edge is particularly dif-
ficult, where the accuracy of the non-stationary and non-uniform input
ice fields can be a primary limition on accuracy (Rogers et al., 2018a).
80 WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 DRAFT

A number of important modeling studies use models other than WAVE-

WATCH III, e.g. Doble and Bidlot (2013). So far, the various options avail-
able in WAVEWATCH III and described in the following sections have been
tested in real conditions in a handful of studies, including Li et al. (2015),
Ardhuin et al. (2016), Wang et al. (2016), Rogers et al. (2016), Rogers et al.
(2018a), Cheng et al. (2017), and Liu et al. (submitted).
Experimental routines for representation of the effect of ice on waves have
been implemented using the switches IC1, IC2, IC3, etc. The first two
implemented in WAVEWATCH III (by Rogers and Orzech (2013)), were
IC1 and the initial version of IC2 which was based on the work by
Liu and Mollo-Christensen (1988) and Liu et al. (1991). These effects can
be presented in terms of a complex wavenumber

k = kr + iki , (2.182)
with the real part kr representing impact of the sea ice on the physical wave-
length and propagation speeds, producing effects analogous to shoaling and
refraction by bathymetry, whereas the imaginary part of the complex wave-
number, ki , is an exponential decay coefficient ki (x, y, t, σ) (depending on lo-
cation, time and frequency, respectively), producing wave attenuation. The
ki is introduced as Sice /E = −2cg ki , where Sice is a source term (see also
Komen et al. (1994), pg. 170). With the methods that provide kr , e.g. IC2,
IC3, and IC5, the sea ice effects require solution of a new dispersion relation.
The effect of sea ice on ki is used for all source functions in WAVE-
WATCH III version 6: IC1, ..., IC5. The effect of sea ice on kr has been
implemented for IC2 and IC3, but is exported for use in the rest of the code
only for IC3, and this remains an experimental feature.
The ice source functions are scaled by ice concentration.
In the case of ice, up to five input parameters are allowed as non-
stationary and non-uniform fields. These can be referred to generically as
Cice,1 , Cice,2 , ..., Cice,5 . The meaning of the ice parameters will vary depend-
ing on which Sice routine is selected. For example, in case of IC1, only one
parameter is specified, Cice,1 . In some cases, e.g. IC3 and IC4, there are
options for taking the simpler approach of inputting the same variables as
stationary and uniform, defined using namelist parameters.
The reader is referred to the regression tests ww3 tic1.1-3 and ww3 tic2.1
for examples of how to use the new ice source functions.
Use within ww3 shel: Non-stationary and non-uniform input ice parame-
DRAFT WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 81

ters are permitted. In the case where any of the ice and mud source functions
are activated with the switches IC1, IC2, IC3, BT8, or BT9, ww3 shel will antic-
ipate intructions for 8 fields (5 for ice, then 3 for mud). These are given prior
to the “water levels” information. The new fields can optionally be specified
as a homogeneous field using lines found near the end of ww3 shel.inp.
Use within ww3 multi (New in WAVEWATCH III version 6): Using the
namelist method of providing instructions to ww3 multi, it is now possible to
prescribe mud and ice coefficients as non-stationary and non-uniform fields in
ww3 multi. Prior to version 6, this was only possible with ww3 shel. However,
the new method of reading these instructions via ww3 multi.nml has not yet
been tested by this author at time of writing.
Separation of the source terms: The source terms IC1,...,IC5 predict dis-
sipation of wave energy. The reflection and scattering of waves from sea ice
(e.g. Wadhams (1975)) are not dissipation: they are conservative processes.
They are treated separately in IS1 and IS2.

2.4.1 Sice : Damping by sea ice (simple)

Switch: IC1
Origination: WAVEWATCH III/NRL
Provided by: E. Rogers and S. Zieger

The first implemented method (IC1) is for the user to specify ki (x, t),
which is uniform in frequency space, Cice,1 = ki . The parameters
Cice,2 ,...,Cice,5 are not used. An example setting is Cice,1 = 2 × 10−5 . De-
scriptions specific to IC2 and IC3 are given in following sections.
A full description of IC1 can be found in Rogers and Orzech (2013) and a
concise summary is given in Rogers et al. (2018a). This simple method was
applied in Li et al. (2015) and is used as the modeling component of a model-
data inversion procedure by Rogers et al. (2016), Rogers et al. (2018a), and
Rogers et al. (2018b).
82 WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 DRAFT

2.4.2 Sice : Damping by sea ice (Liu et al.)

Switch: IC2
Origination: WAVEWATCH III/NRL
Provided by: E. Rogers, S. Zieger, F. Ardhuin

This method for representing the dissipation of wave energy by wave-ice inter-
action is based on the papers by Liu and Mollo-Christensen (1988), Liu et al.
(1991) and Ardhuin et al. (2015). The main input ice parameters is the ice
thickness (in meters) that can vary spatially and temporally and is the forcing
field Cice,1 .
This is a model for attenuation by a sea ice cover, derived on the assump-
tion that dissipation is caused by friction in the boundary layer below the
ice, with the ice modeled as a continuous thin elastic plate. The original
form by Liu and Mollo-Christensen (1988) is activated by setting the IC2
namelist SIC2 parameter IC2DISPER = .TRUE.. That form assumes that
the boundary layer is always laminar but it uses an eddy viscosity ν that can
vary spatially and is the forcing field Cice,2 .
IC2 and IS2 share the optional use of the Liu and Mollo-Christensen
(1988) dispersion relation for unbroken ice,
 
2 5

ρice hkice
σ = gkice + Bkice / 1/ tanh(kice H) + , (2.183)
ρw

5
cg = (g + (5 + 4kice M )Bkice )/(2σ(1 + kice M )2 ). (2.184)

B and M quantify the effects of, respectively, ice bending due to waves
and ice inertia. The group velocity under the ice, derived from the same
relation, is used in the module W3SIS2MD and computed in W3DISPMD. See
Liu and Mollo-Christensen (1988) for details.
For IC2, the dispersion relation is defined by

σ 2 = (gkr + Bkr5 )/(coth(kr hw ) + kr M ), (2.185)

cg = (g + (5 + 4kr M )Bkr5 )/(2σ(1 + kr M )2 ), (2.186)

√ √
α = ( νσkr )/(cg 2(1 + kr M )). (2.187)
DRAFT WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 83

In our notation, hw is water depth and hi is ice thickness. The variables B and
M quantify the effects of the bending of the ice and inertia of the ice, respec-
tively. Both of these variables depend on hi (see Liu and Mollo-Christensen,
1988; Liu et al., 1991).
This equation is only solved when ICEDISP=TRUE in the MISC
namelist. Otherwise, kice = k, just like in open water. Note that the ef-
fect of kice is not passed back to the main program.
Stopa et al. (2016) improved IC2 by adding a better alternative to the
eddy viscosity representation of dissipation. They distinguish between lam-
inar and turbulent regimes, allowing this is activated by setting IC2DISPER
= .FALSE.. In that case the dissipation goes from a laminar form using the
molecular viscosity multiplied by an empirical adjustment factor IC2VISC
to a turbulent form, amplified by a factor IC2TURB, for Reynolds numbers
above a user-defined threshold IC2REYNOLDS. This transition is smoothed
over a range IC2SMOOTH to take into account the random nature of the wave
field. In the turbulent regime, the friction factor is estimated from a user-
specified under-ice roughness length IC2ROUGH, expected to be of the order of
10−4 m. Possibility has also been added to perform a heuristic reduction of
the dissipation rate when the floe diameters are much shorter than the ocean
wave wavelength (see Ardhuin et al., for details). It relies on the hypothesis
that, in these conditions, ice floes follow at least partly the horizontal mo-
tion and it is thus logical to reduce the relative velocity between the ice and
the water from which the dissipation rate is estimated. This reduction is
controlled by the factor called rD in Ardhuin et al. which value can be set
through the namelist parameter IC2DMAX. Reduction of the dissipation rate
occures for waves longer than Dmax /rD (Dmax being the maximum floe size),
and there is no reduction for maximum floe diameters of the order of the
wavelength or more.
The parameter IC2TURBS is an ad hoc enhancement of turbulent dissi-
pation in the Southern hemisphere that was introduced for test purposes to
investigate sources of bias. This will be deprecated in future versions. It now
appears that combining IC2 with ineleastic dissipation in IS2 can provide
good results for dominant waves in both hemispheres (Ardhuin et al.).
A full description of the original form of IC2 can be found in
Rogers and Orzech (2013). It is applied in Li et al. (2015). A concise sum-
mary of the present code is given in Rogers et al. (2018a). A description
of the improvement of the dissipation mechanism of IC2 can be found in
Appendix B of Stopa et al. (2016), where it is used.
84 WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 DRAFT

2.4.3 Sice : Damping by sea ice (Shen et al.)

Switch: IC3
Origination: Clarkson U. Fortran-77 code
Provided by: E. Rogers, X. Zhao, S. Cheng, S. Zieger

The third method for representing wave-ice interactions is taken from

Wang and Shen (2010). This model treats the ice as a visco-elastic layer.
Cice,1 is used for ice thickness (m); Cice,2 is used for the viscosity (m2 s−1 );
Cice,3 is used for density (kg m−3 ); Cice,4 is used for effective shear modulus
(Pa); Cice,5 is not used. An example setting is Cice,1...4 = [0.1, 1.0, 917.0, 0.0].
In WAVEWATCH III version 4, this method of Sice (IC3) was much more
expensive than IC1 or IC2. This issue is largely addressed in model version
5.16.
The namelist SIC3 is introduced in model version 5.16. The namelist
parameters are summarized in a list here, and some are discussed in further
detail below.

IC3CHENG Solution technique new in version 5.16. Default

= TRUE.
IC3HILIM Optional limiter on ice thickness. Default=100
(i.e. by default, the option is not used).
IC3KILIM Optional limiter on dissipation rate ki . De-
fault=100 (i.e. by default, the option is not
used).
USECGICE When set to TRUE, the model will include the
effect of ice on the group velocity. Default =
FALSE.
IC3VISC If user wishes to use an effective viscosity that is
constant and uniform, this can now be done via
namelist. Default=N/A.
IC3ELAS As with IC3VISC, but for effective elasticity. De-
fault=N/A.
IC3DENS As with IC3VISC, but for ice density. De-
fault=N/A.
IC3HICE As with IC3VISC, but for ice thickness. De-
fault=N/A.
DRAFT WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 85

IC3MAXCNC Parameter which can be used to optionally

switch to another dissipation for some ice con-
ditions (see below). Default=100 (i.e. option is
not used). Normal range is 0 to 1.
IC3MAXTHK Idem. Default=100 (i.e. option is not used). Nor-
mal range is 0 to 10 meters.
IC2REYNOLDS Parameter associated with IC2 non-dispersive
turbulent boundary layer scheme. De-
fault=1.5e+5.
IC2ROUGH Idem. Default=0.02.
IC2SMOOTH Idem. Default=7.0e+4.
IC2VISC Idem. Default=2.0.
IC2TURB Idem. Default=2.0.
IC2TURBS Idem. Default=0.0.

The IC3CHENG option is new in model version 5. When set to TRUE, the
model will use an alternative solution technique provided by S. Cheng. This
has two important features. First, stability is improved, such that there is
no need to use the ice limiter, i.e. the IC3HILIM parameter. Second, this
method requires that three of four ice rheology parameters be stationary and
uniform, input via namelist parameters (see below).
If IC3CHENG is set to FALSE, the user is advised to use the ice thickness
limiter IC3HILIM to ensure stability (value of 25 to 100 cm is suggested). The
parameter IC3KILIM was required for stable and fast computations in some
prior development versions of WAVEWATCH III, but is now unnecessary
and may be ignored by the user.
In model version 4.18, four ice rheology parameters (ice thickness, effec-
tive viscosity, effective elasticity, and ice density) were allowed to be non-
stationary and non-uniform. This could be provided using ww3 prep. Or
in cases where ww3 shel is used and non-uniform inputs are unnecessary, the
“homogeneous” option of ww3 shel was available for rheology input. In model
version 5.16, an option is added to specify the four ice rheology parameters
via the namelist SIC3. Two restrictions apply: 1) If IC3CHENG is set to FALSE
and USECGICE is set to TRUE, the namelist method cannot be used, and 2) If
IC3CHENG is set to TRUE, the namelist method must be used for three of the
rheology parameters (effective viscosity, effective elasticity, and ice density).
If IC3CHENG is set to TRUE or USECGICE is set to FALSE, the fourth ice rhe-
ology parameter (ice thickness) can be input by either method (namelist or
86 WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 DRAFT

non-namelist). The model performs error checking to ensure that the user
has specified input for each parameter by a single method (neither method
of input is assumed to supercede the other).
The kr modified by ice is incorporated into the governing equation (2.8)
via the cg (group velocity) and c (phase velocity) calculations on the
left-hand side; e.g. Rogers and Holland (2009, and subsequent unpublished
work). The modification of wavenumber and group velocity can be optionally
passed back to the main program to produce effects analogous to refraction
and shoaling by bathymetry. However, this feature has been used so far only
in academic studies, rather than in routine application to realistic scenarios.

To activate the shoaling effect, the model should be operated with

namelist variable USECGICE = TRUE. To activate the refraction effect, the
model should be compiled with switch REFRX. With this switch, the model
computes refraction based on spatial gradients in phase velocity that in-
clude ice effects, rather than the simpler wave dispersion relation without
ice. These effects are demonstrated in the regression test ww3 tic1.3 which
is provided with the code.
The group velocity using IC3CHENG solver with zero ice thickness does
not collapse exactly to that from the open water dispersion relation. This
is caused by numerical error in the calculation cg = ∂σ ∂k
= ∆σ
∆k
. These small
differences in group speed will result in slight shoaling and refraction errors
if these effects are turned on. Error for ice thickness equal to zero was found
less than 10% and frequency dependent. This has been avoided by skipping
the solver if ice thickness is exactly zero. If ice thickness is close to but not
exactly zero, then this discrepancy may be noticeable. The solutions from
CHENG for other parameters (effective viscosity, effective shear modulus) as
they approach zero were not tested. Small but material difference have also
noted between the solutions from IC3CHENG set to FALSE vs. TRUE for the
same ice inputs.
As noted above, USECGICE = TRUE is required for the shoaling effect.
However, since some ice rheology will lead to an increase in group veloc-
ity, the user is advised to use care with this option. The group velocity
affects the CFL criterion, which may require that the user reduce the time
step size. USECGICE = FALSE is recommended for users that do not wish to
worry about this issue.
In model version 5.16, a non-default option is added which causes the
dissipation parameterization to change for some ice conditions. If ice con-
DRAFT WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 87

centration exceeds IC3MAXCNC and ice thickness exceeds IC3MAXTHK, the IC2
dissipation (more specifically, the non-default, non-dispersive boundary layer
scheme sub-option of IC2) is used in place of the dispersion-based dissipa-
tion estimate of Wang and Shen (2010). See description of IC2 for more
information. Since it is non-dispersive, this feature should not be used with
USECGICE = TRUE.
IC3 first appeared in WAVEWATCH III R
version 4 and the first simple
testing was reported in Rogers and Zieger (2014). It has since been used in
Li et al. (2015), Wang et al. (2016), Rogers et al. (2016), and Cheng et al.
(2017).

2.4.4 Sice : Empirical/parametric damping by sea ice

Switch: IC4
Origination: WAVEWATCH III/NRL
Provided by: C. Collins and E. Rogers

The fourth option (IC4) for damping of waves by sea ice was introduced
by Collins and Rogers (2017). It gives methods to implement one of several
simple, empirical/parametric forms for the dissipation of wave energy by sea
ice. The motivation for IC4 is to provide a simple, flexible, and efficient
source term which reproduces, albeit in a highly parameterized way, some
basic physics of wave-ice interaction. The method is set by the integer value
(presently 1 to 7) for IC4METHOD namelist parameter: 1) an exponential fit to
the field data of Wadhams et al. (1988), 2) the polynomial fit in Meylan et al.
(2014), 3) a quadratic fit to the calculations of Kohout and Meylan (2008)
given in Horvat and Tziperman (2015), 4) Eq. 1 of Kohout et al. (2014),
5) a simple step function with up to 4 steps (may be nonstationary and
non-uniform), and 6) a simple step function with up to 10 steps (must be
stationary and uniform), and 7) a formula from Doble et al. (2015) which uses
ice thickness. All but the fourth method of IC4 feature frequency-dependent
attenuation. With the fourth method, attenuation varies with waveheight
but is uniform in frequency space.
In the following discussion we use IC4M1 to denote IC4 method 1, and
so forth. IC4 appears in the switch and namelist IC4METHOD=1 (for example)
appears in the file ww3 grid.inp. Whereas in IC1, Cice,1 is the user-determined
88 WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 DRAFT

attenuation, for IC4M1, IC4M2, and IC4M4 Cice,n are constants of the equa-
tions. For IC4M3, Cice,1 is ice thickness. For IC4M5, Cice,n controls the step
function. Note that Cice,n may be provided by the user as non-stationary
and non-uniform using methods analogous to methods used to input water
levels.
IC4M1: an exponential equation was chosen to fit the data contained in
table 2 of Wadhams et al. (1988) which results in preferential attenuation of
high frequency waves. This parameterizes the well-known low-pass filtering
effect of ice. The equation has the following form:
 
−2πCice,1
α = exp − Cice,2 (2.188)
σ

Here, α is the exponential decay rate for energy, which is twice that for
amplitude: α = 2ki . The values determined from the data are Cice,1...2 =
[0.18, 7.3], but these may be modified by the user. This method is described
and applied in Collins and Rogers (2017).
IC4M2: In this method, the dissipation is represented using a user-
specified polynomial. It is a powerful method, since many shapes can be rep-
resented, e.g. by fitting to observation-based dissipation rates. The method
is described and applied in Collins and Rogers (2017). The equation is the
following:
hσi h σ i2 h σ i3 h σ i4
α = Cice,1 + Cice,2 + Cice,3 + Cice,4 + Cice,5 (2.189)
2π 2π 2π 2π
If a user wishes to follow Meylan et al. (2014), the suggested values for the co-
efficients are Cice,1...5 = [0, 0, 2.12×10−3 , 0, 4.59×10−2 ]. Additional suggested
polynomials can be found in Rogers et al. (2018b).
With appropriate coefficients, this polynomial method can be used to re-
produce the so-called roll-over effect where the attenuation is non-monotonic
in frequency space. However, some recent studies do not indicate this effect,
e.g. Rogers et al. (2016) and Li et al. (2017), and it may just be a spurious
artifact in prior observational studies.
IC4M3: Horvat and Tziperman (2015) fit a quadratic equation to the at-
tenuation coefficient calculated by Kohout and Meylan (2008) as a function
of frequency, T , and ice thickness, h. Attenuation increases for thicker ice
and higher frequencies (lower periods). The number of coefficients of the
quadratic equation were prohibitively large to be user-determined, so the
DRAFT WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 89

equation is hardwired in and the tunable parameter, Cice,1 , is ice thickness

h. This method is described and applied in Collins and Rogers (2017). For
reference, the equation is the following:

ln α(T, h) = −0.3203 + 2.058h − 0.9375T − 0.4269h2 + 0.1566hT + 0.0006T 2

(2.190)
There are two warnings to make about IC4M3. First, the equation itself was
an extrapolation of the original range of h used to calculate the attenuation
coefficients in Kohout and Meylan (2008) which was between 0.5 and 3 m, see
Horvat and Tziperman (2015). Second, in Kohout and Meylan (2008), wave
attenuation predicted is based on scattering (a conservative process), whereas
in IC4M3, the wave attenuation is treated as dissipation (non-conservative).
This is ad hoc and not recommended for general use. Most especially, users
should think twice before using IC4M3 in combination with scattering routines
IS1 or IS2, since this is essentially double-counting scattering.
IC4M4: Kohout et al. (2014) found that attenuation was a function of
significant wave height. Attenuation increased linearly with Hs until Hs = 3
m at which point attenuation is capped, thus:
 ∂Hs
∂dx
= Cice,1 × Hs for Hs ≤ 3 m
∂Hs (2.191)
∂dx
= Cice,2 for Hs > 3 m

where ki = ∂H s
∂dx
/Hs .
The values given in Kohout et al. (2014) are Cice,1...2 = [5.35 ×
10−6 , 16.05 × 10−6 ]. See regression test ww3 tic1.1/input IC4/M4 for exam-
ples. This method is described and applied in Collins and Rogers (2017).
IC4M5: This is a simple step function with up to 4 steps. It is controlled by
the optionally nonstationary and non-uniform parameters Cice,1...7 . Param-
eters Cice,1...4 control the step levels, which are in terms of dissipation rate,
ki . Parameters Cice,5...7 control the step boundaries (given in Hz). See regres-
sion test ww3 tic1.1/input IC4/M5 for examples. This method is described in
Collins and Rogers (2017).
IC4M6: This is a simple step function with up to 10 steps. It is controlled
by the stationary and uniform namelist parameters IC4KI and IC4FC. Array
IC4KI controls the step levels, which are in terms of dissipation rate, ki , in
radians per meter. Array IC4FC controls the step boundaries (given in Hz).
See regression test ww3 tic1.1/input IC4/M6 for examples.
IC4M7: This is a formula for dissipation from Doble et al. (2015), devel-
oped for a mixture of pancake and frazil ice, using data collected in the
90 WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 DRAFT

Weddell Sea (Antarctica). The formula depends on wave frequency and ice
thickness:
α = 0.2T −2.13 h . (2.192)
This method is described in Rogers et al. (2018a).

2.4.5 Sice : Damping by sea ice (Mosig et al.)

Switch: IC5
Origination: U. of Otago MATLAB code
Provided by: Q. Liu, E. Rogers, A. Babanin

The fifth method for representing ice-induced wave decay is based on another
viscoelastic-type model, i.e., the EFS ice layer model described in Mosig et al.
(2015). The authors introduced viscosity into the thin elastic plate model of
Fox and Squire (1994) and restricted it to one horizontal dimension (replac-
ing a plate by a beam). The dispersion relation given by the EFS model can
be written in the form
Qgk tanh(kd) − σ 2 = 0, (2.193)
Gη h3i 4 ρi h i σ 2
Q= (1 + ν)k − + 1. (2.194)
6ρw g ρw g
In Eq. (2.193)−(2.194), Gη = G − iσρi η is the complex shear modulus, where
G is the effective elastic shear modulus and η is the effective viscosity; ρw (ρi )
is the density of water (ice), d is water depth, hi is the ice cover thickness,
σ is the radian frequency, k = kr + iki is the complex wavenumber, g is the
gravitational acceleration and ν = 0.3 refers to the Poisson ratio of sea ice.
Same as IC3, IC5 requires four ice parameters as input: Cice,1 for ice
thickness hi (m), Cice,2 for the effective viscosity η (m2 s−1 ), Cice,3 for ice
density ρi (kg m−3 ) and Cice,4 for the effective shear modulus G (Pa). For
example, as shown in Mosig et al. (2015, see their Fig. 8), a setting of
Cice,1,...,4 = [1.0 m, 5.0 × 107 m2 s−1 , 917.0 kg m−3 , 4.9 × 1012 Pa] (with
a water depth d of 4300 m) can be used to fit the observed wave attenuation
rates reported in Meylan et al. (2014). The application of the EFS model to
two realistic case studies is presented in Liu et al. (submitted).
The dispersion relation shown above is solved iteratively using the
Newton-Raphson method. The numerical solver, however, may fail for small
DRAFT WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 91

wave periods in some rare cases (particularly for shallow water depth d and
low G). In such cases, the estimated wavelength kr is unreasonably low. Sev-
eral namelist variables (limiters) are introduced to improve the code stability:

IC5MINIG the minimum allowed shear modulus G; De-

fault= 1 Pa (i.e., zero G is not allowed).
IC5MINWT the minimum allowed wave periods T ; Default=0
s (i.e., by default, this option is not used).
IC5MAXKRATIO the maximum allowed kow /kr , where kow is the
open-water wavenumber; Default=1E9 (i.e., by
default, this option is not used).
IC5MAXKI the maximum allowed ki ; Default=100 m−1 (i.e.,
by default, this option is not used).
IC5MINHW the minimum allowed water depth d; De-
fault=300 m (this basically limits IC5 to the
deep-water case).
IC5MAXITER the maximum allowed # of iteration; De-
fault=100.

Note that the EFS model used here regards the ice cover as a continuous
homogeneous medium and characterizes various ice types with two totally em-
pirical rheological parameters, namely the elastic shear modulus G and the
viscosity η. As argued in Mosig et al. (2015), these two parameters “cannot
be measured directly as they do not represent observable physical processes”.
Therefore, “no restrictions on the acceptable values of the rheological param-
eters, except positiveness, can be imposed.” So strictly speaking, the EFS
model is better termed as an effective medium model rather than a viscoelas-
tic model.

2.4.6 Sis : Diffusive scattering by sea ice (simple)

Switch: IS1
Origination: WAVEWATCH III/NRL
Provided by: S. Zieger

The non-conservative effect of ice on waves has been implemented in switches

IC1 through IC3 (see Section 2.4.1–2.4.3). The conservative effect of sea
92 WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 DRAFT

ice has been implemented in switch IS1 and represents a simple form of
scattering. It is assumed that the floe size is smaller than the grid size and
that a fraction αice of the incoming wave energy is scattered isotropically.
The fraction is determined from sea ice concentration ICE using a simple
linear transfer function

αice = max {0, C1 ICE + C2 } . (2.195)

The coefficients C1 and C2 are customizable through namelist SIS1 with

namelist parameters ISC1 and ISC2. At each discrete frequency and direction
the wave energy is reduced by the amount of αice and redistributed to all
direction in the same discrete frequency to conserve energy.

2.4.7 Sis : Floe-size dependent scattering and dissipation

Switch: IS2
Origination: WAVEWATCH III
Provided by: F. Ardhuin, C. Sevigny, G. Boutin, D. Dumont, T. Williams

The implementation of this scattering term generally follows the approach

of Meylan and Masson (2006), to which has been added an estimation of the
breakup of the ice by waves to be able to update a maximum floe size diame-
ter. Finally a creep-based dissipation was also combined with the scattering.
The scattering source term is defined by the scattering coefficient
βis,MIZ (θ − θ′ ) which by default is isotropic, but can be given any directional
dependency by setting IS2ISOSCAT=FALSE in namelist SIS2. The source
term is thus,
Z 2π
Sis (k, θ)
= βis,MIZ (θ − θ′ )[sscat N (k, θ′ ) − N (k, θ)]dθ′ . (2.196)
σ 0

where sscat is set to 1.0 by default but can be modified by IS2BACKSCAT in

namelist SIS2.

The determination of scattering coefficients βis,MIZ is based on the theo-

retical reflection coefficient αn (σ, h) for waves with a normal incidence going
from a half-plane of open water to a half-plane of ice-covered water with a con-
stant ice thickness h. Values of αn (σ, h) as computed by Kohout and Meylan
DRAFT WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 93

(2008) (if IS2WIM1=0.) or by Bennetts and Squire (2012) (if IS2WIM1=1.)

are tabulated in the W3SIS2MD module. Following Dumont et al. (2011), the
broken ice is treated as a series of such ice-water interfaces. Neglecting mul-
tiple reflections, the scattering parameterization defines the attenuation per
unit time as if the ice-covered part of a grid cell was a succession of floes of
mean diameter Dm with a partial reflection αn (σ, h) for each floe, giving,
βis,MIZ = ci cg αn (σ, h)/Dm , (2.197)
where ci is the ice concentration.

The estimation of the mean floe diameter Dm is based on an assumed

power law for the number of floes of diameter D, taken proportional to D−γ .
This power law is further assumed to apply for D ranging from the minimum
Dmin and a maximum Dmax . The average is thus given by
−γ+1
γ D−γ+1 − Dmin
Dm = × max
−γ −γ . (2.198)
γ−1 Dmax − Dmin
At present Dmin is a user-supplied value. Dmax can either be provided as a
forcing field, e.g. from an ice model or some observations, or, if the namelist
parameter IS2BREAK is set to TRUE, estimated from the breaking of the ice
by the local wave field. If the namelist parameter IS2DUPATE is set to TRUE,
small values of Dmax will persist even if the waves become too small to be
able to break the ice to that size. This is probably the proper model use
when external forcing/coupling is available (e.g. advection of ice properties
in an ice model). On the contrary, if IS2DUPDATE is set to FALSE, the value
of Dmax will be always adjusted to the local sea state, even if that means
increasing Dmax .

Ice breaking by waves of wavelength λ is assumed to produce floes of di-

ameter λ/2. In the parametrization, ice breaking occurs if the three following
criteria are fulfilled (Williams et al., 2013):
1. λ/2 ≥ Dmin and λ/2 ≤ Dmax
2. Dmax > Dc , as it exists a critical diameter, which depends on ice prop-
erties, below which no flexural failure is possible
3. ε > εc , the strain due to the incoming wave has to be greater than a
defined critical strain
94 WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 DRAFT

The first criterion is simply checking that the new value of Dmax will be
larger than Dmin and smaller than the previous value of Dmax .

The second criterion relies on Mellor (1986) with the correction specified
in Boutin et al. (2018), where Dc is defined as
 1/4
1 π 4 Y ∗ h3
Dc = . (2.199)
2 48ρg(1 − ν 2 )
The third criterion corresponds to the flexural strain threshold. The
horizontal strain caused by waves is related to the curvature of the ice layer,
which, in one dimension is ε = 0.5h∂ 2 ηice /∂x2 . The strain variance is given
 2 Z k2
2 h 4
hε i = kice F (k)dk, (2.200)
2 k1

where h is the ice thickness and kice is the wavenumber 2π/λice . Borrowing
from wave breaking ideas (Banner et al., 2000), the integration of the curva-
ture variance is limited around the local wavenumber kice . We also note that
we have defined an effective minimum ice thickness hmin so that, if h < hmin ,
the strain variance is computed with h = hmin to avoid unbreakable elastic
thin ice in the model that does not correspond to usual observations. We
thus take Dmax to be half the wavelength of the shortest waves for which the
following criterion is met √ σc
Fbreak ε2 > ∗ , (2.201)
Y
where σc is the ice flexural strength. Fbreak is a factor representing random
waves and adjustable with the SIS2 namelist parameter IS2BREAKF. It
should in theory depend on the duration for which the ice is forced by
the waves, and, based on the typical maximum value over 500 Rayleigh-
distributes waves, was taken to be Fbreak = 3.6. Fbreak Es is thus the
maximum strain for random waves.

Inelastic dissipation was added in this routine, following Wadhams (1973),

because it critically depends on the floe size. It assumes that the floes de-
formation is not fully elastic, and that the secondary creep under the wave-
induced cyclic causes the dissipation of wave energy into heat. We use the
ice floe law  
dε τ2 ′
= 3 σi,j , (2.202)
dt ij B
DRAFT WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 95

B is the floe law constant and is a function of ice temperature. Using the
normalized parameter estimated by Cole et al. (1998) from laboratory exper-
iments, A = 1011 , and a uniform ice temperature of 270 K gives a value of
B = 107 s1/3 . The volumic dissipation rate is
de 4
= |σxx /(2B)3 |. (2.203)
dt
Also, the cyclic deformation of the ice can require a much larger elastic
energy than the gravity potential energy, but this is only true if the ice
is not broken. As a result, working with a wave elevation spectrum E(k)
could introduce large changes in E(k) when the ice is broken or reformed.
Instead we prefer to work with an energy spectrum RCg E(k)/Cg,ice , using
the coefficient R introduced by Wadhams (1973), which is the ratio of elastic
to gravity potential energies. For unbroken ice R is

4Y ∗ h3 π 4
R = 1 + CR , (2.204)
3ρgλ4 (1 − ν 2 )

where we have been careful that Wadhams (1973) used 2h for the ice
thickness, and CR is by default set to 1.0 using the namelist parameter
IS2BREAKE, but it can be set to zero to work with the true elevation
spectrum instead. This factor R is also applied in the calculation of ice
breakup by the waves.

The inelastic dissipation is linearized as Sine = −αine Eice . The coefficient

αcreep was adapted from the Wadhams (1973) monochromatic formula and is
equal to
 4 Z k2
5 Y∗ 4
Cg2 4
αine = 0.05Bh I3 k Fbroken kice E(k)dk,
2B(1 − ν 2 ) ρgCgice R2 k1
R (2.205)
1 π 4
where I3 = π 0 sin βdβ. Details of the computation are given in
Boutin et al. (2018). Fbroken is a heuristic smooth transition from unbro-
ken to broken ice, so that the dissipation gradually goes to zero for waves
much longer than the floe sizes, because in that case the ice does not deform
and produces no dissipation of wave energy,
 
Dmax − Cλ λice
Fbroken = tanh . (2.206)
Dmax Csmooth
96 WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 DRAFT

Inelastic dissipation is computed after updating Dmax . The two parameters

in this smooth transition Cλ and Csmooth are set to 0.4 and 0.2 by the
adjustable namelist parameters IS2CREEPD and IS2CREEPC.

Possibility of subsituting this inelastic dissipation by an anelastic dissi-

pation term has also been added. It is activated by setting the namelist
parameter IS2ANDISB to TRUE. Anelastic dissipation corresponds to the en-
ergy dissipated into heat during the oscillatory motion of the dislocations
induced by the cyclic stress associated to waves. This behaviour results in a
hysteresis that can be seen in stress-strain diagrams when sea ice is submit-
ted to a sinusoidal stress as presented in Fig. 4 of Cole et al. (1998) study.
This latter article also suggests a model for the anelastic behaviour of sea ice,
with a stress-strain relationship that enables to compute the area within the
ellipse which results from the hysteresis. Similarly to what has been done for
inelastic dissipation, anelastic dissipation is linearized as Sane = −αane Eice .
Boutin et al. (2018) have derived αane from Cole et al. (1998) model for a
monochromatic stress. They obtained the following coefficient:

 2
A Y∗ Cg
αane = ki2 h3 Fbroken , (2.207)
6 (1 − ν 2 )ρgG GCg,i

where Fbroken is the same as for inelastic dissipation and A is equal to:

4 1
A = σαd δDd , (2.208)
3 exp(αd s) + exp(−αd s)

in which terms are detailed in the table at the end of this section.

Finally we recall the various model parameters used in IS2 in the following
table. Some are defined as constants in the W3IS2MD module, others can be
adjusted with the SIS2 namelist.
DRAFT WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 97

Parameters Symbol namelist parameter default values

Minimum floe size Dmin N. A. 20 m
Initial floe size Dinit N. A. 1000 m
Ice fragility ξ N. A. 0.9
Ice density ρice N. A. 922.5 kg m−3
Effective Young Modulus Y∗ N. A. 5.49 GPa
Poisson Coefficient ν N. A. 0.3
Flexural strength σc N. A. 0.27 MPa
Flow law parameter n IS2CREEPN 3
7 1/3
Flow law parameter B IS2CREEPB 10 s
Elastic energy correction CR IS2BREAKE 1.0
Relax. of disloc. compliance δDd IS2ANDISD ∆d Ωb2 /K (Pa−1 )
Dislocation density ∆d N. A. 1.8×109 (m−2 )
Restoring stress term K N. A. 0.07 (Pa)
Orientation factor Ω N. A. π −1
Burgers vector b N. A. 4.52×10−10 (m)
Drag term B N. A. B0 exp(Qv /(kb TK ) (Pa.s)
- B0 N. A. 1.205×10−9 (Pa.s)
Boltzmann constant kB N. A. 8.617×10−5 (eV.K−1 )
Activation energy Qv IS2ANDISE 0.55 (eV)
Peak broadening term αd N. A. 0.54
Reduced variable s N. A. log(τ ω)
Relax. time of disloc. τ N. A. B/K (s)
Temperature of sea ice TK N. A. 268.15 (K)

2.4.8 Sref : Energy reflection at shorelines and icebergs

Switch: REF1
Origination: WAVEWATCH III
Provided by: F. Ardhuin

Reflections by shorelines and icebergs is activated by using the REF1 switch

and setting namelists parameters REFCOAST, REFSUBGRID or REFBERG (in
namelist REF1) to non-zero values that are the target reflection coefficients
R02 for the wave energy. If the IG1 switch is also used, then the energy source
at the shoreline also includes free infragravity waves in both ingoing and
98 WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 DRAFT

outgoing directions. That particular source is described in section 2.4.9.

From these values R02 may be varied with wave height and period following
a Miche-type parameter: this is activated by setting REFFREQ to a non-zero
value, and is based on the field measurements of Elgar et al. (1994). These
coefficients can also be made to vary spatially, by setting REFMAP to a non-
zero value. In that case ww3 grid will expect to find a extra line after the
reading of the water depths and obstructions in ww3 grid.inp, which will
define the map of shoreline slopes. The values in this map are multiplied by
the value REFMAP.
Wave reflection at the shoreline varies from a fraction of a percent to about
50% of the incoming wave energy, and may have important consequences for
the directional wave spectrum, and the wave climate in otherwise sheltered
locations (O’Reilly et al., 1999). Wave reflection is also extremely important
for the generation of seismic noise by ocean waves.
Because reflection involve wave trains with different directions, in a model
like WAVEWATCH III, their interaction can only be represented through a
source term in the right hand side. Nevertheless, this is physically linked to
propagation.
In practice, for the regular and curvilinear grids, the reflection source term
puts into the reflected wave directions the proper amount of energy that will
be taken away by propagation at the next time step. When neglecting the
cross-shore current, this is
Z
Cg (k)
Sref (k, θ) = R2 (k, θ, θ′ ) [cos(θ − θq )∆q + sin(θ − θp )∆p] N (k, θ′ )dθ′ ,
∆A
(2.209)
2
where R is an energy reflection coefficient, and ∆p and ∆q are the grid spac-
ing along the two axes of the grid, and ∆A is the cell area. The definition of
the shoreline direction from the land/sea mask is explained in Ardhuin et al.
(2011b). This has not been tested for the SMC grids, and it is not expected
to work for that type of grid.
In the case of unstructured grids, the spectral density of outgoing direc-
tions on the boundary is directly set to the expected reflected value and the
boundary condition is handled specifically by the the numerical schemes.
The reflection coefficient R2 is taken to be non-zero only for the directions
for which cos(θ − θ′ ) < 0, and its magnitude is the product of a reflection
coefficient R02 (k), integrated over the scattered directions θ, and a directional
distribution R2 (θ, θ′ ) around the specular direction θs ,
DRAFT WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 99

R2 (k, θ, θ′ ) = R02 (k)R2 (θ, θ′ ) . (2.210)

This directional distribution takes three forms:

• isotropic in all directions opposite to the incoming direction: this is for

sub-grid islands and icebergs or sharp shoreline angles,

• proportional to cos(θ − θs )2 for moderate shoreline angles,

• proportional to cos(θ − θs )n for small shoreline angles (nearly straight

shoreline). Where n = 4 by default and can be changed to any value us-
ing the REFCOSP STRAIGHT namelist parameter in the REF1 namelist.

That parameterization is described in detail by Ardhuin and Roland (2012).

In the case of icebergs and sub-grid islands, the reflected energy is redis-
tributed evenly in all directions within 90◦ of the direction opposite to the
incoming waves. For resolved lands, a mean direction perpendicular to shore
θn was defined from the land or sea status of the 8 grid points surrounding
the local point (Fig. 2.2).
For each model grid point adjacent to land, the analysis of the land-sea
geometry gives one value of θn among 16 possible directions. Together with
any incoming wave direction θi this defines a specular reflection direction
θr = 2θn − θi + π. For each spectral component of direction θi going towards
the coast (i.e. such that cos(θi − θn ) > 0), the total reflection is R2 times the
incoming energy. This reflected energy R2 E(f )M (f, θi ) is redistributed over
directions around the specular reflection direction θr , with a broad distribu-
tion taken proportional to cosn (θ − θr ), where the power n is a function of
the local shoreline geometry.
For this purpose we distinguish three different shoreline geometries rela-
tive to the local point as illustrated by Fig. 2.2: we set n = 2 for a straight
coast (three connected land points among the neighbors), n = 1 for a mild
corner (two land points among the neighbors), and n = 0 at a sharp corner
(only one land point, among the 4 closest neighbors) which corresponds to the
same treatment done for sub-grid islands and icebergs. Changing these values
of n in the range 0 to 2 has little effect on our results. n = 1 corresponds to
a Lambertian surface approximation, which is used for electromagnetic wave
scattering from rough surfaces. A pure specular reflection would be obtained
with n infinite. A more rigorous treatment should use the distribution of the
100 WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 DRAFT

Sea Land

4 3 2 4 3 2 4 3 2
5 0 1 5 0 1 5 0 1
6 7 8 6 7 8 6 7 8
straight coast mild corner sharp corner

4 3 2 4 3 2 4 3 2
5 0 1 5 0 1 5 0 1
6 7 8 6 7 8 6 7 8
straight coast mild corner straight coast

Figure 2.2: Examples of determination of the shoreline orientation and ge-

ometry using the land/sea mask. For any sea point (number 0) which is the
ocean (in blue) and has at least one neighbor in land (in white) the eight
neighbors, numbered from 1 to 8 are used to define the shoreline geometry.
For ‘mild’ corners and straight coasts, the estimated shoreline orientation
(dashed line) is used to compute the directional distribution of the reflected
wave energy.
DRAFT WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 101

shoreline orientation at at the scale of the ocean wavelength, namely of the

order of 100 m.

2.4.9 Second-order spectrum and free infragravity waves

Switch: IG1
Origination: WAVEWATCH III
Provided by: F. Ardhuin

WARNING: A bug has been identified with IG wave sources in unstructured

grids. A model patch using an older version of the code will be provided
shortly.
The linear dispersion relation used in section 2.1 is a good approximation
for most of the wave energy but a significant part of the spectrum at high
frequencies, with typical frequencies above three times the windsea wave
peak (e.g. Leckler, 2013). In shallow water, another strongly nonlinear part
of the spectrum is found at very low frequencies, which are called infragravity
waves.
In the case of horizontally homogeneous conditions over a flat bottom,
both low and high frequency non-linear components can be estimated from
the linear wave spectrum, using perturbation theory (e.g. Hasselmann, 1962).
Also, the non-linear evolution of a homogeneous wave field is better described
in terms of this ‘linearized spectrum’. It is thus practical to work with this
‘linearized spectrum’ and convert to the observable spectrum that contains
non-linear components when post-processing the model results. One method
to perform this transformation is a canonical transformation proposed by
Krasitskii (1994). The properties of this transformation were further explored
by Janssen (2009) and implemented for post-processing in the ECMWF ver-
sion of the WAM model.
The code for the canonical transform written by P. Janssen was interfaced
with WAVEWATCH III. Using the IG1 switch and setting the parameter
IGADDOUTP = 2 in the SIG1 namelist, this canonical transformed, which
conserves energy, will be used for the output point spectra. If IGADDOUTP =
1, then the second-order spectrum is added on top of the model spectrum
using the theory (e.g. Hasselmann, 1962). That option does not conserve
energy and is not consistent at high frequency because the quasi-linear term
102 WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 DRAFT

in the second-order spectrum are ignored (Janssen, 2009).

However, when comparing to measurements, one should be aware that
different measuring devices have different responses to the nonlinear part of
the spectrum. In particular, surface-following buoys also linearize the spec-
trum, and the second-order pressure field is not related to the second-order
elevation via the relations used for linear waves. The canonical transform
is thus only applicable for wave gauges that measure elevation at a fixed
location.
When the wave field is not homogeneous, the nonlinear properties of the
waves lead to an exchange of energy between different modes. In shallow wa-
ter this usually results in the transfer of energy to infragravity waves, that are
released along shorelines and travel as free waves. The IG1 switch allows the
parameterization of that effect with several methods. These are very crude
parameterizations compared to the full hydrodynamic solution that would
require solving the bispectral evolution across the surf zone at a very high
spatial resolution (e.g. Herbers and Burton, 1997). The default namelist set-
tings correspond to the parameterization presented by Ardhuin et al. (2014),
with minor adjustments in version 6.06. The power in the definition of E bIG (f )
was changed from f 1.5 to f 1.0 , with an associated adjuspent of the constant
fro 0.015 to 0.013.
In practice the free infragravity wave energy is added via the Sref source
term, by setting the SIG1 namelist IGSOURCE to 1 or 2.
In the first method, activated with IGSOURCE =1, the second-order spec-
trum is computed using either the Hasselmann perturbation (IGMETHOD =
1) or the canonical transform (any other value of IGMETHOD) as described in
Janssen (2009). This approach may lead to better directional distribution of
IG wave energy but it is still being tested. The second method, activated
with IGSOURCE = 2, and the free IG spectrum is given by the following ex-
pressions,

2
AIG = Hs Tm0,−2 , (2.211)
2 2
bIG (f ) = 1.2α12 kg (AIG /4) [min(1., 0.013Hz/f )]1.0 , (2.212)
E
cg 2πf ∆f
bIG (f, θ) = E
E bIG (f )/(2π), (2.213)
p
where the mean period is defined as Tm0,−2 = m−2 /m0 with the moments
DRAFT WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 103

Z 0.5 Hz
mn = E(f )f n df, (2.214)
fmin Hz

and the empirical coefficient α1 is of the order of 10−3 s−1 , and is set by the
SIG1 namelist parameter IGEMPIRICAL. The minimum frequency fmin used
to define Tm0,−2 is set by the namelist parameter IGMAXFREQ and it is also
the maximum frequency of the IG band over which this source of energy
is applied. Also, in this band the IG energy at the coast can be added on
top of pre-existing energy, or the pre-existing energy can be reset to zero.
That latter behavior is the default and controlled by IGBCOVERWRITE = 1.
For other choices, (IGBCOVERWRITE = 0), the results are very sensitive to
the maximum shoreline reflection coefficient allowed (REFRMAX parameter in
namelist REF1).
Finally, IG energy can also be added for frequencies beyond fmin , this is
the default behavior and it is activated by setting IGSWELLMAX = TRUE. For
that part of the IG wave field, the IG wave source is now reduced by a factor
4 which is now hard-coded in w3ref1md.ftn. This should be adjusted together
with the maximum reflection which is defined by the REF1 namelist param-
eter REFRMAX. In the present version, the option IGSWELLMAX = TRUE does
not work well with unstructured grids. We thus advise to use IGSWELLMAX =
FALSE for these grids, this will unfortunately lead to a spectral gap between
the IG band and the swell-windsea band.

2.5 Air-sea processes

2.5.1 General concepts

Additional subroutines are provided within WAVEWATCH III for use as part
of coupled ocean-wave or ocean-atmosphere systems. These subroutines are
designed to compute additional quantities related to the surface wave field
which are intended to be passed to external models (e.g. ocean models). The
motivation for these subroutines is to allow the external model to include the
impact of waves on quantities such as the wind stress and the upper ocean
turbulence.
104 WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 DRAFT

Sea-state dependent air-sea fluxes The air-sea momentum flux, or the

total wind stress, is the sum of the momentum flux into both surface waves
and subsurface currents. Coupled atmosphere-ocean models that do not con-
sider the impact of the surface gravity wave field typically compute the total
wind stress based on an empirical relationship between the wind speed and
the wind stress (via a drag coefficient, Cd ). The provided FLD subroutines al-
lows the computation of the total wind stress based on the WAVEWATCH III
wavenumber-direction spectrum for use in coupled numerical models.
To the leading order, the total wind stress is equal to the sum of the
momentum flux into surface waves (form drag of surface waves) and the
momentum flux directly into the subsurface currents (through viscous stress).
The momentum flux into the waves may be expressed as an integral of the
wave variance spectrum multiplied by the wave growth rate (momentum-
uptake rate). A few assumptions are needed to calculate the wave form
drag. First, the wave form drag is sensitive at the leading order to the level
of the high frequency waves (or the spectral tail). This part of the wave
spectrum contains a great deal of uncertainty within the wave model, and
therefore may need to be separately parameterized for computing the wind
stress. An assumption must therefore be made to parameterize the high
frequency, which is not constrained by observational data and wind speeds
above 15 m/s. Second, assumptions of the wave growth-rate function are
needed since it has historically been parameterized from either the wind
speed or the wind stress. In either case, empirical coefficients are needed
within the growth-rate function based on wavelength and wave direction
relative to the wind and/or stress. Third, there is feedback due to the wave
form drag on the turbulence profile and the wind profile within the wave
boundary layer (roughly the upper 10 meters above the air-sea interface).
How important this feedback is on determining the wind stress and the mean
wind profile is not entirely understood. Finally, the growth rate is known
to be different over breaking and non-breaking waves. However, there are
no simple methods for explicitly including the breaking wave impact within
wind-stress calculation models. Therefore, no separation is made in either
of the present FLD subroutines between breaking and non-breaking wave
growth-rates.
The total air-sea momentum flux can be expressed (to the leading order)
as:
~τ = ~τν + ~τf , (2.215)
DRAFT WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 105

where ~τν is the viscous stress vector and ~τf is the wave form drag. At the
air-sea interface, the wave form drag can be computed as the contribution of
the momentum flux into all waves:
Z kmax Z π
~τf = ρw βg (k, θ)σF (k, θ)dθ~kdk, (2.216)
kmin −π

where ρw is the water density, k is the wavenumber, θ is the wave direction,

σ is the angular frequency, βg (k, θ) is the growth rate, F (k, θ) is the wave
variance spectrum, and kmin and kmax are the minimum and maximum wave-
numbers of contributing waves. The expression for the growth rate varies
based on the theory applied in the model, and will be described separately
for each theory in their following descriptions.
The spectral tail at wind speeds above 15 m/s is not well constrained
observationally or theoretically. Therefore, the spectral tail level in the FLD
subroutines has been empirically parameterized such that the mean drag
coefficient corresponds to the standard bulk drag coefficient used within the
modeling system. In this way, the mean value of the wind stress will not be
modified by using any explicit sea state dependent wind stress formulation,
but the stress will deviate from the mean based on the sea-state. It is assumed
that the tail level is a function of a wind speed only and is independent of
sea states.

2.5.2 Sea-state dependent τ : Reichl et al. 2014

Switch: FLD1
Origination: WAVEWATCH III
Provided by: B. Reichl

Wind stress according to Reichl et al., 2014 In Reichl et al. (2014)

the total stress is constant in height, but is decomposed into two components
as a function of height as:

~τ = ~τt (z) + ~τf (z), (2.217)

106 WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 DRAFT

where τt is the turbulent stress and is equal to the viscous stress very near
the surface. The wave form stress can be expressed as:
Z k=δ/z Z π
~τf (z) = ρw βg (k, θ)σF (k, θ)dθ~kdk, (2.218)
kmin −π

that is, the wave form stress at height z is equal to the integration of the
wave form stress at the surface for wavenumbers below k = δ/z, where δ/k is
the inner layer height (Hara and Belcher, 2004) for waves at a wavenumber
k. This expression is derived by assuming that the wave-induced stress is
significant from the surface up to the inner layer height, but is negligible
further above. Since at the surface
Z kmax Z π
~τ = ~τν + ~τf (z = 0) = ~τν + ρw βg (k, θ)σF (k, θ)dθ~kdk, (2.219)
kmin −π

the turbulent stress at a height z can be expressed as:

Z kmax Z π
~τt (z) = ~τν + ρw βg (k, θ)σF (k, θ)dθ~kdk. (2.220)
k=δ/z −π

In this model it is assumed that the turbulent stress at the inner layer
height z = δ/k determines the growth rate of waves at wavenumber k:

|τt (z = δ/k)|
βg (k, θ) = cβ σ cos2 (θ − θτ ), (2.221)
ρw c 2
where θτ is the direction of the turbulent stress at the inner layer height.
The turbulent stress at the inner layer height is used in place of the total
wind stress because longer waves reduce the effective wind forcing on shorter
waves (wave sheltering).
The growth rate coefficient cβ varies depending on the ratio of the wave
phase speed to the local pturbulent friction velocity (friction velocity at the
l
inner layer height), u⋆ = τt (z = δ/k)/ρa ).


 25 : cos(θ − θw ) > 0 : c/ul⋆ < 10

10 + 15 cos[π(c/u⋆ − 10)/15] : : 10 ≤ c/ul⋆ < 25
cβ =

 −5 : : 25 ≤ c/ul⋆

−25 : cos(θ − θw ) < 0
(2.222)
DRAFT WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 107

The wind profile is explicitly calculated using the energy conservation

constraint in the wave boundary layer. From the top of the viscous sublayer
to the inner layer height of the shortest waves the wind shear is expressed as:
 3/2
d~u ρa  ~τν  ~τν
=   for zν < z < δ/kl . (2.223)
∂z κz ρa ~τν · ~τtot
Between the inner layer height of the shortest waves and that of the longest
waves the wind shear is expressed as:
"    3/2 #
d~u δ δ ρa  ~τt (z)  ~τt (z)
= 2 F̃w k = +   × for δ/kl ≤ z, (2.224)
∂z z z κz ρa ~τt (z) · ~τtot

where F̃w (k = δ/z) is the energy uptake by surface waves:

Z π
F̃w (k = δ/z) = ρw βg (k, θ)gF (k, θ)kdθ. (2.225)
−π

Finally, above the inner layer height of the longest waves the wave effect is
negligible and the wind shear is aligned in the direction of the wind stress:
d~u u⋆ ~τtot
= . (2.226)
dz κz |~τtot |
Note that when using the FLD1 switch, internal variables and output
values of the viscous stress, friction velocity, surface roughness length and
Charnock parameter are recalculated and overwritten.

2.5.3 Sea-state dependent τ : Donelan et al. 2012

Switch: FLD2
Origination: UMWM
Provided by: B. Reichl

Wind stress according to Donelan et al., 2012 In Donelan et al.

(2012) the growth rate parameter in Eq. (2.216) is expressed as:
  
uλ/2 cos(θ − θw ) − c uλ/2 cos(θ − θw ) − c ρa
βg (k, θ) = A1 σ , (2.227)
c2 ρw
108 WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 DRAFT


 0.11, : uλ/2 cos θ > c, for wind forced sea
A1 = 0.01 : 0 < uλ/2 cos θ < c, for swell faster than the wind

0.1 : cos θ < 0, for swell opposing the wind
(2.228)
where A1 is the proportionality coefficient determined empirically (so that
modeled wave spectra agree with field observations), uλ/2 is the wind speed
at the height of half the wavelength (up to 20 m), θw is the wind direction,
and c is the wave phase speed. The wind speed is calculated using the law
of the wall for rough surfaces:
 
u⋆ z
u(z) = ln , (2.229)
κ z0

where κ is the von Kármán coefficient (default 0.4). The viscous stress is
calculated from the law of the wall for smooth surfaces. The viscous drag
coefficient, Cdν is adjusted to account for sheltering:
 
′ Cdν 2Cdν
Cdν = 1+ , (2.230)
3 Cdν + Cdf

where Cdf is the wave form drag coefficient. The viscous stress can then be
solved for as:
~τν = ρa Cd′ν |uz | uz . (2.231)
Note that when using the FLD2 switch, internal variables and output
values of the viscous stress, friction velocity, surface roughness length and
Charnock parameter are recalculated and overwritten.

2.6 Output parameters

The wave model can output parameters on the geographical grid of the model
that can be integrated parameters or parameters as a function of frequency,
with one grid for each frequency. All parameters that are a function of fre-
quency (e.g. EF or USF) require the setting of specific namelist parameters
in the OUTS namelist defined in ww3 grid.inp or ww3 grid.nml . This is to
reduce the memory use if these parameters are not needed.
DRAFT WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 109

Below, a brief definition of output field parameters is provided. A ta-

ble with definitions may be found in the sample ww3 shel.inp file, in Sec-
tion 4.4.10. That input file also provides a list of flags indicating if output pa-
rameters are available in different field output file types (ASCII, grib, igrads,
NetCDF). For any details on how these parameters are computed, the user
may read the code of the w3iogo routine, in the w3iogomd.ftn module.
Selection of field outputs in ww3 shel.inp is most easily performed by
providing a list of the requested parameters, for example, HS DIR SPR
will request the calculation of significant wave height, mean direction and
directional spread. These will thus be stored in the out grd.XX file and can
be post-processed, for example in NetCDF using ww3 ouf. Examples are
given in Section 4.4.12 and Section 4.4.15. The names for these namelists
are the bold names below, for example HS.
All parameters listed below are available in ASCII and NetCDF output
files. If selected output file types are grads or grib, some parameters may not
be available. Availability (or not) is identified in the first two columns in the
field output parameter table within the example input file in Section 4.4.10.
That table also identifies, for all parameters, the internal WAVEWATCH III
code tags, the output tags (names used is ASCII file extensions, NetCDF
variable names and namelist-based selection (see also Section 4.4.15), and
the long parameter name/definition.
Finally we note that in all definitions the frequency is the relative fre-
quency. Thus, in the presence of currents, these can only be compared to
drifting measurement data or data obtained in wavenumber and converted
to frequency. Comparison to fixed instrument data requires the use of the
full spectrum and proper conversion to the fixed reference frame.

I) Forcing fields

1) DPT The mean water depth (m). This includes varying water levels.
2) CUR The mean current velocity (vector, m/s).
3) WND The mean wind speed (vector, m/s). This wind speed is
always the speed as input to the model, i.e., is not corrected for the
current speed.
4) AST The air-sea temperature difference (◦ C).
5) WLV Water level.
6) ICE Ice concentration.
7) IBG Wave attenuation due to icebergs: this parameter is the inverse
110 WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 DRAFT

of the e-folding scale associated to the loss of wave energy in a field

of small icebergs (Ardhuin et al., 2011b).
8) D50 Sediment median grain size (D50 ).
9) IC1 Ice thickness.
10) IC5 Maximum ice flow diameter, Dmax .

II) Standard mean wave parameters

1) HS Significant wave height (m) [see Eq. (2.23)]
√
Hs = 4 E . (2.232)

2) LM Mean wave length (m) [see Eq. (2.22)]

Lm = 2πk −1 . (2.233)

3) T02 Mean wave period (s) [see Eq. (2.22)]

p
Tm02 = 2π/ σ 2 . (2.234)

4) T0M1 Mean wave period (s) [see Eq. (2.22)]

Tm0,−1 = 2πσ −1 . (2.235)

5) T01 Mean wave period (s) [see Eq. (2.22)]

Tm0,1 = 2π/σ . (2.236)

6) FP Peak frequency (Hz), calculated from the one-dimensional fre-

quency spectrum using a parabolic fit around the discrete peak.
7) DIR Mean wave direction (degr., meteorological convention)
 
b
θm = atan , (2.237)
a
Z 2π Z ∞
a= cos(θ)F (σ, θ) dσ dθ , (2.238)
0 0
Z 2π Z ∞
b= sin(θ)F (σ, θ) dσ dθ . (2.239)
0 0
DRAFT WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 111

8) SPR Mean directional spread (degr.; Kuik et al., 1988)

" (  1/2 )#1/2
a2 + b 2
σθ = 2 1 − , (2.240)
E2

9) DP Peak direction (degr.), defined like the mean direction, using

the frequency/wavenumber bin containing of the spectrum F (k) that
contains the peak frequency only.
10) HIG Infragravity height.
11) MXE Max surface elev (Space-time extreme, STE)
12) MXES St Dev of max surface elev (STE)
13) MXH Max wave height (STE)
14) MXHC Max wave height from crest (STE)
15) SDMH St Dev of MXC (STE)
16) SDMHC St Dev of MXHC (STE)
17) WBT Dominant wave breaking probability bT (2.147)

III) Spectral parameters (first 5 moments and wavenumbers).

All these parameters are a function of frequency and thus these are three-
dimensional arrays. Because of the large memory use, the computation
of these parameters requires the activation of switches in the OUTS
namelist.

1) EF Wave frequency spectrum (m2 /Hz)

Z
E(f ) = 2π F (σ, θ)dθ . (2.241)

2) TH1M Mean direction for each frequency (degr.; Kuik et al., 1988)
 
b1 (f )
θ1 (f ) = atan , (2.242)
a1 (f )
Z 2π Z ∞
a1 (f ) = 2π cos(θ)F (σ, θ) dθ , (2.243)
0 0
Z 2π Z ∞
b1 (f ) = 2π sin(θ)F (σ, θ) dθ . (2.244)
0 0
112 WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 DRAFT

3) STH1M First directional spread for each frequency (degr.; )

" (  1/2 )#1/2
a1 (f )2 + b1 (f )2
σ1 (f ) = 2 1 − , (2.245)
E(f )2

4) TH2M Mean direction from a2 and b2 (degr.)

 
b2 (f )
θ2 (f ) = atan , (2.246)
a2 (f )
Z 2π Z ∞
a2 (f ) = 2π cos(2θ)F (σ, θ) dθ , (2.247)
0 0
Z 2π Z ∞
b2 (f ) = 2π sin(2θ)F (σ, θ) dθ . (2.248)
0 0

5) STH2M Directional spreading from a2 and b2 (degr.)

" (  1/2 )#1/2
a2 (f )2 + b2 (f )2
σ2 (f ) = 0.5 1 − , (2.249)
E(f )2

6) WN Wavenumbers k(σ) (rad/m)

σ 2 = gk tanh(kD) , (2.250)

IV) Spectral partition parameters

These output parameters are based on partitioning of the spectrum into
individual wave fields.
1) PHS Wave heights Hs of partitions of the spectrum (see below).

2) PTP Peak (relative) periods of partitions of the spectrum

(parabolic fit).
3) PLP Peak wave lengths of partitions of the spectrum (from peak
period).
4) PSP Mean direction of partitions of the spectrum.
5) Directional spread of partition of the spectrum Cf. Eq. (2.240).
6) PWS Wind sea fraction of partition of the spectrum. The method
of Hanson and Phillips (2001) is used, implemented as described
DRAFT WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 113

in Tracy et al. (2007). With this, a ‘wind sea fraction’ W is intro-

duced
W = E −1 E|Up >c , (2.251)
where E is the total spectral energy, and E|Up >c is the energy
in the spectrum for which the projected wind speed Up is larger
than the local wave phase velocity c = σ/k. The latter defines
an area in the spectrum under the direct influence of the wind.
To allow for nonlinear interactions to shift this boundary to lower
frequencies, and subsequently to have fully grown wind seas inside
this are, Up includes a multiplier Cmult
Up = Cmult U10 cos(θ − θw ) . (2.252)
The multiplier can be set by the user. The default value is Cmult =
1.7.
7) PDP Peak direction of partitions of the spectrum.
8) PQP Goda peakedness of partitions of the spectrum.
9) PPE JONSWAP peak enhancement factor of partitions of the
spectrum. It is a measure of amplification of the spectral peak to
the peak of the corresponding Pierson and Moskowitz spectrum.
10) PGW Gaussian frequency width (Hz) of partitions of the spec-
trum. Least-square fit of a Gaussian spectrum to the one-
dimensional spectral partition.
11) PSW Spectral width of partitions of the spectrum
(Longuet-Higgins, 1984)
12) PTE Wave energy period of partitions of the spectrum [see
Eq. (2.235)]
13) PT1 Mean wave period of partitions of the spectrum [see
Eq. (2.236)]
14) PT2 Wave zero-upcrossing period of partitions of the spectrum
[see Eq. (2.234)]
15) PEP Wave peak spectral density of partitions
16) TWS Wind sea fraction of the entire spectrum.
17) PNR Number of partitions found in the spectrum.

V) Atmosphere-waves layer
1) UST The friction velocity u∗ (scalar). Definition depends on se-
lected source term parameterization (m/s). An alternative vector
114 WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 DRAFT

version of the stresses is available for research (requires user inter-

vention in the code).
2) CHA Charnock parameter for air-sea friction (without dimensions)
3) CGE Energy flux (W/m)

Cg E = ρw gCg E . (2.253)

4) FAW Wind to wave energy flux

5) TAW Net wave-supported stress (wind to wave momentum flux)
6) TWA Negative part of the wave-supported stress
7) WCC Wave to wind momentum flux
8) WCF Whitecap coverage (without dimensions)
9) WCH Whitecap mean thickness (m)
10) WCM Mean breaking wave height (m) (NOT AVAILABLE YET)

VI) Wave-ocean layer

1) SXY Radiation stresses
ZZ


Sxx = ρw g n − 0.5 + n cos2 θ F (k, θ) dkdθ , (2.254)
ZZ
Sxy = ρw g n sin θ cos θ F (k, θ) dkdθ , (2.255)
ZZ


Syy = ρw g n − 0.5 + n sin2 θ F (k, θ) dkdθ , (2.256)

where
1 kd
n=+ . (2.257)
2 sinh 2kd
2) TWO Wave to ocean momentum flux
3) BHD Bernoulli head (m2 /s2 )
ZZ
k
J =g F (k, θ) dkdθ , (2.258)
sinh 2kd

4) FOC Wave to ocean energy flux (W/m2 )

5) TUS Stokes volume transport (m2 /s)
ZZ
w w (k cos(θ), k sin(θ))
(Mx , My ) = g F (k, θ) dkdθ , (2.259)
σ
DRAFT WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 115

6) USS Stokes drift at the sea surface (m/s)

ZZ
(k cos(θ), k sin(θ))
(Ussx , Ussy ) = σ cosh 2kd F (k, θ) dkdθ ,
sinh2 kd
(2.260)
2
7) P2S Second order pressure variance (m ) and peak period of this
pressure (s) which contributes to acoustic and seismic noise,
Z ∞ Z
4σ π
Fp2D (k = 0) = F (k, θ) F (k, θ + π) dθdk , (2.261)
0 Cg 0

8) USF Frequency spectrum of Stokes drift at the sea surface (m/s/Hz)

Z
(k cos(θ), k sin(θ)) 2π
(Ussx (f ), Ussy (f )) = σ cosh 2kd 2 F (k, θ) dθ ,
sinh kd Cg
(2.262)
Note that US3D=1 must be set in the ww3 grid.inp OUTS namelist
in order to activate the 3D arrays needed for USF output.
9) P2L Frequency spectrum of the second order pressure (m2 s) which
contributes to acoustic and seismic noise,
Z
2σ π 4π 2
Fp2D (k = 0, f ) = F (k, θ) F (k, θ + π) dθ . (2.263)
π 0 Cg2

10) TWI Wave to sea ice stress

11) FIC Wave to sea ice energy flux
12) USP Surface Stokes drift partitioned into run-time defined frequency
components (m/s),
ZZ
(k cos(θ), k sin(θ))
(Ussp , Vssp )(n) = σ cosh 2kd F (k, θ) dkdθ .
kn sinh2 kd
(2.264)
The number n and the central wavenumbers for the partitions kn are
‘run-time’ in the sense that they are defined in the model definition
file generated from ww3 grid.inp (see the sample input file for details
on setting these quantities). The wavenumber integral bounds for
each n partition divide the model wave spectra to accomodate the
prescribed values of kn .

VII) Wave-bottom layer

116 WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 DRAFT

1) ABR Near-bottom rms excursion amplitude

 ZZ 1/2
1
ab,rms = 2 F (k, θ) dkdθ . (2.265)
sinh2 kd
2) UBR Near-bottom rms orbital velocity
 ZZ 1/2
σ2
ub,rms = 2 F (k, θ) dkdθ . (2.266)
sinh2 kd
3) BED Bedform parameters: ripple height and directions (NOT
TESTED YET)
4) FBB Energy dissipation in WBBL
5) TBB Momentum loss in WBBL

VIII) Spectrum parameters

1) MSS Mean square slopes in u and c directions (down-wave and
cross-wave components of slopes variances).
2) MSC Spectral tail level (without dimensions)
3) MSD Direction of the maximum slope variance mssu
4) MCD Spectral tail direction
5) QP Peakedness parameter (Goda, 1970)
Z 2π Z ∞
2
Qp = 2 σ F (σ, θ)2 dσ dθ (2.267)
E 0 0

IX) Numerical diagnostics

1) DTD Average time step in the source term integration (s).
2) FC Cut-off frequency fc (Hz, depends on parameterization of input
and dissipation).
3) CFX Maximum CFL number for spatial advection
4) CFD Maximum CFL number for angular advection
5) CFK Maximum CFL number for wavenumber advection

X) User defined
1) U1 Slot for user defined parameter (requires modification of code).
2) U2 Idem.
DRAFT WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 117

2.7 Derived parameters

2.7.1 Directional slopes and near-nadir backscatter

Under the linear wave assumption, the surface slopes are Gaussian and fully
prescribed by the mean square slope tensor mssx , mssy , mssxy . In WAVE-
WATCH III the computed mss parameters are the down-wave mssu , which
is in the direction given by mssd , and a cross-wave mssc which is in the
perpendicular dimension.
As a a result, the mean square slope tensor for the (long) wave resolved
by the wave model, after converting mssd to radians, are given by

mssx,long = mssu cos2 (mssd ) + mssc sin2 (mssd ) (2.268)

mssy,long = mssu sin2 (mssd ) + mssc cos2 (mssd ) (2.269)
mssxy,long = 0.5(mssu − mssc ) sin(2mssd ) (2.270)

The contribution of short waves (above the maximum frequency of the model)
should be added to these for a comparison with observations such as the
backscatter power (σ 0 ) of near-nadir optical or radar data (altimeters, GPM
or CFOSAT/SWIM data).

2.7.2 Stokes drift profile

The spectrum of the surface Stokes drift has the two components that are
computed as
usf(IK)= SUM( E(IK,ITH)*ECOS(ITH)*DTH(ITH)
)*DK(IK)*2*WN(IK,ISEA) * FACT(KD)/DF(IK)
vsf(IK)= SUM( E(IK,ITH)*ESIN(ITH)*DTH(ITH)
)*DK(IK)*2*WN(IK,ISEA) * FACT(KD)/DF(IK)
Where WN is the wavenumber and FACT(KD) is a function of the non-
dimensional water depth.
From this spectrum, the Stokes drift at any depth z, counted positive
upwards from a reference z = 0, are given by
Us(z)= SUMIK=I1,I2 ( usf(IK) * FACT2(z,KD)*DF(IK)) Vs(z)=
SUMIK=I1,I2 ( vsf(IK) * FACT2(z,KD)*DF(IK))
This requires a knowledge of the local water depth D and mean sea level
LEV and the wavenumbers WN(IK). KD=D*WN(IK) is thus a local function
if the frequency/wavenumber index IK.
118 WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 DRAFT

The coefficent FACT2(z,KD) is equal to EXP(2*WN(IK)*(z-LEV)) if KD

> 6, and otherwise,
FACT2(z,KD)=COSH(2*WN(IK)*(z+H))/COSH(2*WN(IK)*D).
DRAFT WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 119

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120 WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 DRAFT

3 Numerical approaches
The Wave Action Equation in Cartesian (2.8) or spherical (2.12) coordinates
is the basic equations of the wave model. However, modified versions of these
equations are used in the model, where (a) they are solved on a variable
wavenumber grid (see below), where (b) modified versions of these equations
are used to properly describe dispersion for discretized equations in selected
numerical schemes (see Section 3.4), and where (c) sub-grid obstacles such
as islands are considered (see Section 3.4).

3.1 Spectral discretization

If Eq. (2.8) or Eq. (2.12) is solved directly, an effective reduction of spectral

resolution occurs in shallow water (see Tolman and Booij, 1998). This loss of
resolution can be avoided if the equation is solved on a variable wavenumber
grid, which implicitly incorporates the kinematic wavenumber changes due
to shoaling. Such a wavenumber grid corresponds to a spatially and tem-
porally invariant grid in relative frequency (Tolman and Booij, 1998). The
corresponding local wavenumber grid can be calculated directly from the in-
variant frequency grid and the dispersion relation (2.1), and hence becomes
a function of the local depth d. To accommodate economical calculations of
Snl and allow a good separation of swell frequencies, a frequency discretiza-
tion with exponentially increasing increments is adopted, so that the varying
frequency resolution is proportional to the local frequency,

σm+1 = Xσ σm , (3.1)

where m is a discrete grid counter in k-space. Xσ is defined by the user in

the input files of the program. Traditionally, in most applications of third-
generation models Xσ ≃ 1.1 is used.
The effects of a spatially varying grid will be discussed for the Cartesian
Eq. (2.8) only. Adaptation to the spherical grid is trivial. Denoting the
variable wavenumber grid with κ, the balance equation becomes

∂ N ∂ ẋN ∂ ẏN ∂ κ̇N ∂ θ̇N S

+ + + + = , (3.2)
∂t cg ∂x cg ∂y cg ∂κ cg ∂θ cg σcg
DRAFT WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 121

 
∂k ∂σ ∂d ∂U
κ̇ = c−1
g + U · ∇x d −k· . (3.3)
∂κ ∂d ∂t ∂s

3.2 Splitting of the wave action equation

In WAVEWATCH III Eq. (3.2) is solved using a fractional step method.

The first step treats the temporal variations of the depth, and corresponding
changes in the wavenumber grid. As is discussed by Tolman and Booij (1998),
this step can be invoked sparsely. By splitting off effects of (temporal) water
level variations, the grid becomes invariant, and the depth becomes quasi-
steady for the remaining fractional steps. Other fractional steps consider
spatial propagation, intra-spectral propagation and source terms. Starting
with version 5.10, the source term S is further split into non-ice Sno ice and
ice Sice source term. For a single model grid, the following sequence of
integration is performed by the W3WAVE routine:

1. Update of water level

∂ N ∂ κ̇N ∂ θ̇N
2. Intra-spectral part 1: integration over ∆tg /2 of ∂t cg
+ ∂κ cg
+ ∂θ cg
=0

∂ N ∂ ẋN ∂ ẏN
3. Spatial propagation: integration over ∆tg of ∂t cg
+ ∂x cg
+ ∂y cg
=0

∂ N ∂ κ̇N ∂ θ̇N
4. Intra-spectral part 2: integration over ∆tg /2 of ∂t cg
+ ∂κ cg
+ ∂θ cg
=0

∂ N Sno ice
5. Source term integration: integration over ∆tg of ∂t cg
= σcg

∂ N Sice
6. Ice source term integration: integration over ∆tg of ∂t cg
= σcg

The succession of these 6 steps is, in the limit ∆tg → 0, equivalent to the
integration of Eq. (3.2) over a global time step ∆tg .
This splitting in multiple steps allows an efficient vectorization and paral-
lelization at the same time. The time splitting furthermore allows for the use
of separate partial or dynamically adjusted time steps in the different frac-
tional steps of the model. WAVEWATCH III makes a distinction between 4
different time steps.
122 WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 DRAFT

1) The ‘global’ time step ∆tg , is the common step of all the splitted
sub-integrations. In that sense, it is the smallest time step for which
a physically meaningful solution can be obtained, because all terms
in the equation have been integrated. As a result, this is a possible
time step for evaluating model output or coupling with other models,
and, in the case of a multi-grid system, it is the time step at which
communication between grids is performed. In the case of a forced
– not coupled – model, input winds and currents are interpolated at
this global step. This time step is provided by the user in the input
file of ww3 grid, but can be reduced within the model to reach a
requested input or output time.
2) The second time step is the time step for spatial propagation. This is
not used for triangular-based grids, for which the advection step is –
in the case of explicit schemes – adjusted internally for each spectral
component. For other grid types, the user supplies a reference max-
imum propagation time step for the lowest model frequency ∆tp,r ,
assuming no currents, and no grid motion. For the frequency with
counter m, the maximum time step ∆tp,m is calculated within the
model as
ẋp,r
∆tp,m = ∆tp,r , (3.4)
ẋp,m
where ẋp,r is the maximum advection speed for the longest waves
without currents or grid motion, and ẋp,m is the actual maximum
advection speed (including current) for frequency m. If the propaga-
tion time step is smaller than the global time step, the propagation
effects are calculated with a number of successive smaller time steps.
This generally implies that several partial time steps are used for the
lowest frequency, but that the highest frequencies are propagated
over the interval ∆tg with a single calculation. The latter results
in a significantly more efficient model, particularly if higher-order
accurate propagation schemes are used. Note that ∆tp,m may be de-
fined bigger than ∆tg , and that this has potential impact in model
economy for cases with (strong) currents.
3) The third time step is the time step for intra-spectral propagation.
For large-scale and deep-water grids this time step can generally be
taken equal to the global time step ∆tg . For shallow water grids,
smaller intra-spectral propagation time steps allow for larger effects
DRAFT WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 123

of refraction within the stability constraints of the scheme. Note

that the order of invoking spatial and intra-spectral propagation is
alternated to enhance numerical accuracy. If strong refraction of
long period swells occur, this may result in a notable undulation of
mean wave parameters. This can be avoided by setting this time
step to an even integer fraction of ∆tg .
4) The final time step is the time step for the integration of the source
terms, which is dynamically adjusted for each separate grid point
and global time step ∆tg (see Section 3.6). This results in more
accurate calculations for rapidly changing wind and wave conditions,
and a more economical integration for slowly varying conditions. In
order to limit the calculation time, a minimum time step is defined
by the user.

The following sections deal with the separate steps in the fractional step
method, and various subjects associated with this. The main issue are cov-
ered in Section 3.3, which addresses treatment of temporal variations of the
water depth, Section 3.4 which addresses spatial propagation, Section 3.5
which addresses intra-spectral propagation, and Sections 3.6 and 3.7 which
address the numerical integration of non-icea and ice source terms. The other
sections deal with additional numerical approaches and techniques, cover-
ing the treatment of winds and currents (Section 3.9), including tides (Sec-
tion 3.10), calculating space-time extremes (Section 3.11), treatment of ice
(Section 3.8), spectral partitioning and the corresponding tracking of wave
systems in space and time (Sections 3.12, 3.13), and nesting (Section 3.14).

3.3 Depth variations in time

Temporal depth variations result in a change of the local wavenumber grid.

Because the wavenumber spectrum is invariant with respect to temporal
changes of the depth, this corresponds to a simple interpolation of the spec-
trum from the old grid to the new grid, without changes in the spectral shape.
As discussed above, the new grid simply follows from the globally invariant
frequency grid, the new water depth d and the dispersion relation Eq. (2.1).
124 WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 DRAFT

The time step of updating the water level is generally dictated by physical
time scales of water level variations, but not by numerical considerations
(Tolman and Booij, 1998).
The interpolation to the new wavenumber grid is performed with a simple
conservative interpolation method. In this interpolation the old spectrum is
first converted to discrete action densities by multiplication with the spectral
bin widths. This discrete action then is redistributed over the new grid cf.
a regular linear interpolation. The new discrete actions then are converted
into a spectrum by division by the (new) spectral bin widths. The conversion
requires a parametric extension of the original spectrum at high and low
frequencies because the old grid generally will not completely cover the new
grid. Energy/action in the old spectrum at low wavenumbers that are not
resolved by the new grid is simply removed. At low wavenumbers in the
new grid that are not resolved by the old grid zero energy/action is assumed.
At high wavenumbers in the new grid the usual parametric tail is applied if
necessary. The latter correction is rare, as the highest wavenumbers usually
correspond to deep water.
In practical applications the grid modification is usually relevant for a
small fraction of the grid points only. To avoid unnecessary calculations,
the grid is transformed only if the smallest relative depth kd in the discrete
spectrum is smaller than 4. Furthermore, the spectrum is interpolated only
if the spatial grid point is not covered by ice, and if the largest change of
wavenumber is at least 0.05∆k.

3.4 Spatial propagation

3.4.1 General concepts

Spatial propagation in WAVEWATCH III is described by the first terms of

Eq. (3.2). For spherical coordinates [Eq. (2.12)], the corresponding spatial
propagation step becomes
∂N ∂ ∂
+ φ̇N + λ̇N = 0 , (3.5)
∂t ∂φ ∂λ
where the propagated quantity N is defined as N ≡ N c−1 g cos φ. For the
−1
Cartesian grid, a similar equation is found for N ≡ N cg . In this section
DRAFT WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 125

equations for the more complicated spherical grid are presented only. Con-
version to a Cartesian grid is generally a simplification and is trivial.

Equation (3.5) in form is identical to the conventional deep-water propa-

gation equation, but includes effects of both limited depths and currents. At
the land-sea boundaries, wave action propagating toward the land is assumed
to be absorbed without reflection, and waves propagating away from the coast
are assumed to have no energy at the coastline. For so-called ‘active bound-
ary points’ where boundary conditions are prescribed, a similar approach is
used. Action traveling toward such points is absorbed, whereas action at the
boundary points is used to estimate action fluxes for components traveling
into the model.

The spatial grids can use two different coordinate systems, either a ‘flat’
Cartesian coordinate system typically used for small scale and idealized test
applications, and a spherical (latitude-longitude) system used for most real-
world applications. In model version 3.14, the coordinate system was selected
at compile time with the XYG or LLG switches. In more recent model ver-
sions, the grid type is now a variable defined in ww3 grid and stored in the
mod def.ww3 file.

There is an option for spherical grids to have simple closure, to be periodic

in the longitude direction, e.g. so that energy can propagate east from the
maximum longitude in the grid to the minimum longitude in the grid. This
closure is “simple” insofar as the index for latitude does not change across this
“seam”. A “not simple” type of closure is also permitted: this is associated
with tripole grids. The tripole grid is a type of irregular grid and so this
closure is discussed further in (3.4.3).

Up to model version 3.14, WAVEWATCH III considered only regular dis-

crete grids, where the two main grid axes (x, y) are discretized using constant
increments ∆x and ∆y. In model version 6.07 additional options have been
included, including curvilinear grids and unstructured grids. In the following
sections these grid approaches will be discussed, before additional propaga-
tion issues are addressed, covering the Garden Sprinkler Effect (3.4.6), con-
tinuously moving grids (3.4.8) unresolved islands (3.4.7), and rotated grids
(3.4.9).
126 WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 DRAFT

3.4.2 Traditional regular grids

Propagation schemes for traditional regular grids are selected at compile time
using switches. Several schemes are available in WAVEWATCH III. These
schemes are described in order of complexity below.

First-order scheme
Switch: PR1
Origination: WAVEWATCH III
Provided by: H. L. Tolman

A simple and cheap first order upwind scheme has been included, mainly
for testing during development of WAVEWATCH III. To assure numerical
conservation of action, a flux or control volume formulation is used. The flux
between grid points with counters i and i − 1 in φ-space (Fi,− ) is calculated
as
h in
Fi,− = φ̇b Nu , (3.6)
j,l,m
 
φ̇b = 0.5 φ̇i−1 + φ̇i , (3.7)
j,l,m

Ni−1 for φ̇b ≥ 0
Nu = , (3.8)
Ni for φ̇b < 0
where j, l and m are discrete grid counters in λ-, θ- and k-spaces, respectively,
and n is a discrete time step counter. φ̇b represents the propagation velocity
at the ‘cell boundary’ between points i and i − 1, and the subscript u denotes
the ‘upstream’ grid point. At land-sea boundaries, φ̇b is replaced by φ̇ at the
sea point. Fluxes between points i and i + 1 (Fi,+ ) are obtained by replacing
i − 1 with i and i with i + 1. Fluxes in λ-space are calculated similarly,
changing the appropriate grid counters and increments. The ‘action density’
(N n+1 ) at time n + 1 is estimated as

n+1 n ∆t ∆t
Ni,j,l,m = Ni,j,l,m + [Fi,− − Fi,+ ] + [Fj,− − Fj,+ ] , (3.9)
∆φ ∆λ
where ∆t is the propagation time step, and ∆φ and ∆λ are the latitude and
longitude increments, respectively. Equations (3.6) through (3.8) with N = 0
DRAFT WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 127

on land and applying Eq. (3.9) on sea points only automatically invokes the
required boundary conditions.
Note that Eq. (3.9) represents a two-dimensional implementation of the
scheme, for which the norm of the actual advection vectors needs to be used
in Eq. (3.4). Note furthermore, that this implies a CFL criterion for the full
equation, which is generally more stringent than that for a scheme where
λ and φ propagation are treated separately as in the third order schemes
discussed below. For a grid with equal increments √ in both directions, this
results in a maximum time step that is a factor 1/ 2 smaller for the first
order scheme than for the third order schemes.

Second-order scheme (UNO)

Switch: UNO
Origination: MetOffice
Provided by: J.-G. Li

The upstream non-oscillatory 2nd order (UNO) advection scheme (Li, 2008)
is an extension of the MINMOD scheme (Roe, 1986). In the UNO scheme,
the interpolated wave action value at the mid-flux point for the cell face
between cell i -1 and cell i is given by
∗ (1 − C)
Ni− = Nc + sign (Nd − Nc ) min (|Nu − Nc |, |Nc − Nd |) , (3.10)
2
 
 
where i - is the cell face index; C = φ̇b  ∆t/∆φ is the absolute CFL num-
ber; and the subscripts u, c and d indicate the upstream, central and down-
stream cells, respectively, relative to the given i - cell face velocity φ̇b . If
φ̇b > 0, u = i -2, c=i -1, d =i for the cell face between cell i -1 and cell i.
If φ̇b ≤ 0 then u=i +1, c=i, d =i -1. Details of the UNO scheme are given
in Li (2008) alongside standard numerical tests which demonstrate that the
UNO scheme on Cartesian multiple-cell grids is non-oscillatory, conservative,
shape-preserving, and faster than its classical counterpart as long as the CFL
number is less than 1.0.
The flux and cell value update follow the same formulations as the first
order upstream scheme, that is,

˙ ∗; ∆t
Fi− = φb N i− Nin+1 = Nin + (Fi− − Fi+ ) , (3.11)
∆φ
128 WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 DRAFT

where Fi+ is the flux for the cell face between cell i and cell i +1. It can
be estimated with a mid-flux value similar to (3.10) but with i replaced
with i +1. An advective-conservative hybrid operator (Leonard et al., 1996)
that reduces the time-splitting error is used to extend the UNO schemes to
multi-dimensions.

Third-order scheme (UQ)

Switch: UQ
Origination: WAVEWATCH III
Provided by: H. L. Tolman

The third-order accurate scheme available in WAVEWATCH III is the

QUICKEST scheme (Leonard, 1979; Davis and More, 1982) combined with
the ULTIMATE TVD (total variance diminishing) limiter (Leonard, 1991).
This is the default propagation scheme for WAVEWATCH III. This scheme
is third-order accurate in both space and time, and has been selected based
on the extensive intercomparison of higher-order finite difference schemes
for water quality models (see Cahyono, 1994; Falconer and Cayhono, 1993;
Tolman, 1995b). This scheme is applied to propagation in longitudinal and
latitudinal directions separately, alternating the direction to be treated first.
In the QUICKEST scheme the flux between grid points with counters i
and i − 1 in φ-space (Fi,− ) is calculated as7
h in
Fi,− = φ̇b Nb , (3.12)
j,l,m
 
φ̇b = 0.5 φ̇i−1 + φ̇i , (3.13)

1h i  1 − C2 
Nb = (1 + C)Ni−1 + (1 − C)Ni − CU ∆φ2 , (3.14)
2 6

( Ni−2 − 2Ni−1 + Ni ) ∆φ−2 for φ̇b ≥ 0
CU = , (3.15)
( Ni−1 − 2Ni + Ni+1 ) ∆φ−2 for φ̇b < 0
φ̇b ∆t
C= , (3.16)
∆φ
7
Fluxes (Fi,+ ) between grid points with counters i + 1 and i again are obtained by
substituting the appropriate indices.
DRAFT WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 129

where CU is the (upstream) curvature of the action density distribution, and

where C is a CFL number including a sign to identify the propagation di-
rection. Like the first order scheme, this scheme gives stable solutions for
|C| ≤ 1. To assure that this scheme does not generate aphysical extrema,
it is used in combination with the ULTIMATE limiter. This limiter uses
the central, upstream and downstream action density (suffices c, u and d,
respectively), which are defined as

Nc = Ni−1 , Nu = Ni−2 , Nd = Ni for φ̇b ≥ 0

. (3.17)
Nc = Ni , Nu = Ni+1 , Nd = Ni−1 for φ̇b < 0

To assess if the initial state and the solution show similar monotonic or non-
monotonic behavior, the normalized action Ñ is defined

N − Nu
Ñ = . (3.18)
Nd − Nu
If the initial state is monotonic (i.e., 0 ≤ Ñc ≤ 1), the (normalized) action
at the cell boundary Nb is limited to

Ñc ≤ Ñb ≤ 1, Ñb ≤ Ñc C −1 . (3.19)

otherwise
Ñb = Ñc . (3.20)
An alternative scheme is necessary if one of the two grid points adjacent to
the cell boundary is on land or represents an active boundary point. In such
cases, Eqs. (3.7) and (3.14) are replaced by

φ̇b = φ̇s , (3.21)

Nb = Nu , (3.22)
where the suffix s indicates the (average of) the sea point(s). This boundary
condition represents a simple first order upwind scheme, which does not
require the limiter (3.17) through (3.20).
The final propagation scheme, similar to Eq. (3.9), becomes

n+1 n ∆t
Ni,j,l,m = Ni,j,l,m + [Fi,− − Fi,+ ] . (3.23)
∆φ
130 WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 DRAFT

The scheme for propagation in λ-space is simply obtained by rotating indices

and increments in the above equations.8
Note that the ULTIMATE QUICKEST scheme is implemented as alter-
nate one-dimensional schemes, for which the maxima of component advection
speeds need to be used in Eq. (3.4). For consistency, the same time steps are
always used for λ and φ propagation for a given component.

3.4.3 Curvilinear grids

Origination: WAVEWATCH III(NRL Stennis)
Provided by: W. E. Rogers, T. J. Campbell

As an extension to traditional “regular” grids, computations may be made

on “irregular” grids within WAVEWATCH III . This makes it possible to
run the model on alternate grid projections (e.g. Lambert conformal conic),
rotated grids, or shoreline-following grids with higher resolution near shore,
though the restrictions on time step from the conditionally stable schemes
still apply. The same propagation schemes are utilized for irregular grids as
for regular grids (Section 3.4.2).
The implementation is described in detail in Rogers and Campbell (2009),
and summarized here: a Jacobian is used to convert the entire domain be-
tween the normal, curving space, and a straightened space. This conversion
is performed only within the propagation routine, rather than integrating
the entire model in straightened space. A simple, three step process is used
every time the propagation subroutine is called (i.e. every time step and
every spectral component): first, the dependent variable (wave action den-
sity) is converted to straightened space using a Jacobian; second, the wave
action density is propagated via subroutine calls for each (of two) grid axes;
third, the wave action density is converted back to normal, curved space.
The actual flux computation is not significantly modified from its original,
regular grid form. The same process occurs, regardless of grid type (regular
or irregular); for regular grids, the Jacobian is unity.
Regarding the user interface: in ww3 grid.inp, a string is used to indicate
8
The ‘soft’ boundary treatment as described on page 31 of Tolman (2002e) is no longer
available, because it is incompatible with the advanced nesting techniques introduced in
model version 3.14.
DRAFT WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 131

the grid type. In cases where this grid string is ‘RECT’, the model processes
input for a regular grid. In case where this grid string is ‘CURV’ , the model
processes input for an irregular grid. [Note that with WAVEWATCH III
version 4.00, the coordinate system (i.e. degrees vs. meters) and the clo-
sure type (e.g. global/wrapping grid) are also specified in ww3 grid.inp ; the
switches LLG and XYG are deprecated.]
With WAVEWATCH III version 5, capability is added to run on a special
type of curvilinear grid, the “tripole grid” using the first-order propagation
scheme. In the northern hemisphere, this grid type uses two poles instead
of one, and both are over land to prevent singularities in grid spacing. This
type of grid is sometimes used in ocean models, e.g. (Murray, 1996) and
(Metzger et al., 2014). No special switch is required, and the grid is read
in as any other irregular grid would be, but the user must specify a closure
type (CSTRG) of TRPL in ww3 grid.inp. Specific details can be found in the
documentation for ww3 grid.inp in Section 4.4.3. Propagation and gradient
calculations are modified to deal with the new closure method. The TRPL
closure type is compatible only with the first-order PR1 propagation scheme.
An attractive feature of the tripole grid is that it allows the user to run a
single grid which extends all the way to the North Pole. However, though
the three poles are over land, there is still a convergence of meridians at the
sea points nearest to them, meaning that the grid spacing in terms of real
distances (which determines the maximum propagation time step) is still
highly variable. More efficient grid spacing (meaning: with less variation
of grid spacing in terms of real distances) can be achieved through the use
of the multi-grid capability. Though this scheme addresses singularities in
grid spacing at the pole, it does not address the singularity associated with
definition of wave direction.

3.4.4 Triangular unstructured grids

Origination: WWM-II
Provided by: A. Roland, F. Ardhuin, M. Dutour-Sikirić, A. Abdolali

Triangle-based unstructured grids can be chosen in WAVEWATCH III by

using numerical schemes based on contour residual distribution (CRD)
(Ricchiuto et al., 2005) for the discretization of the space derivative. These
132 WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 DRAFT

schemes have been adopted to the wave action balance equation in (Roland,
2009) and have been implemented in the Wind Wave Model-II (WWM-II)
and in WW-III. With respect to the time integration methods, explicit and
implicit schemes are available for unstructured grids. If the explicit solver is
chosen the original fractional step method of WW3 is used, where the solu-
tion of the two dimensional hyperbolic part in geographical space is solved
on unstructured grids based on the above mentioned methods. In this case
the spectral part and the source terms are integrated in a similar way as
in the structured version of WW3. The definition of the time steps is also
done in the same way as for the structured part except that the number of
sub-iterations for the unstructured part are estimated automatically based
on the maximal CFL number in the domain. If implicit methods are chosen,
a linear equation system is assembled based on the CRD-N schemes follow-
ing (Roland, 2009). The spectral propagation part is solved with simple
implicit 1st order upwind schemes and the source terms are written in the
matrix in the same way as in the dynamic scheme of WW3 using ǫ = 1 in eq.
3.61 and assembling the equation system following simple Patankar rules.
The full description of new implementations is discussed in Roland et al.
(2019) It can be shown analytically and by numerical experiment that for
CFL <1 the explicit and the implicit methods give similar results. This
was also demonstrated in practical applications e.g. (Abdolali et al., 2018;
Smith et al., 2018; Abdolali et al., 2019; Aboulali et al., 2019). However, for
CFL >1 the transient solutions of the implicit schemes have a time step
depedency since the source terms are linearized in time. The time step in
the implicit schemes is equal the global timestep and the other time steps
for spectral space or source terms have no effect. The fractional step meth-
ods has a time step dependency as well due to the splitting errors, which
become especially predominant in shallow water (Roland, 2009). For both
numerical methods proper convergence analysis with respect to the global
time step and the spatial resolution need to be carried out unless the level
of accuracy is satisfactory for the given applications. The numerical imple-
mentations have subsequently been evaluated in WWIII (e.g. Ardhuin et al.,
2009b; Babanin et al., 2011; Bertin et al., 2014, 2015; Dodet et al., 2013;
Ferrarin et al., 2008, 2013; Janekovic et al.; Kerr et al., 2013; Liau et al.,
2011; Magne et al., 2010; Perrie et al., 2018, 2013b; Roland et al., 2006a,b,
2009, 2012; Roland and Ardhuin, 2014b; Sikirić et al., 2012, 2013, 2018;
Zanke et al., 2006).
This option is activated by setting the grid string to ‘UNST’ in ww3 grid.inp.
DRAFT WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 133

Four schemes have been implemented, and the choice of one or the other is
done with the UNST namelist. These are the CRD-N-scheme (1st order), the
CRD-PSI-scheme (better than 1st order, 2nd order on triangular structured
grids), the CRD-FCT-scheme (2nd order space-time), and the implicit N-
scheme. The default is the most efficient but diffusive explicit N-scheme.
An implicit variant of the RD-Schemes using the method of lines and the
N-Scheme for the space discretization was implemented in the SWAN model
by Zijlema (2010) a similar discretization is chosen in the actual version of
ECWAM see Roland (2012).
In this method the evolution of the spectrum at the nodes, where it is eval-
uated, is based on the redistribution over the nodes of the flux convergence
into the median dual cells associated with the nodes (see Figure 3.1). For
any spectral component, the advection equation, Eq. (3.5), is solved on the
median dual cells: the incoming flux into a cell gives the rate of change of the
wave action at the corresponding node. The various schemes implemented
have different discretization for the estimation of this flux. The schemes have
been presented in (see Roland, 2009, for a review).
We note that these advection schemes do not include corrections for the
garden sprinkler effect (GSE). In the usual sense of GSE corrections it was
found that the N-Scheme has sufficient numerical cross-diffusion to well com-
pensate for this effect. However, higher order schemes such as CRD-PSI
or CRD-FCT may create significant GSE effecting depending on the spatial
resolution.
The parallelization of the unstructured grid schemes is done either using
the Card Deck approach, as done for the structured grids, or using domain
decomposition methods. The domain decompositions methods are based on
ParMetis (Karypis, 2011), which is a C implementation of a parallel graph
partitioning algorithm. ParMetis is being interfaced using PDLIB (Paral-
lel Decomposition Library) in Fortran, which beside interfacing ParMetis
provides the needed exchange routines for unstructured grids using the For-
tran2002 standard. The exchange routines do all the needed communication
for the decomposed grids between the various threads based on the decom-
position provided by ParMetis. In this way, all the domain decomposition
parts are incorporated in the main source with just one line of code. For
the compilation of the PDLIB option in the switch files, which activates the
domain decomposition parallelization, ParMetis needs to be installed and the
code needs to be compiled with using MPI. PDLIB works with all usual MPI
implementations, such as OpenMPI or MPICH2 and others. An schematic
134 WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 DRAFT

view of implemented parallelization algorthims in WW3 (card deck and do-

main decomposition) are shown in figure 3.2. For real case applications, the
convergence of these two methods is demonstrated in Aboulali et al. (2019)
for Hurricane Ike, 2008.
In practice, the unstructured grid can be easily generated, using the
PolyMesh software (developed by Aron Roland), from a shoreline polygons
database and a list of arbitrary depth soundings. PolyMesh interfaces Tri-
angle and adopts a-priori error estimates based on wave propagation charac-
teristics and depth error based on the barycentric bathymetric error (e.g.
Wessel and Smith, 1996). Other grid generation tools such as SMS and
OceanMesh2D can also be used. There are no constrains with respect to
the triangle shape.
The equivalent of the CFL condition for explicit finite difference schemes
on regular grids is the ratio of the dual cell area divided by the product of the
time step and the sum of the positive fluctuations into the dual cell. Because
the spectral levels are imposed on the boundary for the positive fluxes, the
boundary nodes are excluded from this CFL calculation and the incoming
energy is set to zero, whereas the outgoing energy is fully absorbed. Only
for the reflection part energy is allowed to penetrate from the boundary into
the domain.
The boundary condition at the shoreline depends on the wave direction
relative to the shoreline orientation. This particular treatment is enforced
using the ‘IOBPD’ array which is updated whenever the grid points status map
‘MAPSTA’ changes. The grid geometry is also used to define local gradients of
the water depth and currents. All other operations, such as interpolation of
the forcing on the grid and interpolation from the grid onto output locations,
is performed using linear interpolation in triangles.
All the triangle geometry operations assume a locally flat Earth. Depth
and current gradients on the grid are estimated at the nodes by interpolating
within on triangle using linear shape functions.

3.4.5 Spherical Multiple-Cell (SMC) grid

Switch: SMC
Origination: WAVEWATCH III(MetOffice)
Provided by: J.-G. Li
DRAFT WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 135

25.80‘ 3 2
1 92.2
2 1
3

4
25.70‘ Triangle
Coastline Node
4 92.0
Latitude (48dN)

5 Node 5

y (km)
25.60‘ 6

Median dual
91.8
cell

25.50‘
91.6

25.40‘
91.4
1.20‘ 1.00‘ 0.80‘ 0.60‘ 0.40‘
Longitude ( 5dW)

Figure 3.1: Example of a region of a triangle-based mesh, with in this case

the small Island of Bannec, France. If the depth is greater than the minimum
depth, the nodes of the shoreline are active. These are characterized by a
larger number of neighbor nodes (6 in the example chosen) than neighbor
triangles (5 in the same example).
136 WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 DRAFT

Figure 3.2: The schematic difference between Domain Decomposition (a) and
Card Deck approach (b) on 11 computational cores represented by colors.
The grid has ∼3k nodes and is build for Shinnecock Inlet, NY taken from an
ADCIRC example problem.
DRAFT WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 137

The Spherical Multiple-Cell (SMC) grid9 (Li, 2011) is an extension of the

Cartesian multiple-cell grid (Li, 2003) onto the spherical coordinate system.
It is an unstructured grid but retains the conventional lat-lon grid cells so
that all propagation formulations on the spherical coordinates are still ap-
plicable and hence all the finite difference schemes. The SMC grid relaxes
the CFL restriction at high latitudes in a similar fashion as the reduced grid
(Rasch, 1994). Polar cells are introduced to remove the polar singularity of
the differential transport equation by switching to an integral equation. The
upstream non-oscillatory 2nd order (UNO) advection schemes (Li, 2008) is
implemented on the SMC grid for both spatial and inter-spectral propagation.
This 2nd order scheme can be replaced with a 3rd order scheme using the
PSMC namelist logical variable UNO3. The UNO3 scheme is similar to the
UQ scheme but replacing the flux limiters with the UNO 2nd order scheme.
A simple rotation scheme is used for wave refraction-induced rotation and
the great circle turning (Li, 2012). The refraction scheme is unconditionally
stable for any time step but the maximum refraction induced rotation angle
is limited by the maximum possible refraction angle towards the local gradi-
ent direction. Diffusion term similar to the Booij and Holthuijsen (1987) for
alleviation of the garden sprinkler effect is used but the diffusion coefficient
is simplified to a single homogeneous parameter (Dnn as in Eq. (3.32)). An
additional 1-2-1 weighted averaging scheme is also available by the PSMC
namelist logic variable AVERG. Reduction of computing time with this SMC
grid is significant in comparison with the conventional grid, thanks to the re-
laxed time step restriction at high latitudes and removal of land points from
the model. A remedy for the invalided scalar assumption at high latitude is
provided to extend the global wave model into the entire Arctic Ocean (Li,
2016). This Arctic part can be activated by adding the ARC switch along
side the SMC switch.
The SMC grid can be used for replacing the regular lat-lon grid so that
the model domain can be extended to high latitudes or even the North Pole
without reducing the time step. This application requires few changes to
the regular grid model except for preparing a few extra input files, including
the cell array and face array files. The cell array can be generated with the
existing regular grid bathymetry by using the sea points only and merging
cells in the longitudinal directions at a few latitude steps (Li, 2011).

9
Presently this grid is activated by a compile switch and can only be used as a stand-
alone grid. This will become a run time option in upcoming model versions.
138 WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 DRAFT

Another important use of the SMC grid is for multi-resolution grids. The
base level SMC grid cell can be refined into 4 quarterly cells by halving both
the longitude and latitude grid lengths. Any cell on this refined level can
be further divided into another 4 quarterly cells. This refinement can go on
as required, resulting in multi-resolution grids in a few refined levels. For
consistency, the single resolution SMC grid is considered to have only one
level. The normal regular grid input files, such as the water depth, land-sea
masks, and sub-grid obstruction, are no longer required, replaced with sea-
point only cell and face arrays and a sub-grid obstruction file. The water
depth is stored in the cell array in the last (5-th) column as an integer in
meter. The masks will be defined inside ww3 grid with the sea-point cell
array.
Wind and ocean current (if any) forcing can be applied using a regular
grid at the base resolution as default input forcing for any SMC grid (single
or multi-level). It will be interpolated on to the refined levels (if any) inside
the model. One option of sea-point only wind and current input for SMC grid
can be switched on by the SEAWND logical variable in the PSMC namelist.
This sea-point only option not only removes the need to interpolate the wind
(and current, if any) inside the model but also allows different resolution wind
(and current) forcings to be mixed up and interpolated to multi-resolution
cells directly, making it a truly multi-resolution model.
One important feature of the SMC grid is that it is an unstructured grid,
that is, the cells are not required to be listed side by side as in their physical
position. For the convenience of multi-resolution SMC grid, the cells are
sorted by their sizes so that cells on one given level are grouped together in
one sub-loop for a shared sub-time-step. The base level time step is halved
as the grid length for the refined level sub-step. This effectively avoids the
model to be slowed down by the refined cells due to their CFL restrictions.
Neighboring cells information for propagation schemes are provided with cell
face arrays, which are pre-calculated for the given cell array list. So there
is no need to expand the sea point only SMC grid cells onto a full grid for
propagation. Fig. 3.3 illustrates how SMC cell arrays are defined and Fig. 3.4
shows the Arctic region in a 6-12-25 km three level SMC grid. The golden
and red circles mark the global and Arctic parts in the SMC6-25 grid. The
Arctic part within the golden circle requires a fixed reference direction to
define its wave directional bins. The global part (up to the golden circle) can
be run independently without the Arctic part. The 4 rows from the red to
the golden circles are duplicated in the Arctic part as boundary cells if the
DRAFT WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 139

Figure 3.3: Illustration of cell arrays used in the SMC grid.

Arctic part is activated with the ARC option. Separate cell and face arrays
are used for the Arctic part and they are merged into the global ones within
the wave model for propagation.
Some IDL and F90 programs have been developed for generation of SMC
grid cell and face arrays and visualization of the grid mesh and wave fields
but they have not been formally included in the WW3 package yet. An
IDL program (Glob50SMCels.pro) is provided in smc docs/SMCG TKs/ to
generate a global 50km SMC grid using a 50km regular grid bathymetry
ASCII input file (G50kmBathy.dat). Face array generation is done with two
F90 programs, one for the global part (G50SGlSide.f90) and one for the
Arctic part (G50SAcSide.f90). Due to the special treatment of the polar cell
(Li, 2012), face arrays for the Arctic polar cell requires a different approach
than other cells. The cell array file has to be sorted with a simple Linux script
(countcells) before it is fed into the face array generation program. The face
arrays also need to be sorted with a Linux script (countijsd) to determine
the multi-level sub-loop counts. An independent spectral propagation test
(G50SMCSRGD.f90) can be run to test the cell and face arrays and its output
can be visualized with an IDL script, g50smstrspb.pro, which uses the saved
projection files from the SMC grid visualization program, g50smcgrids.pro.
140 WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 DRAFT

Figure 3.4: The Arctic region in a 6-12-25km multi-resolution SMC grid.

DRAFT WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 141

By modifying the projection parameters in g50smcgrids.pro, users can choose

a projection view point (in lat-lon degree) and save the projection for model
output visualization. The sub-grid obstruction file can be generated with the
idl script Glob50SMCObstr.pro.
Compilation of the SMC grid option is similar to that for the regular
lat-lon grid except for that the SMC switch is substituted for the PR2 UNO
combination switches. Note that the SMC grid is built inside the regular
lat-lon grid type so regular lat-lon grid parameters, such as NX, NY, SX, SY,
X1, and Y1, are still required for SMC grid in ww3 grid.inp file at the base
resolution level. The regular lat-lon grid water depth, land-sea masks, and
sub-grid obstruction input files are no longer required and they are replaced
with SMC grid sea point only files (depth is stored in the cell array and
subgrid obstruction in G50GObstr.dat). The depth and land-sea mask input
lines in ww3 grid.in are, however, kept for passing parameters, such as the
minimum depth. Due to the merges at high latitudes and refined resolutions
if any, regular grid mapping arrays are modified slightly for consistency with
the SMC grid cells. Refer to the regression test regtests/ww3 tp2.10 for an
example of a 3-level SMC grid model for the Lake Erie.
Output post processing for SMC grid models has been developed for
ww3 ounf and ww3 outf. For ww3 ounf the user can choose between re-
trieving multi-resolution information at native model grid sea-points, or gen-
erating regular grids at any of the resolution levels set in the model grid
definition. The ww3 outf program processes SMC grid data as either the
fully expanded regular lat-lon grid output at the base resolution level or as
ASCII output at all SMC grid sea-points (type-4). For regular grid outputs,
parameter values are determined using an area-weighted average of all SMC
grid cells overlapping the chosen output cell boundaries. Sea-point data lat-
itudes and longtitudes correspond to the native model grid cell centres. For
ww3 ounf sea-point outputs, variables describing cell sizes are also provided
in the netCDF file.
Visualization tools for sea-point outputs are not provided with this code
release; however some examples are available from the Met Office on request.
For netCDF sea-point outputs a python based GUI tool has been developed.
Visualization of the all cell ASCII output can be done with the aid of the
input cell array file because the output cell sequence is the same as the
input cell array. The IDL script g50smcswhglb.pro is an example program
to plot the global 50km SMC grid SWH output. It uses the projection files
produced by g50smcgrids.pro. Users are encouraged to develop their own
142 WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 DRAFT

grid-generating and post-processing programs in other languages.

It is recommended to read the smc docs/SMC Grid Guide.pdf or
the conference paper (Li and Saulter, 2017) at conference web page:
http://www.waveworkshop.org/15thWaves/ for more information or to con-
tact [email protected] for any help about the SMC grid.

3.4.6 The Garden Sprinkler Effect

The higher-order accurate propagation schemes are sufficiently free of nu-

merical diffusion for the so-called ‘Garden Sprinkler Effect’ (GSE) to occur,
i.e., a continuous swell field disintegrates into a set of discrete swell fields
due to the discrete description of the spectrum (Booij and Holthuijsen, 1987,
Fig. 3c). Several GSE alleviation methods are available in WAVEWATCH III,
as described in the following sections.

No GSE alleviation
Switch: PR0 / PR1
Origination: WAVEWATCH III
Provided by: H. L. Tolman

In case of no propagation (switch PR0) or for the first-order propagation

scheme in a traditional or curvilinear grid no GSE alleviation is available or
needed.
DRAFT WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 143

Booij and Holthuijsen 1987

Switch: PR2
Origination: WAVEWATCH III
Provided by: H. L. Tolman

The classical GSE alleviation method is from Booij and Holthuijsen

(1987), who derived an alternative propagation equation for the discrete spec-
trum, including a diffusive correction to account for continuous dispersion in
spite of the discrete spectral description. This correction influences spatial
propagation only, which for general spatial coordinates (x, y) becomes

   
∂N ∂ ∂N ∂ ∂N ∂ 2N
+ ẋN − Dxx + ẏN − Dyy − 2Dxy = 0 , (3.24)
∂t ∂x ∂x ∂y ∂y ∂x∂y

Dxx = Dss cos2 θ + Dnn sin2 θ , (3.25)

Dyy = Dss sin2 θ + Dnn cos2 θ , (3.26)
Dxy = (Dss − Dnn ) cos θ sin θ , (3.27)
Dss = (∆cg )2 Ts /12 , (3.28)
Dnn = (cg ∆θ)2 Ts /12 , (3.29)
where Dss is the diffusion coefficient in the propagation direction of the dis-
crete wave component, Dnn is the diffusion coefficient along the crest of the
discrete wave component and Ts is the time elapsed since the generation of
the swell. In the present fractional step method the diffusion can be added
as a separate step
   
∂N ∂ ∂N ∂ ∂N ∂ 2N
= Dxx + Dyy + 2Dxy . (3.30)
∂t ∂x ∂x ∂y ∂y ∂x∂y
This equation is incorporated with two simplifications, the justification of
which is discussed in Tolman (1995b). First, the swell ‘age’ Ts is kept con-
stant throughout the model (defined by the user, no default value available).
Secondly, the diffusion coefficients Dss and Dnn are calculated assuming deep
water
 2
σm Ts
Dss = (Xσ − 1) , (3.31)
2km 12
144 WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 DRAFT

 2
σm Ts
Dnn = ∆θ , (3.32)
2km 12
where Xσ is defined as in Eq. (3.1). With these two assumptions, the diffusion
tensor becomes constant throughout the spatial domain for each separate
spectral component.
Equation (3.30) is solved using a forward-time central-space scheme. At
the cell interface between points i and i − 1 in φ (x) space, the term in
brackets in the first term on the right side of Eq. (3.30) (denoted as Di,− ) is
estimated as
 
∂N Ni − Ni−1 
Dxx ≈ Di,− = Dxx  . (3.33)
∂x ∆x j,l,m

Corresponding values for counters i and i+1, and for gradients in λ (y) space
again are obtained by rotating indices and increments. If one of the two grid
points is located on land, Eq. (3.33) is set to zero. The mixed derivative at
the right side of Eq. (3.30) (denoted as Dij,−− ) is estimated for the grid point
i and i − 1 in x-space and j and j − 1 in y-space as

 
−Ni,j + Ni−1,j + Ni,j−1 − Ni−1,j−1 
Dij,−− = Dxy  . (3.34)
0.5(∆xj + ∆xj−1 ) ∆y 
l,m

Note that the increment ∆x is a function of y due to the use of the spherical
grid. This term is evaluated only if all four grid points considered are sea
points, otherwise it is set to zero. Using a forward in time discretization
of the first term in Eq. (3.30), and central in space discretizations for the
remainder of the first and second term on the right side, the final algorithm
becomes

n+1 n ∆t ∆t
Ni,j,l,m = Ni,j,l,m + (Di,+ − Di,− ) + (Dj,+ − Dj,− )
∆x ∆y
∆t
+ (Dij,−− + Dij,−+ + Dij,+− + Dij,++ ) . (3.35)
4
Stable solutions are obtained for (e.g., Fletcher, 1988, Part I section 7.1.1)
Dmax ∆t
≤ 0.5 , (3.36)
min(∆x, ∆y)2
DRAFT WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 145

where Dmax is the maximum value of the diffusion coefficient (typically

Dmax = Dnn ). Because this stability criterion is a quadratic function of
the grid increment, stability can become a serious problem at high latitudes
for large scale applications. To avoid this putting undue constraints on the
time step of a model, a corrected swell age Ts,c is used
(  2 )
cos(φ)
Ts,c = Ts min 1 , , (3.37)
cos(φc )
where φc is a cut-off latitude defined by the user.

The above diffusion is needed for swell propagation, but is not realistic
for growing wind seas. For wind seas, the ULTIMATE QUICKEST scheme
without the dispersion correction is sufficiently smooth to render stable fetch-
limited growth curves (Tolman, 1995b). To remove minor oscillations, a small
isotropic diffusion is used for growing wave components. To assure that this
diffusion is small and equivalent for all spectral components, it is calculated
from a preset cell Reynolds (or cell Peclet) number R = cg ∆xDg−1 = 10,
where Dg is the isotropic diffusion for growing components

cg min(∆x, ∆y)
Dg = . (3.38)
R
The diffusion for swell and for wind seas are combined using a linear com-
bination depending on the nondimensional wind speed or inverse wave age
u10 c−1 = u10 kσ −1 as
    
k u10
Xg = min 1 , max 0 , 3.3 − 2.3 , (3.39)
σ
Dss = Xg Dg + (1 − Xg )Dss,p , (3.40)
Dnn = Xg Dg + (1 − Xg )Dnn,p , (3.41)
where the suffix p denotes propagation diffusion as defined in Eqs. (3.31) and
(3.32). The constants in Eqs (3.38) and (3.39) are preset in the model.
146 WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 DRAFT

Spatial averaging
Switch: PR3
Origination: WAVEWATCH III
Provided by: H. L. Tolman

The major drawback of the above GSE alleviation method is its potential
impact on model economy as discussed in relation to Eq. (3.36) and in Tolman
(2001, 2002a). For this reason, an alternative additional GSE alleviation
method has been developed for WAVEWATCH III.
This method which represents the default for WAVEWATCH III, replaces
the additional diffusion step (3.30) with a separate fractional step in which
direct averaging of the field of energy densities for a given spectral component
is considered. The area around each grid point over which the averaging is
performed extends in the propagation (s) and normal (n) directions as

± γa,s ∆cg ∆t s , ±γa,n cg ∆θ ∆t n , (3.42)

where γa,s and γa,n are tunable constants, the default value of which is
set to 1.5. This averaging is illustrated in Fig. 3.5. Note that these val-
ues may require some retuning for practical applications, as discussed in
Tolman (2002a). Appendix A of the latter paper presents details of the av-
eraging scheme, including conservation considerations. Consistency with the
Booij and Holthuijsen (1987) approach furthermore implies that γa,s and γa,n
should vary with the spatial grid resolution (see Chawla and Tolman, 2008,
Appendix).
Note that this kind of averaging with dominant directions s and n is
similar to the Booij and Holthuijsen (1987) diffusion method, that uses the
same main directions. The averaging method, however, never influences the
time step, because it is completely separated from the actual propagation.
Moreover, if explicit schemes are used with typically cg ∆t/∆x < 1, it is
obvious that the averaging over the area as defined in (3.42) will generally
require information at directly neighboring spatial grid points only, as in
Fig. 3.5. Furthermore, this method does not require high-latitude filtering.
As is illustrated in Tolman (2002a,d), this method gives virtually identical
results as the previous method, but does so at slightly lower costs. For high-
resolution applications, the averaging method may become dramatically more
economical.
DRAFT WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 147

Figure 3.5: Schematic of spatial averaging GSE alleviation technique. Solid

circles and dotted lines represent the spatial grid. Hatched area represent
averaging area to be considered. Corner point values are obtained from the
central grid point and the gray points. The latter values are obtained by
interpolation from adjacent grid points (from Tolman, 2002a).

Finally, the GSE can be alleviated somewhat by assuring that the dis-
crete spectral directions do not coincide with spatial grid lines. This can be
achieved by defining the first discrete direction θ1 as

θ1 = αθ ∆θ , (3.43)
where −0.5 ≤ αθ ≤ 0.5 can be defined by the user. Note that setting α 6= 0
is beneficial to the first-order scheme, but has negligible impact on the third-
order scheme.
148 WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 DRAFT

3.4.7 Unresolved obstacles

Origination: WAVEWATCH III
Provided by: H. L. Tolman, L. Mentaschi

Even at the time of the original tuning of WAVEWATCH III version 1.15
(Tolman, 2002f), it was clear that unresolved islands groups are a major
source of local wave model errors. This was illustrated in some more de-
tail in Tolman (2001, Fig. 3), and Tolman et al. (2002, Fig. 8). In WAVE-
WATCH III, two approaches are available for the parameterization of un-
resolved obstacles. The first, originally from SWAN (Booij et al., 1999;
Holthuijsen et al., 2001), applies the effects of unresolved obstacles at the
cell boundaries of the spatial grid within the numerical scheme, and is estab-
lished for regular grids. The second approach, proposed by (Mentaschi et al.,
2015b), is based on source terms, and can be applied to different types of
mesh. In this section the first approach is presented, while for a description
of the second approach the reader is referred to section 2.3.20.
In the propagation-based approach, the numerical fluxes between cells
through their common boundary are suppressed according to the degree of
obstruction provided by the unresolved obstacle. In this approach, the numer-
ical propagation scheme of the ULTIMATE QUICKEST scheme of Eq. (3.23)
is modified as

n+1 n ∆t
Ni,j,l,m = Ni,j,l,m + [αi,− Fi,− − αi,+ Fi,+ ] , (3.44)
∆φ
where αi,− and αi,+ are ‘transmissions’ of the corresponding cell boundaries,
ranging from 0 (closed boundary) to 1 (no obstructions). For outflow bound-
aries, transparencies by definition are 1, otherwise energy will artificially
accumulate in cells. For inflow boundaries, transparencies less than 1 result
in elimination of obstructed energy at the cell boundary. This approach is
illustrated in Fig. 3.6. Note that a similar approach is easily adopted in the
first- and second-order schemes. Note, furthermore, that an alternate ob-
struction approach with obstructions as a function of the spectral direction
θ has been used by Hardy and Young (1996) and Hardy et al. (2000).
Two methods for defining the obstructions are available in the model. The
first defines the obstructions directly at the grid boundary. This requires the
generation of staggered depth-transparency grids. The second allows the
user to define depths and transparencies at the same grid. In this case, the
DRAFT WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 149

Flux F out of cell i

cell i cell i+1

Flux αF into cell i +1

Figure 3.6: Treatment of unresolved obstacles. Common cell boundary (dot-

ted line) has transparency α. Dashed lines represent other cell boundaries.
Numerical flux from left to right.

transparency at the inflow boundary becomes 0.5(1 + αi ), and the outflow

transparency by definition is 1. To complete the total transparency αi , the
next cell in the flow direction will have an inflow transparency 2αi /(1 +
αi ). If consecutive cells are partially obstructed, the product of individual
transparencies is applied.
This approach can also be used to continuously model the effects of ice
coverage on wave propagation. This is discussed in Section 3.8. Details of
the sub-grid treatment of islands and ice can be found in Tolman (2003b). A
study of impacts of this approach in large-scale wave models is presented in
Tolman (2002d, 2003b).
The default setting of WAVEWATCH III is to not include sub-grid mod-
eling of obstacles. Generating obstruction grids can be labor intensive. For
this reason, an automated approach for generating bottom and obstruction
grids was developed by Chawla and Tolman (2007, 2008). Note that this
option does not involve compile-level choices, but is entirely controlled from
the grid preprocessor (see Chapter 4).

3.4.8 Continuously moving grids

Switch: MGx
Origination: WAVEWATCH III
Provided by: H. L. Tolman

In order to address wave growth issues in rapidly changing, small scale

150 WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 DRAFT

conditions such as hurricanes, an option to add a given continuous advection

speed to the grid has been added to the model in model version 3.02. This
model version is described in detail in Tolman and Alves (2005). Here, only
a cursory description is given.

WARNING
The continuously moving grid version of WAVEWATCH III is only
intended for testing wave model properties in highly-idealized con-
ditions. This model version should only be used for deep water
without mean currents and land masses. Furthermore, to avoid
complications with great circle propagation, only a Cartesian grid
should be used. The option is furthermore implemented only for
propagation options pr1 and pr3. Note that this is not checked
in the scripts or programs at either the compile or run time level.
This option is not considered to be for general application.

WARNING

For the above described application Eq. (2.8) can be written as

∂N S
+ (ẋ − vg ) · ∇x N = , (3.45)
∂t σ
where vg represents the advection velocity of the grid. This option is selected
when compiling the model. A second compile level option allows for adding
the grid advection velocity vg to the wind field. This allows for a simple
method to assure mass conservation of a wind field independent of the actual
and instantaneous grid advection velocity. The advection velocity vg can vary
in time and is provided by the user at the run time of the model (see below).
For the simplified conditions for which Eq. (3.45) is valid, the implemen-
tation of the moving grids is trivial if it is considered that this equation is
equivalent to
∂N S
+ ∇x · (ẋ − vg ) N = , (3.46)
∂t σ
which in turn implies that the advection velocity vg can be added directly to
ẋ for arbitrary numerical schemes solving Eq. (2.8). Because this influences
the net advection velocity, it also influences stability characteristics. This
impact has been accounted for automatically by including the moving grid
DRAFT WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 151

velocity in the calculation of the actual propagation time step in Eq (3.4).

Hence, the user need to provide a proper maximum propagation time step
representative for vg = 0 only.
The motion of the grid has an apparent influence on the Garden Sprinkler
Effect (GSE), due to the different retention time in the grid of spectral com-
ponents with identical frequency but different propagation direction. Current
GSE alleviation methods tend to be more efficient for younger swells than
for older swells. Hence, swells with longer retention time in the moving grid
tend to show a more pronounced GSE (see Tolman and Alves, 2005). To
mitigate this apparent imbalance in GSE alleviation, Eq. (3.42) is replaced
with

± γa γa,s ∆cg ∆t s , ±γa γa,n cg ∆θ ∆t n , (3.47)

 p
|ẋ|
γa = (3.48)
|ẋ − vg |
where γa is a correction factor accounting for the grid movement, and where
the power p is a parameter allows for some tuning. With this modification,
the effects of the GSE can be distributed more evenly over the grid by rescal-
ing the amount of smoothing applied with the expected residence time of
corresponding spectral component in the moving grid (see Tolman and Alves,
2005).
To switch on the moving grid option or the corrections of the wind field
or GSE, three optional switches are added to the WAVEWATCH III source
code (also see, Section 5.9:

mgp Apply advection correction for continuous moving grid.

mgw Apply wind correction for continuous moving grid.
mgg Apply GSE alleviation for continuous moving grid.

The advection velocity and direction is input to the shell similar to the input
of homogeneous currents (see bottom of file ww3 shel.inp in Section 4.4.10),
exchanging the keyword ‘CUR’ with ‘MOV’. The advection velocity can be
changed in time like all homogeneous input fields. An example of run-
ning with a moving grid model is given in test case ww3 ts3. A similar
capability exist in ww3 multi.inp in Section 4.4.12, and is tested in test case
mww3 test 05.
152 WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 DRAFT

3.4.9 Rotated grids

Switch: RTD
Origination: WAVEWATCH III (MetOffice)
Provided by: J.-G. Li

The rotated grid is a latitude-longitude (lat-lon) grid and is obtained by

rotating the North Pole to a new position at latitude φp and longitude λp
in the standard latitude-longitude system. The new pole position is chosen
so that the model domain of interest may be placed around the rotated
equatorial area for a evenly-spaced lat-lon mesh. For this reason the rotated
grid is also known as Equatorial grid. For instance, the North Atlantic and
European wave (NAEW) model used in the UK Met Office uses a rotated
pole at 37.5N, 177.5E so that London, UK (˜51.5N 0.0E) is almost on the
rotated equator. This rotated grid allows a much more evenly spaced lat-lon
mesh in the NAEW domain than the standard lat-lon grid in the same area.
In WAVEWATCH III the rotated grid is implemented with minimum
changes to the original lat-lon grid. In fact, the rotated grid is treated just
like the standard lat-lon grid inside the model. To set up and run a rotated
grid model configuration, users should choose the regular lat-lon grid along
with the RTD switch. The rotated pole position is set using the PLAT and PLON
variables in the ww3 grid.inp namelist ROTD. Model input files, like wind,
current and ice files should be mapped on to the rotated grid. For convenience
of nesting in standard lat-lon grid frameworks, boundary conditions provided
to and output from the rotated grid use spectra referenced to a standard
grid north and standard lat-lon grid points values, which are converted into
rotated grid lat-lon inside WAVEWATCH IIIṪhe list of 2D spectral output
locations in ww3 shel.inp are also specified in standard lat-lon.
Model directional and x-y vector outputs can be converted to a standard
grid north reference by setting the UNROT variable in the ww3 grid.inp
namelist ROTD to True. With this set, for point outputs lat-lon locations
all directional values such as wind direction, current direction and 2D spec-
tra are converted into standard lat-lon orientation. Functions to de-rotate
gridded fields are applied in ww3 ounf, ww3 outf and ww3 grib. When
running ww3 ounf and ww3 ounp, the resulting netCDF files will include
a variable attribute direction reference, which describes whether a standard
(True North) or rotated grid directional reference frame has been used. Grid-
ded netCDF files generated by ww3 ounf also include standard latitude and
DRAFT WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 153

standard longitude two-dimensional arrays that describe location of the ro-

tated model cell centres in the standard lat-lon reference frame.
Six subroutines are provided in module w3servmd.ftn for rotated grid
conversion:

w3spectn Turns wave spectrum anti-clockwise by AnglD

w3acturn Turns wave action(k,nth) anti-clockwise by AnglD
w3thrtn Turns direction parameters anti-clockwise by AnglD
w3xyrtn Turns x-y vector parameters anti-clockwise by AnglD
w3lltoeq Convert standard into rotated lat/lon plus AnglD
w3eqtoll Reverse of w3lltoeq, but AnglD unchanged

These subroutines are self-contained and can be extracted outside the model
for pre- or post-processing of rotated grid files. Some conversion tools have
been developed based on these subroutines but have not been included in
WAVEWATCH III yet. Refer to the regression test regtests/ww3 tp2.11
for an example of a rotated grid model (NAEW). Users may find more
information in smc docs/Rotated Grid.pdf or contact Jian-Guo Li for help
([email protected]).

3.5 Intra-spectral propagation

3.5.1 General concepts

The third step of the numerical fractional step algorithm considers refraction
and residual (current-induced) wavenumber shifts. Irrespective of the spatial
grid discretization and coordinate system, the equation to be solved in this
step becomes

∂N ∂ ∂
+ k̇g N + θ̇g N = 0 , (3.49)
∂t ∂k ∂θ
∂σ U · ∇x d ∂U
k̇g = −k· , (3.50)
∂d cg ∂s
where k̇g is the wavenumber velocity relative to the grid, and θ̇g is given by
(2.15) and (2.11). This equation does not require boundary conditions in
θ-space, as the model by definition uses the full (closed) directional space. In
154 WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 DRAFT

k-space, however, boundary conditions are required. At low wavenumbers,

it is assumed that no wave action exists outside the discrete domain. It
is therefore assumed that no action enters the model at the discrete low-
wavenumber boundary. At the high-wavenumber boundary, transport across
the discrete boundary is calculated assuming a parametric spectral shape as
given by Eq. (2.18). The derivatives of the depth as needed in the evaluation
of θ̇ are mostly determined using central differences. For points next to land,
however, one-sided differences using sea points only are used.
Propagation in θ-space can cause practical problems in an explicit numer-
ical scheme, as the refraction velocity can become extreme for long waves
in extremely shallow water or due to strong current shears. Similarly, the
propagation in k-space suffers from similar problems in very shallow water.
To avoid the need of extremely small time steps due to refraction, the prop-
agation velocities in θ-space and k-space (2.11) are filtered,

 
θ̇ = Xrd (λ, φ, k) θ˙d + θ˙c + θ˙g , (3.51)

where the indices d, c and g refer to the depth, current and great-circle related
fraction of the refraction velocity in (2.11). The filter factor Xrd is calculated
for every wavenumber and location separately, and is determined so that the
CFL number for propagation in θ-space due to the depth refraction term
cannot exceed a pre-set (user defined) value (default 0.7). This corresponds
to a reduction of the bottom slope for some low frequency wave components.
For mid-latitudes, the affected components are expected to carry little energy
because they are in extremely shallow water. Long wave components carrying
significant energy are usually traveling toward the coast, where their energy
is dissipated anyway. This filtering is also important for short waves, and
close to the pole. The effect of this filter can be tested by reducing the
time steps for intraspectral refraction and by looking at the maximum CFL
numbers in the output of the model. These are computed just before the
filter is applied.
The spectral space is always discretized with constants directional incre-
ments and a logarithmic frequency grid (3.1) to accommodate computations
of the nonlinear interaction Snl . First, second and third orders schemes are
available, and are presented in the following sections.
DRAFT WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 155

3.5.2 First-order scheme

Switch: PR1
Origination: WAVEWATCH III
Provided by: H. L. Tolman

In the first order scheme the fluxes in θ- and k-space are calculated using
Eqs. (3.6) through (3.8) (replacing N with N and rotating the appropriate
counters). The complete first order scheme becomes

n+1 n ∆t ∆t
Ni,j,l,m = Ni,j,l,m + [Fl,− − Fl,+ ] + [Fm,− − Fm,+ ] , (3.52)
∆θ ∆km

where ∆φ is the directional increment, and ∆km is the (local) wavenumber

increment. The low-wavenumber boundary conditions is applied by taking
Fm,− = 0 for m = 1, and the high wavenumber boundary condition is calcu-
lated using the parametric approximation (2.18) for N , extending the discrete
grid by one grid point to high wavenumbers.

3.5.3 Second-order scheme (UNO)

Switch: UNO
Origination: Met Office
Provided by: J.-G. Li

The UNO scheme for the directional θ-space is identical to the regular grid
one assuming that the directional bins are regularly spaced. For the k -space,
however, the UNO scheme uses its irregular version, which uses local gradi-
ents instead of differences to estimate wave action value at the mid-flux point
for the cell face between spectral bin i -1 and i, that is:
 
∆kc − |k̇i− |∆t  
∗ Nu − Nc Nc − Nd
Ni− = Nc + sign (Nd − Nc ) min | |, | | ,
2 ku − kc kc − kd
(3.53)
where i - is the wave number k bin index; the subscripts u, c and d indicate
the upstream, central and downstream cells, respectively, relative to the given
156 WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 DRAFT

i - face velocity k̇i− ; kc is the central bin wave number and ∆kc is the central
bin widith. Details of the irregular grid UNO scheme are given in Li (2008).
Boundary conditions for the θ-space is the natural periodic condition. For
the k -space, two more zero spectral bins are added to each end of the wave
spectral domain as the UNO scheme is 2nd order in accuracy.

3.5.4 Third-order scheme (UQ)

Switch: UQ
Origination: WAVEWATCH III
Provided by: H. L. Tolman

The ULTIMATE QUICKEST scheme for the θ-space is implemented similar

to the scheme for physical space, with the exception that the closed direction
space does not require boundary conditions. The variable grid spacing in
k-space requires some modifications to the scheme as outlined by (Leonard,
1979, Appendix). Equations (3.12) through (3.16) then become
h in
Fm,− = k̇g,b Nb , (3.54)
i,j,l
 
k̇g,b = 0.5 k̇g,m−1 + k̇g,m , (3.55)
1h i 1 − C2 2
Nb = (1 + C)Ni−1 + (1 − C)Ni − CU ∆km−1/2 , (3.56)
2 6
 h i
 1 Nm −Nm−1
− Nm−1 −Nm−2
for k̇b ≥ 0
∆km−1
CU = h ∆km−1/2 ∆km,−3/2
i , (3.57)
 1 Nm+1 −Nm
− Nm −Nm−1
for k̇b < 0
∆km ∆km+1/2 ∆km−1/2

k̇g,b ∆t
C= , (3.58)
∆km−1/2
where ∆km is the discrete band or cell width at grid point m, and where
∆km−1/2 is the distance between grid points with counters m and m − 1.
The ULTIMATE limiter can be applied as in Eqs. (3.17) through (3.20), if
the CFL number of Eq. (3.58) is used. At the low- and high-wavenumber
boundaries the fluxes again are estimated using a first-order upwind approach,
with boundary conditions as above defined for the first-order scheme. The
final scheme in k-space becomes
DRAFT WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 157

n+1 n ∆t
Ni,j,l,m = Ni,j,l,m + [Fm,− − Fm,+ ] , (3.59)
∆km

3.6 Non-ice source term integration

The source terms not involving ice are accounted for by solving

∂N
= Sno ice . (3.60)
∂t
As in WAM, a semi-implicit integration scheme is used. In this scheme the
discrete change of action density ∆N becomes (WAMDIG, 1988)

S(k, θ)
∆N (k, θ) = , (3.61)
1 − ǫD(k, θ)∆t
where D represents the diagonal terms of the derivative of S with respect
to N (WAMDIG, 1988, Eqs. 4.1 through 4.10), and where ǫ defines the
offset of the scheme. Originally, ǫ = 0.5 was implemented to obtain a second-
order accurate scheme. Presently, ǫ = 1 is used because it is more appro-
priate for the large time steps in the equilibrium range of the spectrum
(Hargreaves and Annan, 1998, 2001) and it results in much smoother inte-
gration of the spectrum. The change of ǫ has little impact on mean wave
parameters, but makes the dynamical time stepping as described below more
economical.
The semi-implicit scheme is applied in the framework of a dynamic time-
stepping scheme (Tolman, 1992). In this scheme, integration over the global
time step ∆tg can be performed in several dynamic time steps ∆td , depending
on the net source term S, a maximum change of action density ∆Nm and
the remaining time in the interval ∆tg . For the nth dynamic time step in the
integration over the interval ∆tg , ∆tnd is calculated in three steps as
"  −1 #
∆N m ∆N m
∆tnd = min 1 + ǫD , (3.62)
f <fhf |S| |S|

∆tnd = max [ ∆tnd , ∆td,min ] , (3.63)

158 WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 DRAFT

" n−1
#
X
∆tnd = min ∆tnd , ∆tg − ∆tid , (3.64)
i=1

where ∆tmin is a user-defined minimum time step, which is added to avoid

excessively small time steps. The corresponding new spectrum N n becomes
  
n n−1 S∆td
N = max 0 , N + . (3.65)
1 − ǫD∆td
The maximum change of action density ∆Nm is determined from a para-
metric change of action density ∆Np and a filtered relative change ∆Nr

∆Nm (k, θ) = min [ ∆Np (k, θ) , ∆Nr (k, θ) ] , (3.66)

α (2π)4 1
∆Np (k, θ) = Xp , (3.67)
π g 2 σk 3
∆Nr (k, θ) = Xr max [ N (k, θ) , Nf ] , (3.68)
 
Nf = max ∆Np (kmax , θ) , Xf max {N (k, θ)} , (3.69)
∀k,θ

where Xp , Xr and Xf are user-defined constants (see Table 3.1), α is a pm

spectrum energy level (set to α = 0.62 × 10−4 ) and kmax is the maximum
discrete wavenumber. The parametric spectral shape in (3.67) corresponds
in deep water to the well-known high-frequency shape of the one-dimensional
frequency spectrum F (f ) ∝ f −5 . The link between the filter level and the
maximum parametric change in (3.69) is used to assure that the dynamic
time step remains reasonably large in cases with extremely small wave ener-
gies. A final safeguard for stability of integration is provided by limiting the
discrete change of action density to the maximum parametric change (3.67)
in conditions where Eq. (3.63) dictates ∆tnd . In this case Eq. (3.63) becomes
a limiter as in the WAM model. Impacts of limiters are discussed in detail
in for instance Hersbach and Janssen (1999, 2001), Hargreaves and Annan
(2001) and Tolman (2002c).
The dynamic time step is calculated for each grid point separately, adding
additional computational effort only for grid points in which the spectrum
is subject to rapid change. The source terms are re-calculated for every
dynamic time step.
It is possible to compile WAVEWATCH III without using a linear growth
term. In such a case, waves can only grow if some energy is present in
DRAFT WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 159

Xp Xr Xf ∆td,min
π
WAM equivalent 24
10−3 ∆t ∞(≥ 1) – ∆tg
suggested 0.1-0.2 0.1-0.2 0.05 ≈ 0.1∆tg
default setting 0.15 0.10 0.05 –

Table 3.1: User-defined parameters in the source term integration scheme

the spectrum. In small-scale applications with persistent low wind speeds,

wave energy might disappear completely from part of the model. To assure
that wave growth can occur when the wind increases, a so-called seeding
option is available in WAVEWATCH III (selected during compilation). If the
seeding option is selected, the energy level at the seeding frequency σseed =
min(σmax , 2πfhf ) is required to at least contain a minimum action density

1  
Nmin (kseed , θ) = 6.25 × 10−4 3 max 0. , cos2 (θ − θw )
kseed σseed
  
|u10 |
min 1 , max 0 , −1 − 1 , (3.70)
Xseed gσseed
−1
where gσseed approximates the equilibrium wind speed for the highest discrete
spectral frequency. This minimum action distribution is aligned with the
wind direction, goes to zero for low wind speeds, and is proportional to the
integration limiter (3.67) for large wind speeds. Xseed ≥ 1 is a user-defined
parameter to shift seeding to higher frequencies. Seeding starts if the wind
speed reaches Xseed times the equilibrium wind speed for the highest discrete
frequency, and reaches its full strength for twice as high wind speeds. The
default model settings include the seeding algorithm, with Xseed = 1.
In model version 3.11, surf-zone physics parameterizations have been in-
troduced. Such physics, particularly depth-induced breaking, operate on
much smaller time scales than deep water and limited-depth physics outside
the surf zone. To assure reasonable behavior for larger time steps, an addi-
tional optional limiter has been adopted from the SWAN model, which can
be used instead of modeling surf-breaking explicitly. This limiter is similar
to the Miche style maximum wave height in the depth-limited wave breaking
source term of Eq. (2.166). In this limiter, the maximum wave energy Em is
computed as
160 WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 DRAFT

1
Em = [γlim tanh(k̄d)/k̄]2 , (3.71)
16

where γlim is a factor comparable to γM in Eq. (2.166), with the caveat that
γM is representative for an individual wave, whereas γlim is representative
for the significant wave height. For monochromatic waves, the original ex-
pression by Miche (1944) would correspond to γlim = 0.94 and replacing Hs
by the height H of the waves. Here this idea is applied to random waves.
In shallow water, this limits Hs to be less than γlim d. If the total spectral
energy E is larger than the maximum energy Em , the limiter is applied by
simply rescaling the spectrum by the factor E/Em , loosely following the ar-
gumentation from Eldeberky and Battjes (1996) and used in Section 2.3.17.
This limiter can be switched on or off in the compilation of the model, and
γlim can be adjusted by the user. The default is set to γlim = 1.6 because
Hrms values close to d have indeed been recorded and thus taking a ratio
Hs /Hrms of 1.4, using 1.6 allows this large steepness to be exceeded by some
margin. Note that this limiter should be used as a ‘safety valve’ only, and
hence that it should be less strict than the breaking criterion in the surf-
breaking or whitecapping source terms, if these source terms are modeled
explicitly.
Also, this limiter does not guarantee that all parts of the spectrum are
realistic. Indeed, the use of a mean wavenumber, as in the Komen et al.
dissipation, makes it possible to have unrealistically steep short waves in
the presence of swell. A future extension of this limiter could be to limit the
steepness with a partial spectral integration in frequencies, to make sure that
waves of all scales are indeed not too steep.

3.7 Ice source terms integration

Because the attenuation and scattering in the ice can be very strong (al-
though they are linear), it is convenient to perform a separate integration of
the ice terms Sice = Sid + Sis . This combines a dissipation term

Sid /σ = βid N, (3.72)

DRAFT WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 161

and a scattering term which is of the form

Z 2π
Sis (k, θ)
= βis [N (k, θ′ ) − N (k, θ)]dθ′ , (3.73)
σ 0

in which the scattering coefficient βis is a priori a function of the difference in

direction between incident θ′ and scattered θ directions, as well as the shape
of ice floes. In general the directional spectrum N (k, .) is a vector with NTH
(number of directions) components, and the source term is a vector of the
same size given by the matrix product S/σ = M N (k, .) where M is a positive
symmetric square NTH by NTH matrix with components given from the
βid values. The matrix M is easily diagonalized as

M = V DV T , (3.74)

where D is a diagonal matrix containing all eigenvalues and V is the array

of eigenvectors, and V T is its transpose. As a result the split wave action
equation for ice source terms
∂ N Sid
= , (3.75)
∂t cg σcg
can be rewritten for the action Ni of each eigenvector Vi with eigenvalue λi
as
∂ Ni βid + λi
= Ni , (3.76)
∂t cg σcg
which has the following exact solution

Ni (t + ∆tg ) = Ni (t) exp [(βid + λi ) + ∆tg ] . (3.77)

In all cases the eigenvector corresponding to an isotropic spectrum has

an eigenvalue λ = βid . In the case of an isotropic back-scatter, the other
eigenvalues are all equal to (βid + βis ). This decomposition over the two
eigenspaces simplifies the solution to
 
N (t + ∆tg ) = exp(βid ∆tg )N (t) + exp [(βid + βis ) ∆tg ] N (t) − N (t) , (3.78)

where N is the average over all directions. As a result, for a spatially homo-
geneous field, the spectrum exponentially tends to isotropy over a time scale
1/(βid ).
162 WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 DRAFT

3.8 Simple ice blocking (IC0)

Switch: IC0
Origination: WAVEWATCH III
Provided by: H. L. Tolman

Ice covered sea is considered as ‘land’ in WAVEWATCH III, assuming zero

wave energy and boundary conditions at ice edges are identical to boundary
conditions at shore lines. Grid points are taken out of the calculation if
the ice concentration becomes larger than a user-defined concentration. If
the ice concentration drops below its critical value, the corresponding grid
point is ‘re-activated’. The spectrum is then initialized with a PM spectrum
based on the local wind direction with a peak frequency corresponding to
the second-highest discrete frequency in the grid. A low energy spectrum is
used to assure that spectra are realistic, even for shallow coastal points.
The above discontinuous ice treatment represents the default model set-
ting in WAVEWATCH III. In the framework of the modeling of unresolved
obstacles as discussed in Section 3.4.7, a continuous method is also available,
as given by Tolman (2003b). In this method, a user-defined critical ice con-
centration at which obstruction begins (ǫc,0 ) and is complete (ǫc,n ) are given
(defaults are ǫc,0 = ǫc,n = 0.5, i.e., discontinuous treatment of ice). From these
critical concentrations, corresponding decay length scales are calculated as

l0 = ǫc,0 min(∆x, ∆y), (3.79)

ln = ǫc,n min(∆x, ∆y), (3.80)
from which cell transmissions in x and y (αx and αy , respectively) are calcu-
lated as

 
 1 for ǫ∆x < l0  1 for ǫ∆y < l0
αx = 0 for ǫ∆x > ln , αy = 0 for ǫ∆y > ln . (3.81)
 ln −ǫ∆x  ln −ǫ∆y
ln −l0
otherwise ln −l0
otherwise

Details of this model can be found in Tolman (2003b).

Updating of the ice map within the model takes place at the discrete
model time approximately half way in between the valid times of the old and
new ice maps. The map will not be updated, if the time stamps of both ice
fields are identical.
DRAFT WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 163

The above description pertains to the switch IC0. Note that either ice
transmissions for propagation (IC0), or ice as a source term can be used (IC1,
IC2, IC3), but not both approaches at the same time.

3.9 Winds and currents

Model input mainly consists of wind and current fields. Within the model,
winds and currents are updated at every time step ∆tg and represent values
at the end of the time step considered. Several interpolation methods are
available (selected during compilation). By default, the interpolation in time
consists of a linear interpolation of the velocity and the direction (turning the
wind or current over the smallest angle). The wind speed or current velocity
can optionally be corrected to (approximately) conserve the energy instead
of the wind velocity. The corresponding correction factor Xu is calculated as
 
u10,rms
Xu = max 1.25 , , (3.82)
u10,l
where u10,l is the linearly interpolated velocity and u10,rms is the rms interpo-
lated velocity. Finally, winds can optionally be kept constant and changed
discontinuously (option not available for current).
Note that the auxiliary programs of WAVEWATCH III include a program
to pre-process input fields (see Section 4.4.7). This program transfers gridded
fields to the grid of the wave model. For winds and currents this program
utilizes a bilinear interpolation of vector components. This interpolation can
be corrected to (approximately) conserve the velocity or the energy of the
wind or the current by utilizing a correction factor similar to Eq. (3.82).

3.10 Use of tidal analysis

Origination: WAVEWATCH III
Provided by: F. Ardhuin

In order to reduce the volume of input files, the water levels and currents can
be defined by their tidal amplitudes and phases. This is made possible by
164 WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 DRAFT

using the TIDE switch which activates the detection of the needed information
in current.ww3 and level.ww3 files. The tidal analysis can be performed
from NetCDF current or water level files, using the ww3 prnc preprocessing
program. In that case the analysis method uses the flexible tide analysis
package by Foreman et al. (2009). The precomputed tidal constituents can
be used at run time by ww3 shel.
However, that method may not be very efficient due to the large memory
required to store a large number of tidal constituents because, like other forc-
ing parameters, they are not decomposed across processors: each processor
stores the full spatial grid of forcing parameters. To avoid this, the tidal
constituents can be used to generated time series with the tidal prediction
program ww3 prtide, which produces the usual current.ww3 or level.ww3 files.
The choice of tidal constituents for the analysis and prediction are speci-
fied in the input files for ww3 prnc and ww3 prtide. Two short-cuts are defined.
VFAST is the following selection of 20 components, Z0 (mean), SSA, MSM,
MSF, MF, 2N2, MU2, N2, NU2, M2, S2, K2, MSN2, MN4, M4, MS4, S4,
M6, 2MS6, and M8. When using ww3 shel to do the tidal prediction, the
time step for currents or water is set to 1800 s.
In ww3 prtide, there is also a quality check on the values of the tidal
constituents that is performed: unrealistically large values of the amplitudes
for some constituents can be defined in ww3 prtide.inp. For model grid points
where these are exceeded, all components are set to zero, except for UNST
grids, in which the neighbors are searched to provide a reasonable value and
avoid strong gradients.

3.11 Wave crest and height space-time extremes

Origination: WAVEWATCH III(ISMAR, NCEP)
Provided by: Barbariol, F., Benetazzo, A., Alves, J.H.G.M.

Space-Time (ST) extreme waves are modeled in WAVEWATCH III based

on the Euler Characteristics (EC) approach, which states that for a given
multi-dimensional (2-D space + time), statistically homogeneous and sta-
tionary Gaussian random wave field, the probability of exceedance of the
maximal sea surface elevation is approximated by means of the mean value
of the EC (Fedele et al., 2012). The ST extreme elevation model used here
DRAFT WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 165

was formulated by Fedele (2012) for Gaussian sea waves, and extended to
second-order nonlinear spatial wave fields by Fedele et al. (2013) and spatio-
temporal fields by Benetazzo et al. (2015). The proposed ST extreme lin-
ear model was assessed with numerical simulations (Barbariol et al., 2015,
2016), while the extension to second-order nonlinear waves was verified us-
ing stereo imaging (Fedele et al., 2013; Benetazzo et al., 2015). According
to those models, the probability of exceedance of the second-order nonlinear
ST maximal crest height η2STm is approximated (for large threshold z2 with
respect to the standard deviation of the surface elevation σ) as:
  z 2 z    
1 1 z12
P (η2STm > z2 ) ≈ N3D + N2D + N1D exp − 2 , (3.83)
σ σ 2σ
where the nonlinear threshold z2 is related to its linear approximation z1 via
the Tayfun quadratic equation using the steepness parameter µ, strictly valid
in deep waters, which accounts for bandwidth effects. Parameters N3D , N2D ,
and N1D express the average number of 3D, 2D, and 1D waves within the
ST region, respectively, and are determined from the moments mijl of the
directional wave spectrum S(k, θ) defined as follows:
Z
mijl = kxi kyj ω l S(k, θ)dkdθ. (3.84)

The average number of waves in Eq. (3.83) also depends on the size
of the spatio-temporal domain, namely the spatial dimension X along the
mean direction of wave propagation, the spatial dimension Y orthogonal to
the mean direction of wave propagation, and the duration D. The expected
value η̄2STm (output parameter STMAXE, in meters) of the random variable
η2STm is given by

η̄2STm = E {η2STm } =
"  −1 #
µ 2 2N3D h1 + N2D
σ (h1 + h1 ) + γ h1 − (1 + µh1 ) , (3.85)
2 N3D h21 + N2D h1 + N1D

where γ ≈ 0.5772 is the Euler-Mascheroni constant, and h1 is the dimen-

sionless (with respect to the standard deviation σ) most probable (mode)
extreme value, which is the largest solution of the implicit equation in h
 2
 2
 h
N3D h + N2D h + N1D exp − = 1. (3.86)
2
166 WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 DRAFT

The standard deviation σ2m (output parameter STMAXD, in meters)

of the crest height η2STm is given by:
 −1
π 2N3D h1 + N2D
σ2m = std(η2STm ) = σ √ h1 − (1 + µh1 ).
6 N3D h21 + N2D h1 + N1D
(3.87)
The expected value of the ST extreme crest-to-trough wave height is
obtained using the Quasi-Determinism (QD) model, which predicts the mean
shape of ST wave groups close to the apex of their development. According to
the QD model the expected value of the crest-to-trough height H̄1cm (output
parameter HCMAXE, in meters) of the wave with linear extreme crest
height η̄1STm is expressed as

H̄1cm = E {H1cm } = η̄1STm (1 − ψ1∗ /σ 2 ), (3.88)

where ψ1∗ < 0 is the value of the first minimum of the temporal autocovariance
function computed from the spectrum as
Z
ψ1 (τ ) = S(ω) cos (ωτ )dω, (3.89)

and η̄1STm ψ1∗ /σ 2 < 0 is the expected displacement of the wave trough pre-
ceding or following the expected linear extreme crest height η̄1STm , which is
computed using Eq. (3.85) after letting the wave steepness µ = 0. For a
given linear group, the height H̄1cm is generally smaller than the maximum
expected wave height H̄1m (output parameter HMAXE, in meters), which
is computed as
p
H̄1m = E {H1m } = η̄1STm 2(1 − ψ1∗ /σ 2 ). (3.90)

The effect on wave heights of second-order nonlinearities is generally small,

particularly in narrow band seas, and it will be neglected in the present im-
plementation to reduce the computational cost. Uncertainty of estimates of
H̄1cm (output parameter HCMAXD, in meters) and H̄1m (output parameter
HMAXD, in meters) are determined using the standard deviation of η1STm
(σ1m , which is computed using Eq. (3.87) after letting the wave steepness
µ = 0) as follows:
p
std(H1m ) = σ1m 2(1 − ψ1∗ /σ 2 ),
std(H1cm ) = σ1m (1 − ψ1∗ /σ 2 ). (3.91)
DRAFT WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 167

To activate the computation of wave crest and height space-time extremes

in WAVEWATCH III, the user has to specify values of the MISC namelist
parameters STDX, STDY and STDT in ww3 grid.inp different to -1 (the latter is
a default value that avoids computer overheads when these parameters are
not wanted). STDX and STDY are spatial dimensions over which extremes are
calculated. STDT is the time length over which extremes are calculated. If
STDX and STDY are left at default values (-1), but STDT has a namelist value
different to default (e.g., greater than 0), then extreme values are provided
over time, for a point. Conversely, if STDT is kept at default (-1) and STDX
and STDY are greater than zero, instantaneous extreme values are computed
over space. When all three parameters are greater than zero, space-time
probabilities and values are computed.
Wave crest and height space-time extremes outputs follow the stan-
dard WAVEWATCH III parameter framework, and have to be specified as
namelists or flags in ww3 shel.inp or ww3 multi.inp, in which case they are in-
cluded in the standard gridded binary output files during a model run. Con-
sequently, they also have to be specified in gridded output post-processors
for obtaining a final human-readable form. Space-time extremes output pa-
rameters available in WAVEWATCH III are provided in Table 3.2.

Internal Label User-Interface Label Description

STMAXE MXE Max surface elev (STE)
STMAXD MXES STD of max crest (STE)
HMAXE MXH Max wave height (STE)
HCMAXE MXHC Max wvhgt from crest (STE)
HMAXD SDMH STD of MXH (STE)
HCMAXD SDMHC STD of MXHC (STE)

Table 3.2: User-defined parameters in the computation of wave crest and

height space-time extremes.
168 WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 DRAFT

3.12 Spectral partitioning

Origination: APL Wave / XWaves / IMEDS
Provided by: B. Tracy, C. Bunney

The sea-states predicted by numerical wave models are often complex, due
to the presence of multiple wave trains formed as a result of both local wind
action and more distant storms. In order to better describe these local wind-
sea and remote swell components, without dealing with the full complexity
of the model wave spectrum, the spectrum can be partitioned into collections
of spectral bins from which more recognisable wave statistics (height, period,
direction) can be derived.
Fig. 3.7 shows an example surface plot of an energy density spectrum at
one grid point at a specific time. The amount of energy density at each
frequency-direction intersection is shown by this surface. The surface is di-
vided into shaded areas or partitions representing energy from sub-peaks
within the spectrum. Fig. 3.7 shows four spectral partitions, an area of
windsea and three swell trains. The total energy represented by this spec-
trum can be defined by bulk parameters, such as the significant wave height
Hs . The shaded areas, called partitions of the spectrum, show spectral sub-
features that give more information about this grid point’s energy situation.
WAVEWATCH III has point and field output options available to provide
quantitative descriptions of these individual spectral partition such as parti-
tion wave height, peak period of partition (parabolic fit), peak wavelength
of partition, mean direction of partition, wind-sea fraction of partition (W )
using Eq. (2.251), and the number of partitions. In the field output, these
parameters correspond to spectral partitioned output fields 1 through 17 and
can be found in Section 2.7.
Across the wave forecasting community, various methods of spectral par-
titioning and definition of waves as sea or swell have been adopted. Two
varieties of partitioning are available from the W3PARTMD module.
1. Topographic partitioning that groups spectral bins together into (mul-
tiple) distinct wave systems.

2. A simple frequency based cutoff that produces two partitions; one above
and one below a cutoff frquency.
The topographic partitioning methods in WAVEWATCH III are all based on
DRAFT WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 169

a watershedding technique using the original partitioning code implemented

by B. Tracey (see below). These are further categorised according to the
method by which a partition is determined to be either wind-sea or swell.
The cutoff methods are varied dependent upon whether the user chooses to
use a set frequency (e.g. to delineate between high frequency sea waves and
lower frequency swells) or allows the threshold to vary according to the local
wind speed and direction.

3.12.1 Topographic partitioning method

Since the two-dimensional spectrum in Fig. 3.7 looks like a topological sur-
face, it is logical to apply an image processing partitioning algorithm that
treats the spectral surface like a topographical surface. The partitioning
shown in Fig. 3.7 is based on a digital image processing watershed algorithm
(Vincent and Soille, 1991) first prototyped by Hanson and Jensen (2004) for
the analysis of ocean wave data. The US continental divide where everything
to the east goes into the Atlantic Ocean and everything to the west goes into
the Pacific Ocean is a typical example of a watershed line. The oceans rep-
resent minima that determine the watershed line. If the spectral surface
is inverted, the spectral peaks become catchments and watershed lines or
partition boundaries can be determined using the Vincent and Soille (1991)
algorithm. Calculation of parameters for each spectral partition can then be
accomplished and wave system analysis as described in Hanson and Phillips
(2001) can be applied. Hanson and Jensen (2004) and Hanson et al. (2006)
used a MATLAB code to apply the Vincent and Soille (1991) algorithm10 .
This code has been transformed to an efficient FORTRAN routine for use in
WAVEWATCH IIIsince version 3.11. Coding follows the Vincent and Soille
(1991) paper but incorporates an efficient sort routine (O(n)) discussed in
Tracy et al. (2006).

3.12.2 Sea/swell assignment and partitioning method

The second stage in the partitioning process is the assignment of individual

partitions to (wind-)sea and swell categories in point or field outputs. In
the default option for WAVEWATCH III these comprise a single wind-sea
10
Now available as XWaves from http://www.WaveForceTechnologies.com, replacing
the previous APL WAVES package
170 WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 DRAFT

Figure 3.7: Surface plot of an energy density spectrum showing spectral

partitions for windsea and three swell trains. This is a snapshot of hind-
casted conditions at Christmas Island (NOAA buoy 51028) at 12:00 UTC on
November 9, 2000.
DRAFT WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 171

(partition 1) and a set of swell components ordered by wave height. Selecting

alternative partition methods changes the categorisation as described below.
The partitioning method is set in the MISC namelist in ww3 grid.inp via
the PTM parameter:
• PTM=1: Wind sea and swells defined using topographic partitions
and classified using a wind sea fraction cutoff (WWIII default scheme).
Outputs wind-sea plus swell 1,2,3 etc.

• PTM=2: Wind sea and swells defined using topographic partitions and
spectral wave-age cutoff. Outputs wind-sea plus swell 1,2,3 etc.

• PTM=3: Wave components defined using topographic partitions only.

Outputs partitions ranked by wave height as partition 1,2,3 etc.

• PTM=4: Wind sea and swell defined using spectral wave-age cutoff.
Outputs wind-sea and single swell partition.

• PTM=5: Wave components defined using a user defined frequency cut-

off (PTFCUT). Outputs high frequency and low frequency partition.
In PTM1, topographic partitions for which the percentage of wind-sea
energy exceeds a defined fraction are aggregated and assigned to the wind-sea
component (e.g., the first partition). The remaining partitions are assigned
as swell components in order of decreasing wave height.
PTM2 works in a very similar way to PTM1, by first identifying a primary
wind-sea component, which is assigned as the first partition, then a number
of swell (or secondary wind-sea) partitions are identified, as follows. A set
of secondary spectral partitions is established using the topographic method,
each partition is checked in turn, with any of their spectral bins influenced by
the wind (based on a wave age criterion) being removed and assigned as sepa-
rate, secondary wind-sea partitions. The latter are by default combined into
a single partition, but may remain separate if the namelist parameter FLC
is set to ”.False.”. Swell and secondary wind-sea partitions are then ordered
by decreasing wave height. Operational forecasts made at the Met Office
suggests that when PTM2 is run with the default single wind-sea partition,
this provides a smoother spatial transition between partitions and a more
direct link between the primary wind-sea component and wind speed than
PTM1. Using the default method, the fraction of wind-sea for all partitions
except the primary wind-sea partition should be close to 0.0.
172 WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 DRAFT

PTM3 does not classify the topographic partitions into wind-sea or swell
- it simply orders them by wave height. This approach is useful for producing
data for spectral reconstruction applications using a limited number of par-
titions (e.g. Bunney et al. (2013)), where the classification of the partition
as wind-sea or swell is less important than the proportion of overall spectral
energy each partition represents.
Methods 4 and 5 do not use the watershedding partitioning method, but
adopt a simpler frequency cutoff that produces just two partitions. PTM4
uses the wave age criterion derived from the local wind speed to split the
spectrum in to a wind-sea and single swell partition. In this case waves with
a celerity greater than the directional component of the local wind speed are
considered to be freely propogating swell (i.e. unforced by the wind). This
is similar to the method commonly used to generate wind-sea and swell from
the WAM model.
PTM5 works in a similar fashion but applies a user defined static fre-
quency cutoff to split the spectrum into a low- and high-band partition. The
cutoff frequency is defined as PTFCUT in the MISC namelist and defaults
to 0.1Hz. This method is useful if you have a downstream application that
defines swell simply as those waves in a spectrum with period greater than a
predefined constant value. This is similar to the default partitioning method
found in SWAN.
For methods PTM1, PTM2 and PTM4 the wind cutoff can be controlled
by modifying the WSM factor in the MISC namelist. This applies a constant
multiplier to the wind speed and defaults to 1.0.
At present the outputs using methods PTM1 and PTM2 should be ob-
tained using any of the WAVEWATCH III standard output processing tools.
The full range of partitioning methods are available for gridded outputs using
the ww3 ounf module, and the netCDF file(s) that are produced will include
the partitioning method used within the variable attributes.
Note that for methods PTM4 and PTM5, only two partitions will ever be
created, therefore the NOSWLL parameter (defined in the MISC namelist;
default=5) will be overriden with a value of 2. Similarly, the wind sea fraction
cutoff value WSCUT will be set to 0.0.
Regression test regtests/ww3 tpt1.1 provides examples of each partition-
ing method.
DRAFT WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 173

3.13 Spatial and temporal tracking of wave systems

Origination: IFP Swan
Provided by: Van der Westhuysen, Hanson, Devaliere

The spectral partitioning procedure described above is carried out within

the spectral space, independently at each geographical grid point. As a
result, there is no coherence between the identified partitions over geographi-
cal space and in time. Following Voorrips et al. (1997), Hanson and Phillips
(2001) and Devaliere et al. (2009), a spatial correlation step is therefore ap-
plied. This is done by means of an outwardly running spiral, originating at
an arbitrary point (typically the center) inside the computational domain.
Figure 3.8 presents an example of such a tracking spiral on a regular compu-
tational grid over a coastal domain featuring landmass. At the spiral origin
(location 1), each spectral partition is assigned an initial system index. The
spatial correlation is then determined for each subsequent geographical loca-
tion (2, 3, 4, ...) moving outward along the spiral. At each new geographical
location, the peak period Tp , peak direction θp and significant wave height
Hm0 of each of its spectral partitions are correlated with the spatial means
n n n
T̃p,i , θ̃p,i and H̃m0,i of the corresponding parameters at its neighboring geo-
graphical grid points (indicated by the superscript n) previously assigned a
system i. the partition at the present grid point is assigned to the neighboring
system i that minimizes the following Goodness-of-Fit (GoF) function:

!2 !2 !2
n n n
Tp − T̃p,i θp − θ̃p,i Hm0 − H̃m0,i
GoFi = + + , (3.92)
∆Tn ∆θn ∆Hn

where ∆Tn , ∆θn and ∆Hn are combining criteria (Van der Westhuysen et al.,
2016). If either of the first two terms on the right hand side of (3.92) exceed
unity for the closest match, the difference is considered too great and a new
wave system is assigned to that partition. Here, the search range for neigh-
boring points is set at 1, so that a maximum of four previously-associated
neighbors can be found (e.g. location 15 will have the previously processed
neighbors 3, 4, 5 and 14). In some cases, iterative combining is required.
The next step is to correlate these wave systems over time. Each system
i at the current time level t is associated with its closest match amongst
the systems j at the previous time level (t − 1). Three characteristics of
174 WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 DRAFT

21 22

20 7 8 9 10

19 6 1 2 11

18 5 4 3 12

17 16 15 14 13

Figure 3.8: Example of a tracking spiral on a regular computational grid over

a coastal domain featuring landmass (shaded). Black dots indicate active grid
points and white dots indicate inactive (dry) grid points.

the wave systems are considered in this process, namely: (i) the spatial
s
mean peak wave period over the system, T̃p,t,i , with s denoting the system
s
mean, (ii) the spatial mean peak wave direction, θ̃p,t,i and (iii) the number of
overlapping grid points between the two systems in geographical space ∩i,j .
These characteristics are combined to form the following GoF function:

!2 !2  2
s s s s
T̃p,t,i − T̃p,t−1,j θ̃p,t,i − θ̃p,t−1,j Nt−1,j − ∩i,j
GoFi,j = + + ,
∆Ts ∆θs 0.5Nt−1,j
(3.93)
where ∆Ts and ∆θs are combining criteria, and N is the total number of
grid points in a system, see Van der Westhuysen et al. (2016). In order to
focus the tracking process on high-energy regions in the wave field, the spa-
tial mean period and peak direction values of each system are weighted with
the square of the significant wave height. System i at the current time level
t is assigned the system j from the previous time level (t − 1) that minimizes
(3.93). If any of the three terms on the right hand side of (3.93) exceed unity
for the system that minimizes (3.93), a new system number is assigned. For
DRAFT WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 175

the last term, this implies a minimum spatial overlap requirement, arbitrar-
ily set at 50%. This term mostly has an impact over basin scale domains,
where systems are typically smaller than the computational area. In order to
improve robustness, the details of identified systems are stored for five time
levels, after which the system association is released.

3.14 Nesting
Origination: WAVEWATCH III
Provided by: H. L. Tolman

Traditionally, wave models only consider one-way nesting, with boundary

data from low-resolution grids being provided to high-resolution grids. This
approach has always been available in WAVEWATCH III, and is discussed
in Section 3.14.1. In model version 3.14, a multi-grid wave model driver was
introduced, considering full two-way nesting between grids. This approach
is discussed in Section 3.14.2. The illustrations below consider regular grids,
but the principles discussed are applicable to curvilinear and triangular grids
too.

3.14.1 Traditional one-way nesting

The conventional wave model program ww3 shel considers a single wave
model grid. This program includes options to transfer boundary conditions
from large-scale runs to small-scale runs. Each run can simultaneously accept
one data set with boundary conditions, and generate up to 9 data sets with
boundary conditions. To assure conservation of wave energy with incom-
patible depths and currents, the boundary data consists of energy spectra
F (σ, θ). The data file consists of spectra at grid points of the generating run,
and information needed to interpolate spectra at the requested boundary
points. The size of the transfer files is thus minimized if the input points for
a small-scale run are located on grid lines in the large-scale run. When used
as input, the spectra are interpolated in space and time for every global time
step ∆tg , using a linear interpolation of spectral components.
176 WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 DRAFT

time bound. data

✻
✛‘land’ sea ✲
❝ ❝ ❝ s ❝ ❝ ❝

❝ ❝ ❝ s ❝ ❝ ❝
internal scheme
✲
❝ ❝ ❝ s ❝ ❝ ❝

❝ ❝ ❝ s ❝ ❝ ❝ ✲ space

bound. scheme

Figure 3.9: Traditional one-way nesting approach as used in ww3 shel. One-
dimensional representation in space and time, symbols represent grid points.

The numerical approach for including boundary data in a wave model

is illustrated in Fig. 3.9. Active boundary points are assigned in the grid
to separate sea points from land points or from otherwise deactivated grid
points. Between the active boundary points and sea points, a local boundary
scheme is applied (typically first order). In the internal sea points of the
model, the selected propagation scheme is used.
Practical aspects of the conventional one-way nesting approach are dis-
cussed in more detail in Appendix B.

3.14.2 Two-way nesting

Model version 3.14 includes an option to use the multi-grid or mosaic ap-
proach to wave modeling with the program ww3 multi (Tolman, 2006, 2007,
2008b). In this program, an arbitrary number of grids with arbitrary resolu-
tions is considered, with data exchange between grids at each relevant model
time step. The grids are given a rank number, where lower rank corresponds
to lower resolution, and equal rank corresponds to similar resolution (but not
necessarily equal resolution). Three types of data transfer between grids are
considered:

• Transfer of data from lower to higher rank grids.

DRAFT WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 177

❝✈ ❝ ❝ ❝ ✈❝ ❝ ❝ ❝✈ ❝

❝ ❝ ❝ ❝ ❝ ❝ ❝ ❝ ❝

❝ ❝ ❝ ❝ ❝ ❝ ❝ ❝ ❝
✈ ✈ ✈
❝ ❝ ❝ ❝ ❝ ❝ ❝ ❝ ❝

❝ ❝ ❝ ❝ ❝ ❝ ❝ ❝ ❝

❝✈ ❝ ❝ ❝ ✈❝ ❝ ❝ ❝✈ ❝

Figure 3.10: Concept for reconciling lower ranked grid with higher ranked
grid in two-way nesting approach. ◦ and hashed lines represent the higher
ranked grid points and grid boxes, respectively, • and solid lines represent
lower ranked grid and central grid box.

• Transfer of data from higher to lower rank grids.

• Transfer of data between grids with equal rank.

Data transfer from lower to higher ranked grids is accomplished by pro-

viding boundary data to the higher ranked grid, as in the traditional one-way
nesting approach described in the previous section and in Fig. 3.9.
When this approach is combined with data transfer from higher to lower
rank, a full two-way nesting approach is established. In ww3 multi the data
at the lower ranked grids is reconciled with the data at the higher ranked
grids after the higher ranked grids have ‘caught up’ in time with the lower
ranked grids. Considering that the resolution of the lower ranked grid by
definition is lower that the resolution of the higher ranked grid, a natural
way to estimate the wave energy in the lower ranked grid El,i from energy in
the higher ranked grid Eh,j is
X
El,i = wi,j Eh,j , (3.94)
where i and j are grid counters in the two grids, and where wi,j are averaging
weights. The weights can be defined consistent with conservation of wave
energy as the surface of the grid box j in the higher ranked grid that covers
178 WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 DRAFT

✛ A B C ✲
s s s s s s s
❝ ❝ ❝ ❝ ❝ ❝ ❝
s s s s s s s
❝ ❝ ❝ ❝ ❝ ❝ ❝
s s s s s s s
❝ ❝ ❝ ❝ ❝ ❝ ❝
s s s s s s s
❝ ❝ ❝ ❝ ❝ ❝ ❝
s s s s s s s
❝ ❝ ❝ ❝ ❝ ❝ ❝

Figure 3.11: Concept for reconciling grids with identical rank and therefore
similar resolution. ◦ represents points of grid 1, • represents grid 2.

the grid box i in the lower ranked grid, normalized with the surface of the
lower ranked grid box i. This is illustrated in Fig. 3.10. To avoid circular
reconciliation, grid points in the lower ranked grid that contribute to the
boundary data in the higher ranked grid are not updated in this manner.
Overlapping grids with similar rank cannot use the above two-way nesting
technique to consistently exchange data. Instead, all such grids are propa-
gated one time step, after which the grids are reconciled as is illustrated in
Fig. 3.11. For grid 1 (◦ in Fig. 3.11) two areas can be distinguished. In area
C, the influence of the boundary has propagated into the grid since the last
reconciliation. The actual depth of penetration depends on the stencil width
of the numerical scheme, and the number of propagation time steps. In areas
A and B, information from the boundary has not yet penetrated, and this
area can be considered as the ‘interior’ of grid 1. Similarly, area A represents
the boundary penetration depth for grid 2 (• in Fig. 3.11) whereas B and
C represent the interior of grid 2. A simple and consistent reconciliation be-
tween grid 1 and 2 uses data from grid 1 exclusively in area A (interpolating
data from grid 1 to grid points in grid 2 as necessary), and uses data from
grid 2 exclusively in area C. In area B, where interior parts of both grids over-
lap, a consistent solution can be found by using weighted averages from both
grids. Note that this approach is easily extended to multiple overlapping
grids.
Note that for explicit numerical propagation schemes and overlapping
DRAFT WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 179

grids with identical resolution and coinciding grid points, solutions for over-
lapping grids and the compatible single grid can be identical, as long as the
overlap areas are sufficiently wide.

The two-way nesting techniques in ww3 multi are largely automated. Each
grid is prepared individually, with its own preferred time stepping informa-
tion. Locations where each grid expects to get boundary data from lower
ranked grids are marked as in the one-way nesting approach. All other book-
keeping needed to implement the two-way nesting techniques are automated,
although some iterations may be needed to assure that all input boundary
points defined in each grid can be provided with boundary data from other
grids in the multi-grid application. Alternatively, each grid can obtain data
from an external data file as in the traditional nesting approach. In the
present implementation, each grid has to obtain all boundary data from a
single file, or from other grids in the multi-grid application, but cannot re-
ceive data from file and grids simultaneously. Details on the management
algorithm developed to run all grid simultaneously can be found in Tolman
(2007, section 3.4) and Tolman (2008b), and will not be reproduced here.
Note that the grids used in ww3 multi do not need to have the same
spectral discretization. Spectra are converted on the fly in ww3 multi. Details
on the numerical techniques used for this approach can be found in Tolman
(2007, section 3.5.5). Grid generation for multiple grids in such an approach
can be cumbersome, and consistency between grids is required for consistent
model results. For this reason automated grid generation utilities have been
developed by Chawla and Tolman (2007, 2008).
180 WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 DRAFT

4 Wave Model Structure and Data Flow

4.1 Program design

The core of WAVEWATCH III is the wave model subroutine, which can be
called by either a stand-alone program shell or any other program that re-
quires dynamically updated wave data. Two such programs are provided with
the WAVEWATCH III release (e.g., ww3 shel and ww3 multi). Auxiliary pro-
grams include a grid preprocessor ww3 grid, a program to generate artificial
initial conditions ww3 strt, generic program shells for individual ww3 shel or
multi-grid ww3 multi applications, two input pre-processors (ww3 prep and
ww3 prnc), and post-processors for gridded (ww3 outf and ww3 ounf) and
point (ww3 outp and ww3 ounp) output data.
In this section, note that file names will be identified by the file type font,
the contents of a file by the code type font and fortran program elements
by the fortran type font. The main wave model subroutine is w3wave.
Data files are identified with the file extension .ww3, except in the multi-grid
wave model ww3 multi, where the file extension identifies individual grids
part of a chosen multi-grid mosaic. For simplicity, the file extension .ww3
will be used throughout this chapter.
A relational diagram including the basic data flow is presented in Fig. 4.1.
The figure illustrates a typical workflow, as follows. The grid pre-processor
ww3 grid writes a model definition file mod def.ww3 with bottom and obstruc-
tion information and parameter values defining the physical and numerical
approaches. The wave model may have cold or hot starts. Hot starting re-
quires a restart file restart.ww3, created either by the wave model itself in
a previous run, or by the initial conditions program ww3 strt. If a restart
file is not available, the wave model will be initialized automatically. If lin-
ear growth or spectral seeding is switch on, the model may start from a flat
ocean (Hs = 0), otherwise the initial conditions will consist of a parametric
fetch-limited spectrum based on the initial wind field (see the corresponding
option in the initial conditions program).
The wave model routine (w3wave) optionally generates up to 9 restart
files restartn.ww3, where n represents a single digit integer number. For tele-
scoping nest applications, the wave model also optionally reads boundary
conditions from the file nest.ww3 and generates boundary conditions for con-
DRAFT WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 181

secutive nested runs in nestn.ww3. The model furthermore dumps raw data
to the output files out grd.ww3 , out pnt.ww3, track o.ww3 and partition.ww3
(gridded mean wave parameters, spectra at locations, spectra along tracks,
and partitioned wave data, respectively). The tracks along which spectra are
to be presented is defined in the file track i.ww3. Note that the wave model
does not write to standard output, because this would be inconvenient if
WAVEWATCH III is part of an integrated model. Instead, it maintains its
own log file log.ww3 and optionally a test output files test.ww3 for a shared
memory version of the model, or testnnn.ww3 for distributed memory ver-
sions, where nnn is the processor number starting with 1. Finally, various
output post-processors are available (binary post-processing of raw gridded
fields, point output and track output files; NetCDF and GRIB(2) packing of
wave data; post-processing for later GrADS graphical processing of gridded
and spectral data). A more detailed description of all program elements and
their input files is given below. Note that the source codes of each routine are
fully documented. This documentation is an additional source of information
about WAVEWATCH III.

Files specific to WAVEWATCH III are opened by name within program

subroutines. The unit numbers, however, are defined by the user11 within
each inp, guaranteeing the largest possible flexibility for implementation in
integrated models.

In addition to the wave model subroutine, an initialization routine and

an interface routine for data assimilation are provided. The routine includes
a generic interface that provides all necessary model components to perform
full spectral data assimilation. This routine is integrated into the generic
wave model shell, which is set up to perform time step managements for a
wave model with or without data assimilation. The shell also provides a
simple yet flexible way to provide the data assimilation scheme with various
types of data. Data assimilation has not yet been included in the multi-grid
wave model shell.

11
Except for ww3 multi.
182 WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 DRAFT

grid data input files

❄ ❄
grid preprocessor input preprocessor
✒
❄ ❄
mod def.ww3 ❅
program
❅
❅ shell
or
✲ initial cond. ✲ restart.ww3 integrated
program
❅
❘
❅ ❄
restart.ww3 ✛✲ wave model
nest.ww3
✻
❄ out pnt.ww3 ❄
output ✛ out grd.ww3 ✛ track i.ww3
postprocessing partition.ww3 track o.ww3
❄
log.ww3
program
test.ww3
file subrout.
✲ data transfer by file

Figure 4.1: Basic program elements and data flow.

DRAFT WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 183

4.2 The wave model routines

The wave model driver is a subroutine within the WAVEWATCH III frame-
work package. To run the model driver subroutine, a program shell is needed.
WAVEWATCH III is provided with a simple stand-alone shell as will be dis-
cussed in Section 4.4.10, and with a more complex multi-grid model shell as
will be discussed in Section 4.4.12. The present section concentrates on the
wave model driver subroutines.
The wave model initialization routine w3init performs model initializa-
tion for a single wave model grid. This includes setting up part of the I/O
system by defining unit numbers, initializing internal time management, pro-
cessing the model definition file (mod def.ww3), processing initial conditions
(restart.ww3), preparing model output, and calculating grid-dependent pa-
rameters. If the model is compiled for an MPI environment, all necessary
communication for both calculations and output are determined and initial-
ized (the model uses persistent MPI communication throughout).
The wave model routine w3wave can be called any number of times to
propagate the wave field for a single grid in time after the initialization has
taken place. After some initial checks, the subroutine interpolates winds and
currents, updates ice concentrations and water levels, propagates the wave
field, and applies the selected source terms for a number of time steps. The
internal time step is defined by the interval for which the calculations are
to be performed, and by the requested output times. At the end of the
calculations, the routine provides the calling program with the requested
fields of wave data. A documentation of the interface of w3wave can be
found in the source code (w3wavemd.ftn).
Apart from the raw data files as described above, the program maintains
a log file log.ww3. This file is opened by w3init (contained in w3wave
in w3wavemd.ftn), which writes some self-explanatory header information to
this file. Each consecutive call to w3wave adds several lines to an ‘action
table’ in this log file as is shown in Fig. 4.2. The column identified as ‘step’
shows the discrete time step considered. The column identified as ‘pass’
identifies the sequence number of the call to w3wave; i.e., 3 identifies that
this action took place in the third call to w3wave. The third column shows
the ending time of the time step. In the input and output columns the
corresponding actions of the model are shown. A X identifies that the input
has been updated, or that the output has been performed. A F indicates a
184 WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 DRAFT

| input | output |
|-------------|---------------|
step | pass | date time | b w l c i d | g p t r b f c |
-------|------|---------------------|-------------|---------------|
0 | 1 | 1968/06/06 00:00:00 | F | X X |
8 | 1 | 02:00:00 | | X |
12 | 1 | 03:00:00 | | X |
16 | 1 | 04:00:00 | | X |
24 | 1 | 06:00:00 | X | X X |
32 | 2 | 08:00:00 | | X |
36 | 2 | 09:00:00 | | L |
40 | 2 | 10:00:00 | | X |
48 | 2 | 12:00:00 | X X | L L |
-------+------+---------------------+-------------+---------------+

Figure 4.2: Example action table from file log.ww3.

first field read, and an L identifies the last output. The seven input columns
identify boundary conditions (b), wind fields (w), water levels (l), current
fields (c), ice concentrations (i), and data for assimilation (d), respectively.
Note that data assimilation takes place at the end of the time step after
the wave routine call. The seven output columns identify gridded output (g),
point output (p), output along tracks (t), restart files (r), boundary data (b),
and partitioned spectral data (f), and output for coupling (c), respectively.

For the multi-grid wave model (Tolman, 2008b, ww3 multi) a set of rou-
tines is build around the basic wave model routines. The three main routines
are the initialization routine wminit, a time stepping routine wmwave and
a finalization routine wmfinl, with similar functions as the routines for a
single grid as described above. Note that the raw input and output files are
generated for separate grid in the mosaic, and are identified by replacing the
standard file extension ’.ww3’ with a unique identifier for each individual grid
as chosen by the user in the ww3 grid.inp file. Log files are maintained for
each individual grid, as well as an overall log file log.mww3.
DRAFT WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 185

4.3 The data assimilation interface

As discussed above, the wave model subroutine is supplemented with a data

assimilation interface routine (w3wdas in w3wdasmd.ftn). This routine is
integrated in the stand-alone shell (see Section 4.4.10) to provide time step
management of a combined wave model / data assimilation scheme. It has not
yet been integrated in the multi-grid model driver, although it is accounted
for in the multi-grid model management algorithm.

In this a fairly simple approach is assumed where data assimilation is

performed at selected times, while the wave model marches forward in time.
In the setup of the shell, the data assimilation is performed after the model
has reached the target time, but has not yet produced output. After the
data assimilation is performed, the wave model routine is called again only
to generate output as requested. Thus, the wave model output for a given
time will include the effects of data assimilation for that specific target time.

The generic program shell also processes several types of data to be assim-
ilated, and passes it on to the data assimilation interface routine. All data
needs to be preprocessed using the wave model input preprocessor (see Sec-
tion 4.4.7), and will be recognized by the generic shell by file name. Presently,
up to three different data files can be used. Tentatively, these could be mean
wave parameters, one dimensional spectral data, and two dimensional spec-
tral data, respectively. This is, however, not hardwired to the model and in
fact needs to be defined by the user.

Presently, no data assimilation packages are available. Therefore, user

supplied data assimilation schemes are required, and may be included in
the wave model using the interface routine (w3wdas in w3wdasmd.ftn), the
documentation of which should be sufficient for the necessary programming.
Details on how to add user supplied software to the WAVEWATCH III com-
pilation system can be found in the following chapter. Although NCEP is
presently working on wave data assimilation techniques, there are no plans to
distribute wave data assimilation software as part of the WAVEWATCH III
package.
186 WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 DRAFT

4.4 Auxiliary programs

4.4.1 General concepts

All auxiliary programs presented here, with the exception of the track output
post-processor, read input from a pre-defined input file. Contents of that file
determine user choices for each auxiliary program. Comment lines are al-
lowed using a character determined by the user as follows: the first character
on the first line of the input file will be considered to be the comment char-
acter, identifying comment lines throughout the input file. This comment
character has to appear on the first position of input lines to be effective.
In all examples in the following sections, the first character of the first line
is ’$’. Therefore, all lines starting with ’$’ contain only comments that are
not parsed into the auxiliary program. As a standard, auxiliary programs all
write formatted output to the standard output unit.
In the following sections, all available auxiliary programs are described
using an example input file. These are found in the directory inp within
the WAVEWATCH III package. Inside each sample input file, all possible
options that can be activated by the user are included, most of them feature
as comment lines starting with ’$’. Files in the current section reflect actual
contents of sample files. The sections below also show the name of the exe-
cutable program associated with the displayed input file, the program name
(as appears in the program statement), the source code file and input and
output files and their unit numbers (in brackets behind the file name). Input
∗
and output files marked with are optional. The intermediate files mentioned
below are all unformatted, and are not described in detail here. Each file
is written and read by a single routine, to which reference is made for addi-
tional documentation.

mod def.ww3 Subroutine w3iogr (w3iogrmd.ftn).

out grd.ww3 Subroutine w3iogo (w3iogomd.ftn).
out pnt.ww3 Subroutine w3iopo (w3iopomd.ftn).
track o.ww3 Subroutine w3iotr (w3iotrmd.ftn).
restart.ww3 Subroutine w3iors (w3iorsmd.ftn).
nest.ww3 Subroutine w3iobc (w3iobcmd.ftn).
partition.ww3 Subroutine w3iosf (w3iosfmd.ftn).

Preprocessing and compilation of the programs is discussed in the following

DRAFT WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 187

two chapters. Examples of test runs of the model are provided with the
source code.

4.4.2 Configuration file

All auxiliary programs presented here read parameters and configuration

from either a namelist file (new form) or an input file (legacy form). Al-
though most auxiliary programs provide the option of a namelist file, some
are still limited to using the legacy input file form. Namelist files for the
latter programs will become available in future public releases. For programs
which already use namelists, template files are stored in model/nml directory.
It is also possible to convert the traditional inp file to new nml format using
bash tools stored in the model/aux/bash directory. If inp and nml files are
both present in the run directory, the priority will be given to the namelist
file. For regtests, the default behavior is to run all the programs with inp
file, the option -N must be added to rather use nml file. Some new features
are only available with namelists and the future developments will mainly be
designed for namelist use.
The namelist configuration file dedicated to a program provides a more
readable and adaptative file. A nml file contains one or more namelists with
default values for each parameter with the possibility to overwrite them by
a user-defined value. There is no mandatory order to defined namelists in
the nml file. A namelist starts by ’&SOMETHING NML’ and stops by ’/’. If a
section is skipped from the namelist file, all the default values will be used.
When a program read its namelist file, all the default and user-defined values
for all namelists will be outputted in a log file for more tracability.
The traditional way to read the program configuration is from a pre-
defined input file. The first character on the first line of the input file will
be considered to be the comment character, identifying comment lines in
the input file. This comment character has to appear on the first position
of input lines to be effective. In all examples in the following sections lines
starting with ’$’ therefore only contain comment. The programs furthermore
all write formatted output to the standard output unit.

Below is the part of an inp file with the corresponding part of nml file:

start of example input file (traditional form)

188 WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 DRAFT

$ -------------------------------------------------------------------- $
$ WAVEWATCH III Grid preprocessor input file $
$ -------------------------------------------------------------------- $
$ Grid name (C*30, in quotes)
$
’TEST GRID (GULF OF NOWHERE) ’
$
$ Frequency increment factor and first frequency (Hz) ---------------- $
$ number of frequencies (wavenumbers) and directions, relative offset
$ of first direction in terms of the directional increment [-0.5,0.5].
$ In versions 1.18 and 2.22 of the model this value was by definiton 0,
$ it is added to mitigate the GSE for a first order scheme. Note that
$ this factor is IGNORED in the print plots in ww3_outp.
$
1.1 0.04118 32 24 0.
$

end of example input file (traditional form)

start of example input file (namelist form)

! -------------------------------------------------------------------- !
! WAVEWATCH III - ww3_grid.nml - Grid pre-processing !
! -------------------------------------------------------------------- !

! -------------------------------------------------------------------- !
! Define the spectrum parameterization via SPECTRUM_NML namelist
!
! * namelist must be terminated with /
! * definitions & defaults:
! SPECTRUM%XFR = 0. ! frequency increment
! SPECTRUM%FREQ1 = 0. ! first frequency (Hz)
! SPECTRUM%NK = 0 ! number of frequencies (wavenumbers)
! SPECTRUM%NTH = 0 ! number of direction bins
! SPECTRUM%THOFF = 0. ! relative offset of first direction [-0.5,0.5]
! -------------------------------------------------------------------- !
&SPECTRUM_NML
SPECTRUM%XFR = 1.1
SPECTRUM%FREQ1 = 0.04118
SPECTRUM%NK = 32
SPECTRUM%NTH = 24
DRAFT WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 189

end of example input file (namelist form)

190 WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 DRAFT

4.4.3 The grid preprocessor

Program : ww3 grid (w3grid)

Code : ww3 grid.ftn
Input : ww3 grid.nml (10) Namelist configuration file.
(App. G.1.2)
ww3 grid.inp (10) Traditional configuration file.
(App. G.1.1)
∗
’grid file’ (user) File with bottom depths.
∗
’obstr. file’ (user) File with sub-grid obstructions.
∗
’mask file’ (user) File with grid mask.
Output : standard out (6) Formatted output of program.
mod def.ww3 (20) Model definition file in WAVE-
∗
WATCH III format.
mask.ww3 (20) Land-sea mask file (switch o2a).
Scratch : ww3 grid.scratch (90) Formatted scratch file.

Note that bottom and obstruction data may be in same file.

DRAFT WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 191

4.4.4 The initial conditions program

Program : ww3 strt (w3strt)

Code : ww3 strt.ftn
Input : ww3 strt.inp (10) Traditional configuration file.
(App. G.2.1)
mod def.ww3 (20) Model definition file.
Output : standard out (6) Formatted output of program.
restart.ww3 (20) Restart file in WAVEWATCH III
format.
192 WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 DRAFT

4.4.5 The boundary conditions program

Program : ww3 bound (w3bound)

Code : ww3 bound.ftn
Input : ww3 bound.inp (10) Traditional configuration file.
(App. G.3.1)
mod def.ww3 (20) Model definition file.
∗
’spectra file’ (user) File(s) with wave spectra.
Output : standard out (6) Formatted output of program.
nest.ww3 (33) Boundary conditions file.
DRAFT WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 193

4.4.6 The NetCDF boundary conditions program

Program : ww3 bounc (w3bounc)

Code : ww3 bounc.ftn
Input : ww3 bounc.nml (10) Namelist configuration file.
(App. G.4.2)
ww3 bounc.inp (10) Traditional configuration file.
(App. G.4.1)
mod def.ww3 (20) Model definition file.
∗
’spectra file’ (user) File(s) with wave spectra, in
NetCDF.
Output : standard out (6) Formatted output of program.
nest.ww3 (33) Boundary conditions file.
194 WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 DRAFT

4.4.7 The input field preprocessor

Program : ww3 prep (w3prep)

Code : ww3 prep.ftn
Input : ww3 prep.inp (10) Traditional configuration file.
(App. G.5.1)
mod def.ww3 (11) Model definition file.
∗
’user input’ (user) See example below.
Output : standard out (6) Formatted output of program.
∗
level.ww3 (12) Water levels file.
∗
current.ww3 (12) Current fields file.
∗
wind.ww3 (12) Wind fields file.
∗
ice.ww3 (12) Ice fields file.
∗
data0.ww3 (12) Assimilation data (‘mean’).
∗
data1.ww3 (12) Assimilation data (‘1-D spectra’).
∗
data2.ww3 (12) Assimilation data (‘2-D spectra’).

Note that the optional output files are specific to ww3 shel and ww3 multi,
but are not processed by the actual wave model routines. These files are
consequently not needed if the wave model routines are used in a different
shell or in an integrated program. However, the routines reading and writing
these files are system-independent and could therefore be used in customized
applications of the basic wave model. The reading and writing of these
files is performed by the subroutine w3fldg (w3fldsmd.ftn). For additional
documentation and file formats reference if made to this routine.
DRAFT WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 195

4.4.8 The NetCDF input field preprocessor

Program : ww3 prnc (w3prnc)

Code : ww3 prnc.ftn
Input : ww3 prnc.nml (10) Namelist configuration file.
(App. G.6.2)
ww3 prnc.inp (10) Traditional configuration file.
(App. G.6.1)
mod def.ww3 (11) Model definition file.
∗
’user input’ (user) See example below.
Output : standard out (6) Formatted output of program.
∗
level.ww3 (12) Water levels file.
∗
current.ww3 (12) Current fields file.
∗
wind.ww3 (12) Wind fields file.
∗
ice.ww3 (12) Ice fields file.
∗
data0.ww3 (12) Assimilation data (‘mean’).
∗
data1.ww3 (12) Assimilation data (‘1-D spectra’).
∗
data2.ww3 (12) Assimilation data (‘2-D spectra’).

See note at the end of the previous section (4.4.7) for tools that can be used
to pack input files in custom programs.
196 WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 DRAFT

4.4.9 The tide prediction program

Program : ww3 prtide (w3tide)

Code : ww3 prtide.ftn
Input : ww3 prtide.inp (10) Traditional configuration file.
(App. G.7.1)
mod def.ww3 (20) Model definition file.
current.ww3 tide (user) File with tidal constituents.
or level.ww3 tide
Output : standard out (6) Formatted output of program.
current.ww3 or (33) Level or current forcing.
level.ww3

The user-provided file current.ww3 tide or level.ww3 tide is a binary file that
can be obtained by running ww3 prnc with the ’AT’ option and then re-
naming the resulting file current.ww3 or level.ww3 into current.ww3 tide or
level.ww3 tide . The choice of tidal constituents used for the tidal prediction
can be a subset of the ones present in these files or all of them.
Because of wetting and drying or grid mismatches, the tidal constituents
may be erroneous or absent for some of the WAVEWATCH III nodes. The
erroneous ones can be detected using a maximum amplitude on particular
components. When the amplitudes exceeds these maxima, then the tidal
constituents are extrapolated from the nearest nodes. This feature has only
been tested on triangular meshes.
DRAFT WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 197

4.4.10 The generic shell

Program : ww3 shel (w3shel)

Code : ww3 shel.ftn
Input : ww3 shel.nml (10) Namelist configuration file.
(App. G.8.2)
ww3 shel.inp (10) Traditional configuration file.
(App. G.8.1)
mod def.ww3 (30)Model definition file.
restart.ww3 (30)Restart file.
∗
nest.ww3 (33)Boundary conditions file.
∗
level.ww3 (11)Water levels file.
∗
current.ww3 (12)Current fields file.
∗
wind.ww3 (13)Wind fields file.
∗
ice.ww3 (14)Ice fields file.
∗
data0.ww3 (15)Assimilation data.
∗
data1.ww3 (16)Assimilation data.
∗
data2.ww3 (17)Assimilation data.
∗
track i.ww3 (22)Output track information.
Output : standard out (6) Formatted output of program.
log.ww3 (20)Output log of wave model (see Sec-
tion 4.2).
∗
test.ww3 (6/21) Test output of wave model.
∗
restartn.ww3 (30) Restart file(s).
∗
nestn.ww3 (34-42) Nesting file(s).
∗
out grd.ww3 (31) Raw output of gridded fields.
∗
out pnt.ww3 (32) Raw output of spectra.
∗
track o.ww3 (23) Raw output of spectra along tracks.
Scratch : ww3 shel.scratch (90) Formatted scratch file.
198 WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 DRAFT

4.4.11 Automated grid splitting for ww3 multi (ww3 gspl)

Program : ww3 gspl (w3gspl)

Code : ww3 gspl.ftn
Input : ww3 gspl.inp (10) Traditional configuration file.
(App. G.9.1)
mod def.xxx (11) Model definition file of grid to be
split.
Output : standard out (6) Formatted output of program.
xxx.bot (11) File with bathymetry for sub-grid.
xxx.obst (11) File with obstructions for sub-grid.
xxx.mask (11) File with mask for sub-grid.
xxx.tmpl (11) ww3 grid.inp for sub-grid.
ww3 multi.xxx.n (11) Template for part of ww3 multi.inp
that needs to be modified.
ww3.ww3 gspl (35) GrADS file with map of sub-grids
(with switch o16).
ww3.ctl (35) GrADS map control file (o16).

To further automate the splitting of the grid, a script ww3 gspl.sh is provided.
This script runs ww3 gspl, and subsequently generated the mod def files for
all sub-grids. If a file ww3 multi.inp is provided, then this file is updated too.
The workings of the script are shown with the -h command line flag, which
results in the output of the script as shown in Fig. 4.3.
DRAFT WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 199

Usage: ww3_gspl.sh [options] gridID nr_grid

Required:
gridID : name of master grid to be split up
nr_grid : number of sub-grids to be generated
Options:
-a : use entire assigned cummunicator for each grid
-h : help, print this.
-i : create template file ww3_gint.inp_tmpl for
later integration of output into single grid.
-d data_dir : directory with ww3_grid.inp and ancilary data
* default is working directory
* relative unless starting with ’/’
-e halo_ext : set halo extension, default is 2
-o output_dir : directory for std out redirects
* default is working directory
* relative unless starting with ’/’
-n n_iter : maximum number of interations in ww3_gspl
* default = 350
-t target : target accuracy in ww3_gspl (%)
* default = 0.75
-f comm_first : communicator fraction (first).
* default = 0.
-l comm_last : communicator fraction (last).
* default = 1.
-s ww3_multi.inp : name of input file to be modified.
* Not set as default.
-r : replace file defined under -s, otherwise add .new
-v : verbose, show program output

Figure 4.3: Options for ww3 gspl.sh, as obtained by running it with the -h
command line option.
200 WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 DRAFT

4.4.12 The multi-grid shell

Program : ww3 multi (w3mlti)

Code : ww3 multi.ftn
Input : ww3 multi.nml (8) Namelist configuration file.
(App. G.10.2)
ww3 multi.inp (8) Traditional configuration file.
(App. G.10.1)
Output : standard out (6) Formatted output of program.
log.mww3 (9) Output log of wave model driver.
∗
test.mww3 (auto) Test output of wave model.

This wave model program requires and produces a plethora of input and
output files consistent with those of ww3 shel in Section 4.4.10, where file
extensions .ww3 are replaced by an identifier for a specific grid. Note that all
files are opened by name, and that the unit number assignment is dynamic
and automatic.
In order to make all existing features available there is a new version of
the input file that uses namelists. This is the version that will be supported
in the future as it allows a more flexible addition of new features. Please
note that the namelist form is not supported by GCC compilers
before version 4.8.2.
DRAFT WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 201

4.4.13 Grid Integration

Program : ww3 gint (w3gint)

Code : ww3 gint.ftn
Input : ww3 gint.inp (10) Traditional configuration file.
(App. G.11.1)
mod def.* (20) Model definition files in WAVE-
WATCH III format for base and tar-
get grids
out grd.* (30+) Gridded field files in WAVE-
WATCH III format for base grids
Output : standard out (6) Formatted output of program.
out grd.* (30+) Gridded field files in WAVE-
WATCH III format for target
grid

This post processor program takes field data from several overlapping grids
and produces a unified output file. The different model definition and field
output files are identified by the unique identifier associated with each spe-
cific grid. At this moment the program works with curvilinear and rectilinear
grids. A weights file WHTGRIDINT.bin is written that can be read in subse-
quent runs using identical origin-destination grids, saving substantial time in
cases using large number of input grids and/or high-resolution target grids.

Note that this program can be used in concert with the grid splitting program
ww3 gspl, and that ww3 gspl.sh has an option to produce a template input
file for his program (see Section 4.4.11).
202 WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 DRAFT

4.4.14 Gridded output post-processor

Program : ww3 outf (w3outf)

Code : ww3 outf.ftn
Input : ww3 outf.inp (10) Traditional configuration file.
(App. G.12.1)
mod def.ww3 (20) Model definition file.
out grd.ww3 (20) Raw gridded output data.
Output : standard out (6) Formatted output of program.
∗
... (50) Transfer file.

The extension of the file name of transfer files for itype = 3 identifies the
content of the file. The file extension for each data type is given in Table 4.1
on page 221.
DRAFT WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 203

4.4.15 Gridded output NetCDF post-processor

Program : ww3 ounf (w3ounf)

Code : ww3 ounf.ftn
Input : ww3 ounf.nml (10) Namelist configuration file.
(App. G.13.2)
ww3 ounf.inp (10) Tradition configuration file.
(App. G.13.1)
mod def.ww3 (20) Model definition file.
out grd.ww3 (20) Raw gridded output data.
NC globatt.inp (994) Additional global attributes.
Output : standard out (6) Formatted output of program.
∗
.nc () NetCDF file

When a single field is put in the file, the abbreviated field name (file exten-
sions from ww3 outf) for each data type is given in Table 4.1 on page 221.
204 WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 DRAFT

4.4.16 Gridded output post-processor for GrADS

Program : gx outf (gxoutf)

Code : gx outf.ftn
Input : gx outf.inp (10) Traditional configuration file.
(App. G.14.1)
mod def.ww3 (20) Model definition file.
out grd.ww3 (20) Raw gridded output data.
Output : standard out (6) Formatted output of program.
ww3.grads (50) GrADS data file.
ww3.ctl (51) GrADS control file.

This post-processor generates input files with gridded model parameters for
the Grid Analysis and Display System (GrADS, Doty, 1995). Although
GrADS can also work with GRIB files, the present preprocessor is prefer-
able, as the data file also gives access to a land-sea-ice map.
DRAFT WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 205

4.4.17 Gridded GRIB output post-processor

Program : ww3 grib (w3grib)

Code : ww3 grib.ftn
Input : ww3 grib.inp (10) Traditional configuration file.
(App. G.15.1)
mod def.ww3 (20) Model definition file.
out grd.ww3 (20) Raw gridded output data.
Output : standard out (6) Formatted output of program.
gribfile (50) GRIB file.

This post-processor packs fields of mean wave parameters in GRIB format,

using GRIB version II and NCEP’s w3 and bacio library routines, or in
GRIB2, using NCEPS’s operational package. Additional packing data can
be found in Table 4.1 on page 221.
The GRIB packing is performed using the NCEP’s GRIB tables as de-
scribed in NCEP (1998). Because the w3 and bacio routine are not fully
portable, they are not supplied with the code. The user will have to pro-
vide corresponding routines. It is suggested that such routines are activated
with additional WAVEWATCH III switches in the mandatory switch group
containing the ‘nogrb’ switch, as if presently the case with the NCEP rou-
tines. The GRIB2 packing is performed according to WMO (2001), and is
performed with NCEP’s standard operational packages.
Table 4.1 shows the kpds(5) data values for GRIB packing. For the par-
titioned data, the first number identifies the wind sea, the second number
identifies swell. Most data are packed as surface data (kpds(6) = 0). For
the partitioned swell fields, however, consecutive fields are packed at consec-
utive levels, with the level type indicator set to (kpds(6) = 241). kpds(7)
identifies the actual level or swell field number.
Table 4.1 shows several kpds data values for GRIB2 packing. The first
number in the table represents listsec0(2), which identifies the discipline
type (e.g., oceanography, meteorology, etc.) The second number represents
kpds(1), which identifies the parameter category (e.g., waves, circulation,
ice, etc.) within the discipline type. The third number represents kpds(2),
which identifies the actual parameter. For the partitioned data, A/B means
A for wind sea and B for swell. Additionally kpds(10) = 0 for surface data,
and kpds(10) = 241 to pack consecutive swell fields at consecutive levels.
206 WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 DRAFT

kpds(12) identifies the actual level or swell field number.

Although the above input file contains flags for all 31 output fields of
WAVEWATCH III, not all fields can be packed in GRIB. If a parameter is
chosen for which GRIB packing is not available, a message will be printed to
standard output. Table 4.1 shows which parameter can be packed in GRIB.
Note that at NCEP the conversions from GRIB to GRIB2 coincided with the
introduction of partitioned wave model output. This required some duplicate
definitions in GRIB and some apparent inconsistencies between GRIB and
GRIB2 packing.
DRAFT WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 207

4.4.18 Point output post-processor

Program : ww3 outp (w3outp)

Code : ww3 outp.ftn
Input : ww3 outp.inp (10) Traditional configuration file.
(App. G.16.1)
mod def.ww3 (20) Model definition file.
out pnt.ww3 (20) Raw point output data.
NC globatt.inp (994) Additional global attributes.
Output : standard out (6) Formatted output of program.
∗
tabnn.ww3 (nn) Table of mean parameters where nn
is a two-digit integer.
∗
... (user) Transfer file.

In previous releases of WAVEWATCH III spectral bulletins were generated

using spectral data transfer file generated with itype = 1 and otype = 3
and the w3split program (see section 5.2). This is an obsolescent code that
is produced here for backward compatibility only. This program reads the
following five records from standard input (no comment lines allowed) :

• Name of output location.

• Identifier for run to be used in table.
• Name of input file.
• Logical identifying UNFORMATTED input file.
• Name of output file.

All above strings are read as characters using free format, and therefore need
to be enclosed in quotes.
208 WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 DRAFT

4.4.19 Point output NetCDF post-processor

Program : ww3 ounp (w3ounp)

Code : ww3 ounp.ftn
Input : ww3 ounp.nml (10) Namelist configuration file.
(App. G.17.2)
ww3 ounp.inp (10) Traditional configuration file.
(App. G.17.1)
mod def.ww3 (20) Model definition file.
out pnt.ww3 (20) Raw point output data.
Output : standard out (6) Formatted output of program.
∗
... (user) Transfer file.
DRAFT WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 209

4.4.20 Point output post-processor for GrADS

Program : gx outp (gxoutp)

Code : gx outp.ftn
Input : gx outp.inp (10) Traditional configuration file.
(App. G.18.1)
mod def.ww3 (20) Model definition file.
out pnt.ww3 (20) Raw point output data.
Output : standard out (6) Formatted output of program.
ww3.spec.grads (30) GrADS data file with spectra and
source terms.
ww3.mean.grads (31) File with mean wave parameters.
ww3.spec.ctl (32) GrADS control file.

This post-processor is intended to generate data files with which GrADS

(see previous section) can plot polar plots of spectra and source terms. To
achieve this, spectra and source terms are store as ”longitude-latitude” grids.
For each output point a different name is generated for the data, typically
locnnn. When the data file is loaded in GrADS, the variable loc001 will
contain a spectral grid for the first requested output point at level 1, the
input source term at level 2, etc. For the second output point the data is
stored in loc002 etc. The actual output point names are passed to GrADS
through the control file ww3.spec.ctl. Wave heights and environmental data
are obtained from ww3.mean.grads The user, however, need not be aware of
the details of the GrADS data files and data storage. The GrADS scripts
spec.gs, source.gs and 1source.gs are provided to automatically generate spec-
tral plots from the output files of this post-processor.
Note: for the GrADS scripts to work properly, the names of the output
points should not contain spaces.
210 WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 DRAFT

4.4.21 Track output post-processor

Program : ww3 trck (w3trck)

Code : ww3 trck.ftn
Input : ww3 trck.inp (10) Traditional configuration file.
(App. G.19.1)
track o.ww3 (11) Raw track output data.
Output : standard out (6) Formatted output of program.
track.ww3 (51) Formatted data file.

This post-processor will convert the raw track output data to an integer
compressed formatted file. The file contains the following header records :

• File identifier (character string of length 34).

• Number of frequencies and directions, first direction and directional
increment (radians, oceanographic convention).
• Radian frequencies of each frequency bin.
• Corresponding directional bin size times frequency bin size to obtain
discrete energy per bin.

For each output point varying in time and position, the following records are
printed :

• Date and time in yyyymmdd hhmmss format, longitude and latitude in

degrees, and a status identifier ‘ice’, ‘lnd’ or ‘sea’. The following two
records are written only for sea points.
• Water depth in meters, current and wind u and v components in meters
per second, friction velocity in meters per second, air-sea temperature
difference in degrees centigrade and scale factor for spectrum.
• The entire spectrum in integer packed format (can be read using free
format).
DRAFT WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 211

4.4.22 Track output NetCDF post-processor

Program : ww3 trnc (w3trnc)

Code : ww3 trnc.ftn
Input : ww3 trnc.nml (10) Namelist configuration file.
(App. G.20.2)
ww3 trnc.inp (10) Traditional configuration file.
(App. G.20.1)
track o.ww3 (11) Raw track output data.
Output : standard out (6) Formatted output of program.
*.nc () NetCDF file.

This post-processor will convert the raw track output data to a NetCDF file.
The output NetCDF file contains the following variables :

• time in days since 1990-01-01, Julian days at UTC time.

• frequencies of each frequency bin. (radian)
• frequencies of lower band of each frequency bin. (radian)
• frequencies of upper band of each frequency bin. (radian)
• frequencies width of each frequency bin. (radian)
• directions of each direction bin. (oceanographic convention)
• latitudes and longitudes along time dimension. (degree)

For each output point varying in time and position, the following records are
printed :

• track name (32 characters)

• the entire spectrum. (m2 s rad-1)
• water depth (m), current and wind u and v components (m s-1), friction
velocity (m s-1), air-sea temperature difference (degree centigrade).
212 WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 DRAFT

4.4.23 Spatial and temporal tracking of wave systems

Program : ww3 systrk (w3systrk)

Code : ww3 systrk.ftn
Input : ww3 systrk.inp (10) Traditional configuration file.
(App. G.21.1)
partition.ww3 (11) Spectral partition file.
∗
sys restart.ww3 (12) Restart file with system memory.
∗
sys mask.ww3 (13) Mask file.
Output : sys log.ww3 (20) Output log (appended with proces-
sor number in parallel run).
sys coord.ww3 (21) Lat/lon coordinates of fields.
sys hs.ww3 (22) Significant wave height fields of in-
dividual wave systems.
sys tp.ww3 (23) Peak period fields of individual
wave systems.
sys dir.ww3 (24) Peak direction fields of individual
wave systems
sys dspr.ww3 (25) Direction spread fields of individual
wave systems.
sys pnt.ww3 (26) Point output file for significant wave
height, peak period, and peak direc-
tion.
sys restart1.ww3 (27) Restart file.
*.nc () NetCDF file.

Program currently implemented for regular grids only. The spatial and tem-
poral tracking is performed on the basis of the spectral partition data file.
Both the time interval and geographic domain over which wave systems are
tracked can be subsets of the data contained in the partition file. The combin-
ing parameters dirKnob and perKnob are used to influence the strictness of
the system combining algorithm in geographic space, and dirTimeKnob and
perTimeKnob are the corresponding parameters in temporal space. Lower val-
ues imply stricter criteria, which results in smaller, more numerous systems.
This also typically increases the processing time. Recommended values are
given above. These values can be influenced locally, for example around an
island, by defining a mask file sys mask.ww3. Parameters hsKnob and wetPts
are a low-energy and small system filters—all wave systems with an average
DRAFT WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 213

Hm0 below hsKnob or with a size of less than wetPts*100% of the overall do-
main size are purged. Parameters seedLat and seedLon influence the origin
of the wave system search spiral, with default at the center of model domain
(indicated by 0. 0.). At the end of a tracking run, the end state of system
memory is stored in sys restart1.ww3. This file, renamed as sys restart.ww3,
can be used to restart a tracking sequence from this previous system memory
state.
214 WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 DRAFT

4.4.24 The Restart File Processor

Program : ww3 uprstr (ww3uprstr)

Code : ww3 uprstr.ftn
Input : ww3 uprstr.inp (10) Traditional configuration file.
(App. G.22.1)
mod def.ww3 (20) Model definition file.
restart.ww3 () Restart File
XXXX.grbtxt (123) SWH Analysis file in grbtxt format.
Output : restart001.ww3 ( ) Updated restart file.

Introduction
The majority of the observations for the sea surface wave field is observa-
tions of the diagnostic variable: Significant Wave Height (SWH). Therefore,
the wave data assimilation (WDA) often takes space in the SWH space and
subsequently this information has to be transfered to the prognostic space,
wave spectrum (WS) to be imposed as boundary and/or initial condition
(BIC).

Purpose of the ww3 uprstr

Redistribution of the energy from the analysis of the SWH field to the field
of WS saved in the restart file.

Core algorithm
The ww3 uprstr sets the SWH of the background spectra equal to the
SWH of the analysis and modifies the shape of the spectrum according to the
user’s prescibed spectrum shape. The ww3 uprstr has been implemented
as an extension of the restart reader and it requires as inputs: the restart
file, the SWH of the analysis, and the ww3 uprstr.inp (see above) with the
user’s defined options; additional files may be required in order to reduce the
calculations on the fly.

How to Use the ww3 uprstr

To use the ww3 uprstr, the users have to follow the same logic as for all
the WAVEWATCH III programs. In summary:
DRAFT WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 215

1. Download the source code

The ww3 uprstr source code is included to the official WAVEWATCH
III release, starting with the version x.xx.

2. Compile the code

The ww3 uprstr is compiled the same way as all the auxiliary pro-
grams of WAVEWATCH III, see the appropriate section of the manual.
For debugging outputs, use the T flag at the switch file.

3. Test the executable

The regression test ww3 ta1 can be used for testing the different op-
tions of ww3 uprstr.

4. Run the ww3 uprstr

Description of steps to run the ww3 uprstr:

Required Input files:

• Restart file. This file has been created by WW3 during

the hindcast run of the model or during the previous cycle.
Expected filename: restart.ww3.
• mod def.ww3
• ww3 uprstr.inp. This is the input file for the ww3 uprstr.
The users have to define i. the date of the assimilation, ii.
the method of energy redistribution and iii. depending on the
method: a percentage or an inputfile.
• Input file of analysis. The file can have any name, but
the suffix defines the reader used for importing the data.
Currently, the reader supports only grbtxt format. This
is a text file created with wgrib2 from the grib2 file of the
analysis and it has the following structure:

NX NY
VAL0001
VAL0002
...
VAL(NX*NY)
216 WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 DRAFT

• To run the executable:

>$EXE/ww3 uprstr
If all the inputs are correctly prepared, a new restart file
(restart001.ww3) will be created. The ww3 uprstr exports
the updated spectra in the same format as the restart.ww3.
To be applied as BIC for the initialization of the next predic-
tion cycle, it has to be renamed:
>mv restart001.ww3 restart.ww3)
The updated restart file is used as normally.

Tips
• The restart file has to be created with the same WW3 version as the
ww3 uprstr; there is not backwards compatibility.
• The starting time of the assimilation defined at ww3 uprstr.inp has
to be the same with the time at the restart file.
• By using the T, the ww3 uprstr.inp exports the fields of SWH from
the background restart file, the analysis and of the updated restart file.
In addition, the spectra from the restart files before and after and the
update are exported as text files.

Update method
The users have to define the update algorithm of their choice at the
ww3 uprstr.inp. The options for updating the restart file are defined at
the ww3 uprstr.inp with the flag UPD[N], where N could be 0F, 0C, 1, 2,...
For UPDN, with N <2, the same correction is applied to the whole grid;
Expected input: PRCNTG, as defined at fac. For UPDN, with N >1 each
gridpoint has its own update factor and the input is at grb2txt format. For
more details about the current implementation see the 4.4.
The following UPD options are available:

1. UPD0C:: ELIMINATED from version x.xx Option 0C All the

spectra are updated with a constant:
f ac = (SW H Bckg − SW H Anl)/SW H Anl.

2. UPD0F:: Option 0F All the spectra are updated with a constant:

f ac = SW H Anl/SW H Bckg.
DRAFT WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 217

Figure 4.4: Flowchart of the implemented methods for updating the wave
spectra at the WW3 restart file. Additional methods can be implemented by
adding UPD options to the namelist.
218 WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 DRAFT

3. UPD1 :: ELIMINATED from version x.xx Option 1 The

fac(x,y,frq,theta), is weighted according to the % of energy at each
spectral bin; fac the same as UPDOF.

4. UPD2 :: Option 2 The fac(x,y,frq,theta), is calculated at each grid

point according to SWH Bckg and SWH Anl

5. UPD3 :: Option 3 The update factor is a surface with the shape of the
background spectrum.

6. UPD4 :: [NOT INCLUDED in the current version, just keeping the

spot] Option 4 The generalization of the UPD3. The update factor
is the sum of surfaces which are applied on the background spectrum.
The algorithm requires the mapping of each partition on the individual
spectra; the map is used to determine the weighting surfaces.

Any additional method for the redistribution of the energy to the WS

could be added by extending the input file and adding the source code to the
ww3 uprstr.ftn.

Example
In this section, an example of the simplest WDA application is discussed.
The figure 4.5 shows how the ww3 uprstr is used in the framework of a
simple wave analysis system.

A WW3 run (from the previous cycle or from the hindcast) provides the
background field of SWH and the corresponding restart file at the appropriate
time. The format of the background SWH field has to be compatible with
the WDA module inputs.
The WDA module uses the background field and the available observa-
tions for the time of analysis, produces the analysis and exports the field of
SWH in grbtxt format (XXXX.grbtxt) .
The analysis file, the mod def.ww3, the restart.ww3 file and the
ww3 uprstr.inp are the input files for the ww3 uprstr. If all the options
and input files are correctly prepared, it takes approxmately one minute
to update a grid of 260000 grid nodes and generate the output on a single
processor. The updated restart file has to be renamed, at the expected file
name, in the case of this example to restart.ww3.
DRAFT WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 219

Figure 4.5: Flowchart of simplified wave data assimilation system, showing

the role of the ww3 uprstr, the required input files, and the resulted output
of the updated restart file.
220 WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 DRAFT

Note: All NCEP’s WDA systems use GRIB2 format, thereore there is al-
ways an intermediate step to transfer the grib files to the appropriate format.
The used software is WGRIB2 and more information can be retrieve from
the official website.
DRAFT WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 221

group field description file GRIB1 GRIB2

extension data data
1 1 depth .dpt – –
1 2 mean current components .cur – –
1 3 wind speed .wnd 32 0,2,1
wind direction 31 0,2,0
wind u 33 0,2,2
wind v 34 0,2,3
1 4 air-sea temp. dif. .dt – –
1 5 water level .wlv – 10,3,1
1 6 ice coverage .ice 91 10,2,0
2 1 wave height Hs .hs 100 10,0,3
2 2 mean wave length .l – –
2 3 mean wave period Tm0,2 .t02 – –
2 4 mean wave period Tm0,1 .t 103 10,0,15
2 5 mean wave period Tm0,−1 .tm1 – –
2 6 peak frequency fp .fp 108 10,0,11
2 7 mean wave direction θm .dir 101 –
2 8 directional spread σ .spr – –
2 9 peak direction θp .dp 107 10,0,10
4 1 Hs of partition .phs 102,105 10,0,5/8
4 2 Tp of partition .ptp 110,106 10,0,6/9
4 3 Lp of partition .plp – –
4 4 θm of partition .pdir 109,104 10,0,4/7
4 5 σ of partition .psi – –
4 6 wind sea fraction of part. .pws – –
4 7 total wind sea fraction .wsf – –
4 8 number of partitions .pnr – –
5 1 friction velocity comp. .ust – –
5 2 Charnock parR for air side .cha – –
5 3 Energy flux Cg E(f )df .CgE – –
5 4 Wind to wave energy flux .faw – –
5 5 Wave-supported stress .taw – –
5 6 Upward wave-supported stress .twa – –
5 7 Whitecap coeverage .wcc – –
5 8 Avg whitecap foam thickness .wcf – –
5 9 Sign breaking wave height .wch – –
5 10 Whitecap moment .wcm – –

Table 4.1: Field output post processors ancillary data.

222 WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 DRAFT

group field description file GRIB1 GRIB2

extension data data
6 1 radiation stress .Sxy – –
6 2 Breaking wave momentum flux .two – –
6 3 Bernoulli head .J – –
6 4 Breaking wave energy flux .foc – –
6 5 Stokes transport .tus – –
6 6 Surface Stokes drift .uss – –
6 7 Second order pressure at k = 0 .p2s – –
7 1 near-bottom amplitude .cfd – –
7 2 near-bottom velocity .ubr – –
7 3 bedform parameters .bed – –
7 4 Energy flx to bot bound layer .fbb – –
7 5 Momentum flx to bot bound layer .tbb – –
8 1 mean square slopes .mss – –
8 2 Phillips constant .msc – –
9 1 average time step .dtd – –
9 2 cut-off frequency fc .fc – –
9 3 cut-off frequency fc .fc – –
9 4 maximum CFL for X-Y advection .cfx – –
9 5 maximum CFL for θ advection .cfd – –
9 6 maximum CFL for k advection .cfk – –
10 1 user defined #1 .us1 – –
10 2 user defined #2 .us2 – –

Table 4.1, continued.

DRAFT WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 223

5 Install, Compile and Run the wave model

5.1 Introduction

WAVEWATCH III is written in ANSI standard FORTRAN-90, with no

machine-dependent elements, so that WAVEWATCH III can be installed
without modifications on most platforms. WAVEWATCH III utilizes its own
preprocessor to select model options at the compile level, and to switch test
output on or off. This approach proved to be efficient during the development
of WAVEWATCH III, but complicates its installation. To minimize compli-
cations, a set of UNIX/Linux scripts is provided to automate the installation
in general and the use of the preprocessor in particular. Note this option is
not supported for other operation systems like MS products. If the code is
to be compiled on one of the latter platforms, it is suggested to extract a
working code in a UNIX/Linux environment using the utility w3 source (see
below), and then to port this clean code to the platform of choice.

WARNING
If version 6.07 is implemented as an upgrade to previous versions
of WAVEWATCH III, please note that this version may not be
compatible with previous model versions. It is therefore prudent
NOT to install the new version of WAVEWATCH III on top of the
old version.
WARNING

5.2 Distribution

Through version 5.16, WAVEWATCH III public releases were released as

tarballs. After the public release of version 6.07, WAVEWATCH III will
move to an open development paradigm and source code is distributed via
Github.
224 WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 DRAFT

5.3 Installing

To clone the source code

git clone https://github.com/NOAA-EMC/WW3

Public releases can be accessed by checking out tags:

git checkout VERTAG

where VERTAG is the public release tag, for example v6.07.

5.4 Setting up

After cloning the WAVEWATCH III repo, there are two steps to follow.
The first step is to run the script model/bin/w3 setup which will compile
auxiliary programs and setup the environment file wwatch3.env, which will
be stored locally in the bin directory. This file sets options for default C and
FORTRAN compilers which will only be used by the preprocessor. Except
in specific cases, this default setting can be used as is. Running the script
alone will give full usage, or to execute also supply the source dir, which is
the location of the model directory. If you run from the top level directory:

./model/bin/w3 setup model

The setup can be modified by rerunning the w3 setup program, or by

manually editing the setup file. The ‘home’ directory of WAVEWATCH III
can only be changed by editing or removing the local wwatch3.env.
Note that previous versions of WAVEWATCH III required defining the An
advanced option is to define the path of wwatch3.env in the user environment
variable WWATCH3 ENV. This is no longer needed. In addition, there is no
longer an option of a global installation.
The second set of setting up WAVEWATCH III is running the script
/model/bin/ww3 from ftp.sh to obtain binary or large files that are not stored
in the git repository. From the top directory:

./model/bin/ww3 from ftp.sh

DRAFT WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 225

There are three prompts requiring user input in this script. The first asks
for the path the the top level directory, the second asks if you want to delete
the tar file that is copied (likely the answer is n for no) and the last asks to
keep a folder that is used by this script (likely the answer is n for no).

5.5 Directory Structure

After cloning the WAVEWATCH III repository, the following directories are
found on the top level.

manual Manual directory.

model Model source code, build scritps, etc.
regtests WAVEWATCH III executables.
guide Guide for WAVEWATCH III .
smc docs Documentation and files for SMC grids.

The following directories exist in the ‘model’ directory of WAVEWATCH III.

aux Raw auxiliary programs (source codes etc.).

bin Executables and shell scripts for compiling and linking.
ftn Source code and makefile.
inp Input files.
nml Namelist input files.

The following directories are generated in the ‘model’ directory after compil-
ing the code.

exe WAVEWATCH III executables.

mod Module files.
obj Object files.

The aux directory has various additional tools, see the actual directory
for its contents. These include contributed Matlab codes, IDL tools, bash
scripts and GrADS and FORTRAN programs.
Setting up WAVEWATCH III runs the installation the auxiliary programs
will first process FORTRAN codes, using the compiler as defined in the setup
226 WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 DRAFT

file wwatch3.env. Note that these codes are still in fixed format FORTRAN-
77. The executables are stored in the directory bin. A more detailed descrip-
tion of these programs (including instructions on running the executables)
can be found in the documentation included in the above source code files.
After the compilation of these programs, several UNIX shell scripts and aux-
iliary files are installed in the bin directory.

w3adc.f WAVEWATCH III FORTRAN preprocessor.

w3prnt.f Print files (source codes) including page and line
numbers.
w3list.f Generate a generic source code listing.
w3split.f Generate spectral bulletin identifying individual
wave fields within a spectrum from the spectral
output of the point output post-processor (see Sec-
tion 4.4.18). This is a legacy code superseded by
generating bulletins directly from ww3 outp. It is
retained here for historical reasons only.

The bin directory has various UNIX scripts to manage the WAVE-
WATCH III framework. The use of these scripts is explained in Section 5.7.
Note that the following scripts acquire setup information from the WAVE-
WATCH III environment setup file defined by WWATCH3 ENV. Either defined
by w3 setenv which read the local wwatch3.env or by the user environment
file.

Main programs used :

install ww3 tar Script to install WAVEWATCH III from tar files.
w3 setup Script for creating/editing the WAVEWATCH III
environment setup file. The default setup file is
bin/.wwatch3.env. switch and compiler are given in
arguments. (see options)
w3 clean Script to clean up WAVEWATCH III directories by
removing files generated during compilation or test
runs. 3 levels of clean-up. (see options)
w3 make Script to compile and link components of WAVE-
WATCH III using a makefile. A list of programs
can be given in arguments.
DRAFT WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 227

w3 automake Script to automatically compile separately sequen-

tial and distributed programs in MPI, OMP or HYB
depending on the switch file content. A list of pro-
grams can be given in arguments.
w3 new Script to touch all correct source code files to ac-
count for changes in compiler switches in combina-
tion with the makefile.
ww3 gspl.sh Script to automate use of ww3 gspl program (see
Section 4.4.11).
arc wwatch3 tar Program to archive versions of WAVEWATCH III
in the directory arc.
ww3 from ftp.sh Script to download all the binary files not pro-
vided by git.

Examples files provided :

switch xxx Examples of preprocessor switches provided by

users or developers. (Section 5.9)

Subprograms called :

w3 setenv Script to setup the environment based on

bin/.wwatch3.env. Called by all auxiliary programs.
comp.tmpl Compiler script template comp used with cmplr.env.
link.tmpl Link script template link used with cmplr.env.
cmplr.env compiler options tested on intel, mpt, gnu, pgi
with optimized and debugging options. used with
comp.tmpl and link.tmpl
make makefile.sh Script to generate the makefile based on selec-
tions in the file switch.
ad3 Script to run the preprocessor w3adc and the com-
pile script comp for a given source code file.
ad3 test Test version of ad3, showing modifications to origi-
nal source file. This script does not compile code.
all switches Generates a list of all w3adc switches present in the
source code files.
find switch Script to find WAVEWATCH III source code files
containing compiler switches (or arbitrary strings).
228 WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 DRAFT

sort switch Order the switches present in the switch file.

sort all switches Script to search all the switch files in WAVE-
WATCH III and call sort switch.

Extra programs :

comp.xxx Compiler script comp for advanced setting.

link.xxx Link script link for advanced setting.
make MPI Script to separately compile MPI and non-MPI
programs. (obsolete in future releases - use
w3 automake)
make OMP Script to separately compile OpenMP and single
threaded programs. (obsolete in future releases -
use w3 automake)
make HYB Script to separately compile hybrid MPI-OpenMP
and single threaded programs. (obsolete in future
releases - use w3 automake)
ln3 Script to make symbolic link of source code file to
work directory. (not used)
list Script to print source code listing using w3prnt. (not
used)
w3 source Script to generate a true FORTRAN source code
for any of he WAVEWATCH III program elements.
(not used)
WW3 switch process Perl script to process switch from a source file.
(not used)

After installation in the bin directory, several GrADS scripts are installed
in the aux directory.

cbarn.gs Semi-standard GrADS script for displaying color

bars.
colorset.gs Script to define colors used in shading.
profile.gs Script to display profiling data generated by
ww3 multi.
source.gs Script for composite plot of spectra and source
terms (2-D polar or Cartesian plots in color or in
black and white).
DRAFT WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 229

1source.gs Script to plot single source term.

spec.gs Script to plot spectra.
spec ids.gen Data file used by spectral / source scripts.
230 WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 DRAFT

5.6 Optional environment settings

Compilation of the WAVEWATCH III NetCDF enabled programs requires

the environment variable WWATCH3 NETCDF be set to either NC3 (compile with
NetCDF version 3.x) or NC4 (compile with NetCDF version 4.x). If the script
variable is set to WWATCH3 NETCDF = NC3, then the following environment
variables are required

NETCDF LIBDIR Path to where the NetCDF-3 libraries are in-

stalled.
NETCDF INCDIR Path to where the NetCDF-3 include files are
installed.

If WWATCH3 NETCDF = NC4, then the following environment variable is re-

quired.

NETCDF CONFIG Path to the NetCDF-4 nc-config utility program.

The nf-config utility program (part of the NetCDF-4 install or nc-config for
old versions) is used to determine the appropriate compile and link flags
for the WWATCH3 NETCDF = NC4 compile. The NetCDF-4 compile requires
NetCDF version 4.1.1 or higher. Use the command

nf-config --version

to check the version of the installed Fortran-NetCDF library. Compiling with

the NC4 switch requires WWATCH3 NETCDF = NC4 and the NetCDF-4 installa-
tion compiled with the NetCDF-4 API enabled. Use

nf-config --has-nc4

to check if the installed NetCDF has the NetCDF-4 API enabled.

Compilation of the WAVEWATCH III with PDLIB for Domain Decompstion

option for (Explicit/Implicit) triangular unstructed grids requires the envi-
ronment variable METIS PATH be set to the path where Metis and ParMetis
are compiled using the same compiler used for WW3.

Two additional remarks need to be made regarding parallel versions of the

model (OpenMP and MPI versions). First, complications may occur when
DRAFT WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 231

preparing executables for running in an MPI environment. Such complica-

tions are discussed in Appendix C. Secondly, the OpenMP code should be
compiled using directives only, i.e., do not use compiler options that auto-
matically thread the code.

5.7 Compiling and linking

For the first compilation, the WAVEWATCH III environment must be set up
using the script w3 setup with the model directory path in argument. Some
options are available to define the compiler options and the switch file located
in the bin directory. For instance,

w3 setup /home/user/WW3/model -c <comp> -s <switch>

the <comp> keyword can be mpt, intel, gfortran, pgi for optimized com-
pilation options or could be mpt debug, intel debug, gfortran debug,
pgi debug for debugging compilation options. If system-dependant options
are needed, it can be done by modifying the script cmplr.env. Some old
comp/link templates from different clusters are still available but not recom-
mended. The <switch> keyword can be the suffix of a provided switch file
or your own one. Running this script will create these three scripts/files :

comp Compiler script. This script is based on comp.tmpl

with the provided definition of the compiler and its
options.
link Linker script. This script is based on link.tmpl with
the provided definition of the linker and its options.
switch File containing a list of switches as recog-
nized by the preprocessor w3adc. Copied from
switch <switch>.

The environment file wwatch3.env will be created or updated if it already

exists. The auxiliary FORTRAN programs for code prepocessor will be com-
piled using by default the GNU FORTRAN compiler which can be different
to the provided compiler for the WAVEWATCH III programs.
232 WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 DRAFT

The easiest way to compile WAVEWATCH III is using the script w3 automake
to automatically detect which programs to compile and to compile it. It
will force pre- and post-processing programs to be compiled as sequential
implementation and others depending on the switches from openMP, MPI
or hybrid configurations. If the netCDF library is correctly set up, the
netCDF dedicated programs will be also compiled. The same test is done for
SCRIPNC, PDLIB, OASIS, ESMF, TRKNC and TIDE keywords to manage
the program compilation in the best way. For instance,

w3 automake

or for a few programs

w3 automake ww3 grid ww3 shel ww3 ounf

the compiled programs will all be stored in the exe directory with a copy of
the switch, comp and link files used.

In case of troubles during the compilation of a program, the log files will be
stored in a temporary directory which will differs between sequential mode
(tmp SEQ) and distributed mode like MPI (tmp MPI), OMP (tmp OMP) or
hybrid (tmp HYB). There are usually three log files per program:

ww3 <prog>.l full program with only the matching lines of codes
based on the switches and at the end the compila-
tion command line.
ww3 <prog>.out warning messages
ww3 <prog>.err error messages

To remove all user-created files from the WAVEWATCH III framework,

the script w3 clean can be used by only cleaning up the model directory

w3 clean -m

or the full ww3 repository

w3 clean -c
DRAFT WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 233

5.8 Detailled compilation

Compilation of WAVEWATCH III is performed using the script w3 make

in the bin directory12 . If this script is used without parameters, all basic
programs of WAVEWATCH III are compiled. Optionally, names of programs
to be compiled can be given as part of the compile command. For instance
w3 make ww3 grid ww3 strt
will compile the grid preprocessor and the initial conditions program only.
w3 make uses several of the scripts described in the previous section. A
graphical representation is given in Fig. 5.1. If necessary, the script w3 make
uses the scripts make makefile.sh to generate a makefile. make makefile.sh
generates a list of modules to be linked, based on the program switches in
the file switch (see Section 5.9), and checks all needed sources for module
dependencies. If switches have been changed since the last call to w3 make,
w3 new is used to ‘touch’ relevant source code or to delete relevant object
files. After the makefile has been completed, the standard UNIX make utility
is used to compile and link the programs. Instead of directly using the FOR-
TRAN compiler, the makefile invokes the preprocessor and compile scripts
ad3 and comp, and the link script link. The script ad3 uses the extension of
the file name to determine the necessary action. Files with extension .ftn are
processed by w3adc, files with extension .f or .f90 are send to the script comp
directly. Although a user could try out several of these scripts interactively,
he or she generally needs to run w3 make only.

WARNING
The auxiliary scripts w3 make etc. use the switch, comp and link
files from the ./bin directory under the WAVEWATCH III home
directory, NOT from the local directory.

WARNING

After the appropriate changes have been made, or the appropriate example
scripts have been copied in, (parts of) WAVEWATCH III can be compiled
12
Note that before running w3 make several user interventions are needed as described
in the remainder of this section.
234 WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 DRAFT

1
w3 make
1,2,3 1
make makefile.sh w3 new
1 4
make (unix) ad3 w3adc

comp
1
Suitable for interactive use.
2
If makefile does not exist.
3
link
If switch file has been updated.
4 Files with extension .ftn only.

Figure 5.1: General layout of the compiler program w3 make.

and linked. When the program is compiled for the first time, it is suggested
to compile program parts one-by-one to avoid lengthy errors messages, and
to set up error capturing in comp. A good place to start is compilation of
the simple test code ctest. First go to the directory work and make a link
to the source code of this routine by typing

ln3 ctest

This link is made to facilitate later inclusion of errors to test or set-up error
capturing in the script comp. The inner workings of the preprocessor w3adc
can be seen by typing the command

ad3 test ctest

which will show how the actual source code is constructed from ctest.ftn,
include files and program switches. Next, the compilation of this subroutine
can be tested by typing

ad3 ctest 1

which invokes both the preprocessor w3adc and the compile script comp. The
1 at the end of this line activates test output. If it is omitted, this command
should result in a single line of output, identifying that the routine is being
processed. If ad3 works as expected, an object file obj/ctest.o is generated. If
requested during the initial set up, a source code and listing file (ctest.f and
DRAFT WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 235

ctest.l) can be found in the scratch directory. The listing file is also retained
if compilation errors are detected by comp. At this time, it is prudent to test
error capturing in the script comp by adding errors and warnings to ctest.ftn
in the work directory. The error capturing is discussed in some detail in
the documentation of comp. After comp has been tested, and the errors
in ctest.ftn have been removed, the link to the work directory and the file
obj/ctest.o can be deleted.
After a single routine has been compiled successfully, the next step is to
try to compile and link an entire program. The grid preprocessor can be
compiled by typing
w3 make ww3 grid
If the compilation appears successful, and if the input files have been installed
(see above), the grid preprocessor can be tested by typing
ww3 grid
in the work directory. If the input files have been installed, a link to the
input file ww3 grid.inp will be present in the work directory, and the grid
preprocessor will run and send its output to the screen. Output files of the
grid preprocessor will appear in the work directory. When a program is
compiled for the first time, the operating system might not be able to find
the executable. If this occurs, try to type
rehash
or open a new shell to work from. In this way all separate programs can be
compiled and tested. To clean up all temporarily files (such as listings) and
data files of the test runs, type
w3 clean
Note that w3 make only checks the switch file for changes. If the user changes
the compile options in the compile and link scripts comp and link, it is advised
to force the recompilation of the entire program. This can be achieved by
typing
w3 new all or w3 new
before invoking w3 make. This might also be useful if the compilation is
unsuccessful for no apparent reason.
236 WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 DRAFT

5.9 Selecting model options

The file switch in the bin directory contains a set of strings identifying model
options to be selected. Many options are available. Of several groups of
options it is mandatory to select exactly one. These mandatory switches are
described in Section 5.9.1. Other switches are optional, and are described
in Section 5.9.2. Default model setting are identified in Section 5.9.3. The
order in which the switches appear in switch is arbitrary. How these switches
are included in the source code files is described in Section 6.2.

5.9.1 Mandatory switches

Of each of the below groups of switches exactly one has to be selected.

The first group of switches controls the selection of machine-dependent code.
With the introduction of FORTRAN-90 this set of switches should have be-
come obsolete. Problems with some compilers have prompted the retention
of the second switch.

f90 FORTRAN-90 style date and time capturing and program

abort.
dum Dummy to be used if WAVEWATCH III is to be installed
on previously untried hardware.

Hardware model (first group) and message passing protocol (second group).
Note that these two groups share a switch. This implies that the mpi switch
can only be used in combination with the dist switch.

shrd Shared memory model.

dist Distributed memory model.

shrd Shared memory model, no message passing.

mpi Message Passing Interface (MPI).

Selection of propagation schemes and GSE alleviation method. These repre-

sent two sets of switches with some shared switches between the groups. Note
that the second set of switches is secondary to the selection of program mod-
ules in the first set of switches, and therefore, does not have a user-defined
option.
DRAFT WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 237

pr0 No propagation scheme / GSE alleviation used.

pr1 First order propagation scheme, no GSE alleviation.
pr2 Higher-order schemes with Booij and Holthuijsen (1987)
dispersion correction.
pr3 Higher-order schemes with Tolman (2002a) averaging tech-
nique.
prx Experimental (user supplied).

pr0 No propagation scheme used.

pr1 First-order propagation scheme.
uno Second-order (UNO) propagation scheme.
uq Third-order (UQ) propagation scheme.

Selection of flux computation:

flx0 No routine used; flux computation included in source

terms,
flx1 Friction velocity according to Eq. (2.56).
flx2 Friction velocity from Tolman and Chalikov input.
flx3 Idem, with cap of Eq. (2.78) or (2.79).
flx4 Friction velocity according to Eq. (2.138).
flxx Experimental (user supplied).

Selection of linear input:

ln0 No linear input.

seed Spectral seeding of Eq. (3.70).
ln1 Cavaleri and Malanotte-Rizzoli with filter.
lnx Experimental (user supplied).

Selection of input and dissipation. stabn switches are optional and addi-
tional to corresponding stn switch:

st0 No input and dissipation used.

st1 WAM3 source term package.
st2 Tolman and Chalikov (1996) source term package. See also
the optional stab2 switch.
stab0 No stability correction. Compatible with any source term
(st) package. Including this switch has no effect.
238 WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 DRAFT

stab2 Enable stability correction (2.95) - (2.98). Compatible with

st2 only.
st3 WAM4 and variants source term package.
stab3 Enable stability correction from Abdalla and Bidlot (2002).
Compatible with st3 and st4 only.
st4 Ardhuin et al. (2010) source term package.
st6 BYDRZ source term package.
stx Experimental (user supplied).

Selection of nonlinear interactions:

nl0 No nonlinear interactions used.

nl1 Discrete interaction approximation (DIA).
nl2 Exact interaction approximation (WRT).
nl3 Generalized Multiple DIA (GMD).
nl4 Two-scale approximation (TSA).
nlx Experimental (user supplied).

Selection of bottom friction:

bt0 No bottom friction used.

bt1 JONSWAP bottom friction formulation.
bt4 SHOWEX bottom friction formulation.
bt8 Dalrymple and Liu formulation (fluid mud seafloor).
bt9 Ng formulation (fluid mud seafloor).
btx Experimental (user supplied).

Selection of term for damping by sea ice:

ic0 No damping by sea ice.

ic1 Simple formulation.
ic2 Liu et al. formulation.
ic3 Wang and Shen formulation.
ic4 Frequency-dependent damping by sea ice.

Selection of term for scattering by sea ice:

is0 No scattering by sea ice.

is1 Diffusive scattering by sea ice (simple).
is2 Floe-size dependent scattering and dissipation.
DRAFT WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 239

Selection of term for reflection:

ref0 No reflection.
ref1 Enables reflection of shorelines and icebergs

Selection depth-induced breaking of :

db0 No depth-induced breaking used.

db1 Battjes-Janssen.
dbx Experimental (user supplied).

Selection of triad interactions:

tr0 No triad interactions used.

tr1 Lumped Triad Interaction (LTA) method.
trx Experimental (user supplied).

Selection of bottom scattering:

bs0 No bottom scattering used.

bs1 Magne and Ardhuin.
bsx Experimental (user supplied).

Selection of supplemental source term:

xx0 No supplemental source term used.

xxx Experimental (user supplied).

Selection of method of wind interpolation (time):

wnt0 No interpolation.
wnt1 Linear interpolation.
wnt2 Approximately quadratic interpolation.

Selection of method of wind interpolation (space):

wnx0 Vector interpolation.

wnx1 Approximately linear speed interpolation.
wnx2 Approximately quadratic speed interpolation.

Selection of method of current interpolation (time):

crt0 No interpolation.
240 WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 DRAFT

crt1 Linear interpolation.

crt2 Approximately quadratic interpolation.
Selection of method of current interpolation (space):
crx0 Vector interpolation
crx1 Approximate linear speed interpolation.
crx2 Approximate quadratic speed interpolation.
Switch for user supplied GRIB package.
nogrb No package included.
ncep1 NCEP GRIB1 package for IBM SP.
ncep2 NCEP GRIB2 package for IBM SP.

5.9.2 Optional switches

All switches below activate model behavior if selected, but do not require
particular combinations. The following switches control optional output for
WAVEWATCH III programs.

o0 Output of namelists in grid preprocessor.

o1 Output of boundary points in grid preprocessor.
o2 Output of the grid point status map in grid preprocessor.
o2a Generation of land-sea mask file mask.ww3 in grid prepro-
cessor.
o2b Output of obstruction map in grid preprocessor.
o2c Print status map in format as read by ww3 grid.
o3 Additional output in loop over fields in field preprocessor.
o4 Print plot of normalized one-dimensional energy spectrum
in initial conditions program.
o5 Id. two-dimensional energy spectrum.
o6 Id. spatial distribution of wave heights (not adapted for
distributed memory).
o7 Echo input data for homogeneous fields in generic shell.
o7a Diagnostic output for output points.
o7b Idem in ww3 multi.
o8 Filter field output for extremely small wave heights in wave
model (useful for some propagation tests).
DRAFT WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 241

o9 Assign a negative wave height to negative energy in wave

model. Used in testing phase of new propagation schemes.
o10 Identify main elements of multi-grid model extensions in
standard output.
o11 Additional log output on management algorithm in
log.mww3.
o12 Identify removed boundary points in overlapping grids (cen-
ter).
o13 Identify removed boundary points in overlapping grids
(edge).
o14 Generate log file with buoy data buoy log.ww3 for output
type ITYPE = 0 in ww3 outp.
o15 Generate log file with time stamps of input data file
times.XXX in ww3 prep.
o16 Generate GrADS output of grid partitioning in ww3 gspl.

The following switches enable parallelization of the model using OpenMP di-
rectives, also known as ‘threading’. Before model version 5.01, threading and
parallelization using the mpi switch could no be used simultaneously. With
version 5.01, pure MPI,pure OMP and hybrid MPI-OMP approaches became
available. Switches used in version 5.01 and higher are not compatible with
switches used in previous model versions.
ompg General loop parallelization directives used for both exclu-
sive OpenMP parallelization and hybrid MPI-OpenMP par-
allelization.
ompx Idem, but for directives used only for exclusive OpenMP
parallelization.
omph Idem, but for directives used only for hybrid MPI-OpenMP
parallelization.
pdlib Domain Decomposition for Explicit and Implicit Solver on
triangular unstructured grids. (ParMetis is required for
this option)
Note that these switches can only be used in certain combinations, as enforced
in the model installation scripts (particularly make makefile.sh. A pure MPI
approach requires the dist and mpi switches. A pure OpenMP approach re-
quires the shrd, ompg and ompx switches, and the hybrid approach requires
the dist, mpi, ompg, and omph switches.
242 WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 DRAFT

The following switches are associated with the continuously moving grid op-
tions. The first switch activates the option, the other two are optional addi-
tions.

mgp Activate propagation correction in Eq. (3.45).

mgw Apply wind correction in moving grid approach.
mgg Activate GSE alleviation correction in Eq. (3.48).

The following compiler dependent switches are available. They may not have
been maintained for recent compiler versions.

c90 Compiler directives for Cray C90 (vectorization).

nec Compiler directives for NEC SX6/SX8 (vectorization).

Furthermore the following miscellaneous switches are available:

arc Arctic grid option for SMC grid13 .

cou Activates the calculation of variables required for coupling
dss0 Switch off frequency dispersion in diffusive dispersion cor-
rection.
fld1 Sea-state dependent τ Reichl et al. (2014) (Section 2.5.2).
fld2 Sea-state dependent τ Donelan et al. (2012) (Sec-
tion 2.5.3).
ig1 Second-order spectrum and free infragravity waves (Sec-
tion 2.4.9.
mlim Use Miche-style shallow water limiter of Eq. (3.71).
mpibdi Experimental parallelization of multi-grid model initializa-
tion.
mpit Test output for MPI initializations.
mprf Profiling of individual models and nesting in ww3 multi.
nc4 Activates the NetCDF-4 API in the NetCDF pre- and post-
processing programs.
ncc NCEP coupler.
nco Code modifications for operational implementation at
NCO (NCEP Central Operations). Mostly changes unit
numbers and file names. Not recommended for general
use.
nls Activate nonlinear smoother (Section 2.3.6).
13
Not yet fully tested according to author.
DRAFT WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 243

nnt Generate file test data nnn.ww3 with spectra and nonlin-
ear interactions for training and testing of NNIA.
oasis Initializes OASIS Coupler (App. E.3).
oasacm OASIS atmospheric model coupling fields(App. E.3).
oasocm OASIS oceanic model coupling fields (App. E.3).
oasicm OASIS sea ice model coupling fields (App. E.3).
refrx Enables refraction based on spatial gradients in phase ve-
locity (Section 2.4.3)
reft Test output for shoreline reflection (which is activated with
ref1).
rtd Rotated grid option.
rwnd Correct wind speed for current velocity.
s Enable subroutine tracing in the main WAVEWATCH III
subroutines by activating calls to the subroutine strace.
scrip Enable SCRIP remapping routines (App. D.3)
scripnc Enable storage of remapping weights in NetCDF files
(App. D.3)
sec1 Enable the use of global time steps less than 1 s, but does
not allow output at time steps less than 1 s.
smc Activate SMC grid.
t Enable test output throughout the program(s).
tn Id.
tdyn Dynamic increment of swell age in diffusive dispersion cor-
rection (test cases only).
tide Enables tidal analysis: used for pre-processing of input files,
run-time tidal prediction in ww3 shel or tidal prediction
with ww3 prtide.
tidet test output for tidal analysis.
trknc Activates the NetCDF API in the wave system tracking
post-processing program. Selecting TRKNC alone will gen-
erate NetCDF-3 files. Selecting both TRKNC and NC4 will
generate NetCDF-4 files.
uost Enable the unresolved obstacles source term.
xw0 Swell diffusion only in ULTIMATE QUICKEST scheme.
xw1 Id. wave growth diffusion only.
244 WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 DRAFT

5.9.3 Default model settings

Up to model version 3.14, the NCEP operational model setup was considered
as the default model setup. However, with subsequent versions of WAVE-
WATCH III, the model has evolved into a modeling framework rather than
a single model. With this, WAVEWATCH III is run differently at various
centers, and a clear “default” model version can no longer be identified. Nev-
ertheless, in order to be able to concisely identify in publications exactly
which model setup is used, “default” configurations of various centers are now
provided in the bin directory. These configurations are provided in example
switch files and README files, such as switch NCEP st2 and README.NCEP.
Note that these files are provided to simplify referring to model version, but
do not imply an endorsement of the specific model configuration.; in this
context, it should be noted that by nature, model versions at operational
centers are in a continuous state of development.

5.10 Modifying the source code

Source code can obviously be modified by editing the source code files in the
ftn directory. However, it is usually more convenient to modify source code
files from the work directory work. This can be done by generating a link
between the ftn and work directories. Such a link can be generated by typing
ln3 filename
where filename is the name of a source code or include file, with or without
its proper extension. Working from the work directory is recommended for
several reasons. First, the program can be tested from the same directory,
because of similar links to the input files. Secondly, links to the relevant
switch, compile and link programs are also available in this directory. Third,
it makes it easy to keep track of files which have been changed (i.e., only
those files to which links have been created might have been changed), and
finally, source codes will not disappear if files (links) are accidentally removed
from the work directory.
Modifying source codes is straightforward. Adding new switches to ex-
isting subroutines, or adding new modules requires modification of the au-
tomated compilation scripts. If a new subroutine is added to an existing
DRAFT WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 245

module, no modifications are necessary. If a new module is added to WAVE-

WATCH III, the following steps are required to include it in the automatic
compilation:

1) Add the file name to sections 2.b and c of make makefile.sh to

assure that the file is included in the makefile under the correct
conditions.
2) Modify section 3.b of this script accordingly to assure that the
proper module dependency is checked. Note that the dependency
with the object code is checked, allowing for multiple or inconsis-
tent module names in the file.
3) Run script interactively to assure that makefile is updated.

For details of inclusion, see the actual scripts. Adding a new switch to the
compilation systems requires the following actions:

1) Put switch in required source code files.

2) If the switch is part of a new group of switches, add a new ’key-
word’ to w3 new.
3) Update files to be touched in w3 new if necessary.
4) Update make makefile.sh with the switch and/or keyword.

These modifications need only be made if the switch selects program parts.
For test output etc., it is sufficient to simply add the switch to the source
code. Finally, adding an old switch to an additional subroutine requires these
actions:

1) Update files to be touched in w3 new.

If WAVEWATCH III is modified, it is convenient to maintain copies of

previous versions of the code and of the compilation scripts. To simplify this,
an archive script (arc wwatch3) is provided. This script generates tar files that
can be reinstalled by the install program install wwatch3. The archive files
are gathered in the directory arc. The names of the archive files can contain
user defined identifiers (if no identifier is used, the name will be identical
to the original WAVEWATCH III files). The archive program is invoked by
typing

arc wwatch3
246 WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 DRAFT

The interactive input to this script is self-explanatory. An archive file can be

re-installed by copying the corresponding tar files to the WAVEWATCH III
home directory, renaming them to the file names expected by the install
program, and running the install program.
For co-developers using the NCEP svn repository, changes in the code
should be made using the best practices as outlined in (Tolman, 2014c).

5.11 Running test cases

If WAVEWATCH III is installed and compiled successfully, it can be tested

by running different program elements interactively. To do this, create a
top level directory called work and copy the input files in the model/inp or
model/nml directories. A generic switch file is no longer provided, but a
switch file can be chosen from the bin directory and then test the example
input files. It should therefore be possible to run all model elements by typing

ww3 grid | more

ww3 strt | more
ww3 bound | more
ww3 prep | more
ww3 shel | more
ww3 outf | more
ww3 outp | more
ww3 ounf | more
ww3 ounp | more
ww3 trck | more
ww3 grib | more
gx outf | more
gx outp | more

where the more command is added to allow for on-screen inspection of the
output. This | more can be replaced by redirection to an output file, e.g.

ww3 grid > ww3 grid.out

Note that ww3 grib will only provide GRIB output if a user-supplied packing
routine is linked in. Note furthermore that no simple interactive test case
DRAFT WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 247

for ww3 multi is provided. GrADS can then be run from the work directory
to generate graphical output for these calculations. All intermediate output
files are placed in the work directory, and can be removed conveniently by
typing
w3 clean
Up to version 3.14, WAVEWATCH III was provided with a set of simple
tests to established assess the proper behavior of the basic functionality of
the model. In the early development of the next release of the model, Erick
Rogers and Tim Campbell converted these in regression tests that could be
run more easily in an automated version. Up to model version 4.06, these
modified tests were gathered in the nrltest directory, while keeping the old
tests in the test directory. In model version 4.07, the nrltest were adopted as
the new test cases for WAVEWATCH III in a new regtests directory, while
eventually the remaining real-world test cases in test were moved to the cases
directory, while discontinuing the test directory completely. The following
regression tests are available in the regtests directory.

ww3 tp1.1 1D propagation around the world along the equator

(no land).
ww3 tp1.2 1D propagation, along meridian (no land).
ww3 tp1.3 1D propagation, shoaling test.
ww3 tp1.4 1D propagation, spectral refraction (x).
ww3 tp1.5 1D propagation, spectral refraction (y).
ww3 tp1.6 1D propagation, wave blocking by current.
ww3 tp1.7 1D propagation, IG wave generation.
ww3 tp1.8 1D propagation, wave breaking on a beach.
ww3 tp1.9 1D propagation, Beji and Battjes (1993) barred
flume case.
ww3 tp2.1 2D propagation under angle with grid.
ww3 tp2.2 2D propagation over half the globe without land
(with directional spread).
ww3 tp2.3 2D propagation, GSE test.
ww3 tp2.4 2D propagation, East Pacific curvilinear grid test.
ww3 tp2.5 2D propagation, Arctic Grid, curvilinear grid test.
ww3 tp2.6 2D propagation, Limon Harbor unstructured grid
test.
ww3 tp2.7 Reflection on a 2D unstructured grid.
248 WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 DRAFT

ww3 tp2.8 Tidal constituents on a 2D regular grid.

ww3 tp2.9 Tests for obstruction grids.
ww3 tp2.10 Tests for SMC grid.
ww3 tp2.11 Tests for rotated grid.
ww3 tp2.12 Test for system tracking.
ww3 tp2.13 Test for propagation under angle with grid (tripole)
ww3 tp2.14 Test for toy-model using OASIS coupler.
ww3 tp2.15 Test for space-time extremes parameters.
ww3 tp2.16 Two-dimensional propagation on SMC grid with
ARC option
ww3 tp2.17 Unstructured grid with Card Deck vs Domain De-
compostion for Explicit vs Implicit schemes
ww3 tp2.16 Test for two-dimensional SMC propagation with
Arctic pole handling
ww3 ts1 Source term test, time limited growth.
ww3 ts2 Source term test, fetch limited growth.
ww3 ts3 Source term test, hurricane with single moving grid.
ww3 ts4 Source term test, unresolved obstacles.
ww3 tic1.1 Wave-ice interaction, 1D test of Sice .
ww3 tic1.2 Wave-ice interaction, 1D test of “shoaling” effect.
ww3 tic1.3 Wave-ice interaction, 1D test of refraction effect.
ww3 tic1.4 Wave-ice interaction, 1D test with ice floes and ice
thickness.
ww3 tic2.1 Wave-ice interaction, 2D test of Sice .
ww3 tic2.2 Wave-ice interaction, 2D test with non-uniform ice.
ww3 tic2.3 Wave-ice interaction, 2D test with uniform ice with
increasing thickness.
ww3 tbt1.1 Wave-mud interaction, 1D test of Smud .
ww3 tbt2.1 Wave-mud interaction, 2D test of Smud .
ww3 tpt1.1 Tests for alternative spectral partitioning methods.
ww3 ta1 ww3 uprstrt, update the restart file of homogeneous
conditions (1 point model)
mww3 test 01 Test for expanded grid mask with wetting and dry-
ing, etc.
mww3 test 02 Two-way nesting test with single inner grid.
mww3 test 03 Overlapping grids and two-way nesting tests (6-grid
version with beach in high-resolution grids.)
mww3 test 04 Current or sea-mount test for two-way nesting with
DRAFT WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 249

stationary swell conditions.

mww3 test 05 Three nested hurricane grids with moving grids test.
mww3 test 06 Tests for irregular grid(s) w/ ww3 multi.
mww3 test 07 Tests for unstructured grid(s) w/ ww3 multi.
mww3 test 08 Tests with wind and ice input.

These regression tests are now run using the run test script in the regtests/bin
directory (primary author: Tim Campbell). How to run this script, including
options, is shown by running
run test -h
The output of running this command is shown here in Fig. 5.2. The test cases
are stored in directories under the regtests directory, e.g. regtests/ww3 tp1.1.
For example, the contents of /ww3 tp1.1 might be

info A file containing information about the test case.

input A permanent directory containing input files for the
test case.
work PR3 A scratch directory for model output (in this exam-
ple, filename is such because the user had specified
“run test -w work PR3 ...”).

Also provided now is a matrix if regression tests, used by the code developers
to assure that new model versions do not break older model versions. The
core of this matrix is the file regtests/bin/matrix.base. An example of how to
run this is given in regtests/bin/matrix zeus HLT, which is Hendrik’s driver
for the matrix at the NCEP Zeus R&D computer14 . To run this, make a link
to it in the regtests directory and execute after setting the desired option
flags in the script. This will make a file matrix in retests, which can then be
run interactively or in batch mode as desired. The file can also be manually
edited further if so desired. The bin directory under regtests contains the
following tools.

cleanup Cleanup work directories.

comp switch Compare switches inside and across test cases.
comp switch -h provides documentation.
14
Please build your own driver for your own setup using this as a blueprint, rather than
editing this file.
250 WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 DRAFT

matrix.base Core script to generate matrix of test cases.

matrix.comp Script to compare output of matrix of test cases
between separately checked out model versions.
matrix zeus HLT Example of driver for matrix.base.
run test Basic test script as described above.

Note that efficient running of the matrix of regression tests requires a min-
imization of the need to recompile code between regression tests. This is
achieved by the ordering of the regression tests in matrix.base. A way to as-
sure that identical switch files are identified as such is to systematically sort
them. This can be done with the script sort switch in the main bin directory.
This script will add default values of missing switches and can also be used
to remove or add switches from the file. Run

comp switch -h

for documentation of the script.

Finally, the cases directory hold the real-world test cases as described below.

mww3 case 01 Atlantic case with five grids focusing on Trondheim.

mww3 case 02 Pacific case with three grids focusing on Alaska.
mww3 case 03 Original multi-grid case used as global model at
NCEP.

Each of these cases is a single script executing the entire model run. Before
executing the script, compile the model with the switches indicated in the
documentation at the head of the script. Additional data used by these
scripts is contained in the directories

mww3 data 00 Wind fields and ice data used by all example cases.
mww3 data nn Specific data needed for script mww3 case nn.

These examples can be used as blueprints for setting up other real model
applications.
DRAFT WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 251

Usage: run_test [options] source_dir test_name

Required:
source_dir : path to top-level of WW3 source
test_name : name of test case (directory)
Options:
-a ww3_env : use WW3 environment setup file <ww3_env>
: *default is <source_dir>/bin/wwatch3.env
: *file will be created if it does not already exist
-c cmplr : setup comp & link files for specified cmplr
-C coupl : invoke test using <coupl> coupled application
: OASIS : OASIS3-mct ww3_shel coupled application
: ESMF : ESMF ww3_multi coupled application
-d : invoke main program using gdb (non-parallel)
-e : prompt for changes to existing WW3 environment
-f : force pre- and post-processing programs to be compiled
: non-MPI (i.e., with SHRD switch); default is all programs
: compiled with unmodified switch settings
-g grid_string : use ww3_grid_<grid_string>.inp
-G : create GrADS data files using gx_outX.inp
-h : print usage and exit
-i inpdir : use inputs in test_name/<inpdir> (default test_name/input)
-m grid_set : execute multi-model test
: *grid names are obtained from input/<grid_set>
: *ww3_multi_<grid_set> will execute instead of ww3_shel
: *to execute a single model test case with ww3_multi use
: grid_set = none
-n nproc : specify <nproc> processors for parallel run
: *some <runcmd> programs do not require <nproc>
: *ignored if -p <runcmd> or -O is not specified
-N : use namelist (.nml) input instead of .inp (if available)
-o outopt : limit output post-processing based on <outopt>
: native : post-process only native output
: netcdf : post-process only NetCDF output
: both : post-process both native and NetCDF output
: * default is native
: * note that required input files must be present for
: selected output post-processing to occur
-O : parallel run using OpenMP paradigm and OMP_NUM_THREADS
environment variable and number of processors defined with
the -n np option
-p runcmd : run in parallel using <runcmd> to start program
: *MPICH or OpenMPI: mpirun or mpiexec (default <nproc> = 1)
: *IBM with Loadleveler: poe (no <nproc> required)
: *LSF: mpirun.lsf (no <nproc> required)
-q program : exit script after program <program> executes
-r program : only execute program <program>
-s switch_string : use switch_<switch_string>
-S : create stub file <finished>. with end data and time.
tests not executed if file is found.
-t nthrd : Threading option. (this is system dependant and can be used
: only for the hybrid option)
-w work_dir : run test case in test_name/work_dir (default test_name/work)

Figure 5.2: Options for run test, as obtained by running it with the -h com-
mand line option.
252 WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 DRAFT

6 System documentation

6.1 Introduction

In this chapter a brief system documentation is presented. Discussed are the

custom preprocessor used by WAVEWATCH III (Section 6.2), the contents
of the different source code files (Section 6.3), optimization (Section 6.4), and
the internal data storage (Section 6.5). For a more elaborate documentation,
reference is made to the source code itself, which is fully documented.

6.2 The preprocessor

The WAVEWATCH III source code files are not ready to use FORTRAN
files; mandatory and optional program options still have to be selected, and
test output may be activated15 . Compile level options are activated using
‘switches’. The arbitrary switch ’swt’ is included in the WAVEWATCH III
files as comment of the form !/swt, where the switch name swt is followed
by a space or by a ’/’. If a switch is selected, the preprocessor removes the
comment characters, thus activating the corresponding source code line. If ’/’
follows the switch, it is also removed, thus allowing the selective inclusion of
hardware-dependent compiler directives etc. The switches are case sensitive,
and available switches are presented in Section 5.9. Files which contain the
switch c/swt can be found by typing

find switch ’!/SWT’

A list of all switches included in the WAVEWATCH III files can be obtained
by typing

all switches

15
Exceptions are some modules that are not originally part of WAVEWATCH III, like
the exact interaction modules. Such modules with the extension .f of .f90 bypass the
preprocessor and get copied to the work directory with the .f extension.
DRAFT WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 253

0 1
constants.ftn’ constants.f’
’F90 NOGRB SHRD PR3 UQ FLX2 LN1 ST2 STAB2
NL1 BT1 DB1 MLIM TR0 BS0 XX0 WNX1 WNT1 CRX1 CRT1
O0 O1 O2 O3 O4 O5 O6 O7 O11 O14’

Figure 6.1: Example input for w3adc.

Pre-processing is performed by the program w3adc. This program is found

in the file w3adc.f, which contains a ready to compile FORTRAN source
code and a full documentation16 . Various properties of w3adc are set in
parameter statements in w3adc.f, i.e., the maximum length of switches,
the maximum number of include files, the maximum number of lines in an
include file and the line length. w3adc reads its ‘commands’ from standard
input. An example input file for w3adc is given in Fig. 6.1. Line-by-line, the
input consists of

→ Test indicator and compress indicator.

→ File names of the input and output code.
→ Switches to be turned on in a single string (see Section 5.9).
→ Additional lines with include files can be given, but these are no longer
used in the automated compile system.

A test indicator 0 disables test output, and increasing values increase the
detail of the test output. A compress indicator 0 leaves the file as is. A
compress indicator 1 results in the removal of all comment lines indicated
by ’!’, except for empty switches, i.e., lines starting with ’!/’. A compress
indicator 2 results in the subsequent removal of all comments. Comment
lines are not allowed in this input file. The above input for w3adc is read
using free format. Therefore quotes are needed around strings. Echo and
test output is send to the standard output device. To facilitate the use of
the preprocessor, several UNIX scripts are provided with WAVEWATCH III
16
Presently still in fixed-format FORTRAN-77.
254 WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 DRAFT

as discussed in Section 5.7. Note that compiler directives are protected from
file compression by defining them using a switch.

6.3 Program files

The WAVEWATCH III source code files are stored in files with the extension
ftn17 . Starting with version 2.00, the code has been organized in modules.
Only the main programs are not packaged in modules. Originally, variables
were bundled with the code modules, resulting in a single static data struc-
ture. In model version 3.06, a separate dynamical data structure was intro-
duced, allow for the presence of multiple wave grids in a single program, as
a preparation for the development of the the multi-grid model driver.
The subroutines contained in the modules are described in some detail
below. The relation between the various subroutines is graphically depicted
in Figs. 6.2 and 6.3. Three groups of codes are considered. The first are
the main wave model subroutine modules, which are generally identified by
the file name structure w3xxxxmd.ftn. These modules are described in Sec-
tion 6.3.1. The second group consists of modules specific to the multi-grid
wave model driver, which are generally identified by the file name structure
wmxxxxmd.ftn. These modules are described in Section 6.3.2. The final group
consists of auxiliary programs and wave model drivers, and is described in
Section 6.3.4. Section 6.3.3 briefly describes the data assimilation module.

6.3.1 Wave model modules

At the core of the wave model are the wave model initialization module and
the wave model module.

Main wave model initialization module w3initmd.ftn

w3init The initialization routine w3init, which

prepares the wave model for computations
(internal).
w3mpii MPI initialization (internal).
17
with the exception of some modules provided by others.
DRAFT WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 255

w3mpio MPI initialization for I/O (internal).

w3mpip MPI initialization for I/O (internal, point
output only).
Main wave model module w3wavemd.ftn
w3wave The actual wave model w3wave.
w3gath Data transpose to gather data for spatial
propagation in a single array (internal).
w3scat Corresponding scatter operation (internal).
w3nmin Calculate minimum number of sea points
per processor (internal).
The main wave model routines and all other subroutines require a data struc-
ture to exist. The data structure is contained in the following modules.

Define model grids and parameter settings w3gdatmd.ftn

w3nmod Set number of grids to be considered.
w3dimx Set dimensions for spatial grid and allocate
storage.
w3dims Set dimensions for spectral grid and allo-
cate storage.
w3setg Set pointers to selected grid.
w3dimug Set dimensions for arrays specific to the
triangle-based grids (grid connectivity ...).
w3gntx Develop unstructured grid structures.
Dynamic wave data describing sea state w3wdatmd.ftn
w3ndat Set number of grids to be considered.
w3dimw Set dimensions and allocate storage.
w3setw Set pointers to selected grid.
Auxiliary storage w3adatmd.ftn
w3naux Set number of grids to be considered.
w3dima, w3xdma, w3dmnl
Set dimensions and allocate storage.
w3seta, w3xeta
Set pointers to selected grid.
256 WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 DRAFT

Model output w3odatmd.ftn

w3nout Set number of grids to be considered.

w3dmo2, w3dmo3, w3dmo5
Set dimensions and allocate storage.
w3seto Set pointers to selected grid.

Model input w3idatmd.ftn

w3ninp Set number of grids to be considered.

w3dimi Set dimensions and allocate storage.
w3seti Set pointers to selected grid.

The configuration files such as traditional form (.inp) and namelist form
(.nml) are processed differently in the program. The traditional configuration
file is directly read in the main program. The namelist configuration file is
read by the subroutines in the following modules.

Grid preprocessor namelist module w3nmlgridmd.ftn

w3nmlgrid Read and report all the namelists.

read spectrum nml Init and save values to a derived type.
read run nml Init and save values to a derived type.
read timesteps nml Init and save values to a derived type.
read grid nml Init and save values to a derived type.
read rect nml Init and save values to a derived type.
read curv nml Init and save values to a derived type.
read unst nml Init and save values to a derived type.
read smc nml Init and save values to a derived type.
read mask nml Init and save values to a derived type.
read obst nml Init and save values to a derived type.
read slope nml Init and save values to a derived type.
read sed nml Init and save values to a derived type.
read inbound nml Init and save values to a derived type.
read excluded nml Init and save values to a derived type.
read outbound nml Init and save values to a derived type.
report spectrum nml Output default and user-defined values.
report run nml Output default and user-defined values.
report timesteps nml Output default and user-defined values.
DRAFT WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 257

report grid nml Output default and user-defined values.

report rect nml Output default and user-defined values.
report curv nml Output default and user-defined values.
report smc nml Output default and user-defined values.
report depth nml Output default and user-defined values.
report mask nml Output default and user-defined values.
report obst nml Output default and user-defined values.
report slope nml Output default and user-defined values.
report sed nml Output default and user-defined values.
report inbound nml Output default and user-defined values.
report excluded nml Output default and user-defined values.
report outbound nml Output default and user-defined values.

NetCDF boundary conditions namelist module w3nmlbouncmd.ftn

w3nmlbounc Read and report all the namelists.

read bound nml Init and save values to a derived type.
report bound nml Output default and user-defined values.

NetCDF input field preprocessor namelist module w3nmlprncmd.ftn

w3nmlprnc Read and report all the namelists.

read forcing nml Init and save values to a derived type.
read file nml Init and save values to a derived type.
report forcing nml Output default and user-defined values.
report file nml Output default and user-defined values.

Generic shell namelist module w3nmlshelmd.ftn

w3nmlshel Read and report all the namelists.

read domain nml Init and save values to a derived type.
read input nml Init and save values to a derived type.
read output type nml Init and save values to a derived type.
read output date nml Init and save values to a derived type.
read homogeneous nml Init and save values to a derived type.
report domain nml Output default and user-defined values.
258 WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 DRAFT

report input nml Output default and user-defined values.

report output type nml Output default and user-defined values.
report output date nml Output default and user-defined values.
report homogeneous nml Output default and user-defined values.

Multi-grid shell namelist module w3nmlmultimd.ftn

w3nmlmultidef Set the number of model and forcing grids.

w3nmlmulticonf Read and report all the namelists.
read domain nml Init and save values to a derived type.
read input grid nml Init and save values to a derived type.
read model grid nml Init and save values to a derived type.
read output type nml Init and save values to a derived type.
read output date nml Init and save values to a derived type.
read homogeneous nml Init and save values to a derived type.
report domain nml Output default and user-defined values.
report input grid nml Output default and user-defined values.
report model grid nml Output default and user-defined values.
report output type nml Output default and user-defined values.
report output date nml Output default and user-defined values.
report homogeneous nml Output default and user-defined values.

Gridded output NetCDF post-processor namelist module w3nmlounfmd.ftn

w3nmlounf Read and report all the namelists.

read field nml Init and save values to a derived type.
read file nml Init and save values to a derived type.
read smc nml Init and save values to a derived type.
report field nml Output default and user-defined values.
report file nml Output default and user-defined values.
report smc nml Output default and user-defined values.

Point output NetCDF post-processor namelist module w3nmlounpmd.ftn

w3nmlounp Read and report all the namelists.

read point nml Init and save values to a derived type.
DRAFT WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 259

read file nml Init and save values to a derived type.

read spectra nml Init and save values to a derived type.
read param nml Init and save values to a derived type.
read source nml Init and save values to a derived type.
report point nml Output default and user-defined values.
report file nml Output default and user-defined values.
report spectra nml Output default and user-defined values.
report param nml Output default and user-defined values.
report source nml Output default and user-defined values.

Track output NetCDF post-processor namelist module w3nmltrncmd.ftn

w3nmltrnc Read and report all the namelists.

read track nml Init and save values to a derived type.
read file nml Init and save values to a derived type.
report track nml Output default and user-defined values.
report file nml Output default and user-defined values.

The input fields such as winds and currents are transferred to the model
through the parameter list of w3wave. The information is processed within
w3wave by the routines in the following module.

Input update module w3updtmd.ftn

w3ucur Interpolation in time of current fields.

w3uwnd Interpolation in time of wind fields.
w3uini Generate initial conditions from the initial
wind field.
w3ubpt Updating of boundary conditions in nested
runs.
w3uice Updating of the ice coverage.
w3ulev Updating of water levels.
w3utrn Updating grid box transparencies.
w3ddxy Calculation of spatial derivatives of the wa-
ter depth.
w3dcxy Calculation of spatial derivatives of the cur-
rents.
260 WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 DRAFT

There are seven types of WAVEWATCH III data files (other than the pre-
processed input fields, which are part of the program shall rather than the
actual wave model). The corresponding routines are gathered in six modules.

I/O module (mod def.ww3) w3iogrmd.ftn

w3iogr Reading and writing of mod def.ww3.

I/O module (out grd.ww3) w3iogomd.ftn

w3outg Calculation of gridded output parameters.

w3iogo Reading and writing of out grd.ww3.

I/O module (out pnt.ww3) w3iopomd.ftn

w3iopp Processing of requests for point output.

w3iope Calculating point output data.
w3iopo Reading and writing of out pnt.ww3.

I/O module (track o.ww3) w3iotrmd.ftn

w3iotr Generate track output in track o.ww3.

I/O module (restart.ww3) w3iorsmd.ftn

w3iors Reading and writing of restartn.ww3.

I/O module (nest.ww3) w3iobcmd.ftn

w3iobc Reading and writing of nestn.ww3.

I/O module (partition.ww3) w3iofsmd.ftn

w3iofs Writing of partition.ww3.

There are presently several propagation schemes and GSE alleviation tech-
niques available for rectangular and curvilinear grids, as well as a ’slot’ for
a user supplied propagation routine, and there are four schemes for triangle-
based grids. The propagation schemes are packaged in the following modules.

Propagation module (first order, no GSE alleviation) w3pro1md.ftn

DRAFT WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 261

w3map1 Generation of auxiliary maps.

w3xyp1 Propagation in physical space.
w3ktp1 Propagation in spectral space.

Propagation module (higher order scheme with GSE diffusion) w3pro2md.ftn

w3map2 Generation of auxiliary maps.

w3xyp2 Propagation in physical space.
w3ktp2 Propagation in spectral space.

Propagation module (higher order scheme with GSE averaging) w3pro3md.ftn

w3map3 Generation of auxiliary maps.

w3mapt Generation of transparency maps.
w3xyp3 Propagation in physical space.
w3ktp3 Propagation in spectral space.

Propagation module (slot for user supplied routines) w3proxmd.ftn

w3xypx Propagation in physical space.

w3ktpx Propagation in spectral space.

Propagation module (generic UQ) w3uqckmd.ftn

w3qckn Routines performing ULTIMATE QUICK-

EST scheme in arbitrary spaces (1: regular
grid. 2: irregular grid 3: regular grid with
obstructions).

Propagation module (generic UNO) w3uqckmd.ftn

w3uno, w3unor w3unos

Like UQ schemes above.

SMC grid routines w3psmcmd.ftn

W3PSMC Spatial propagation on SMC grid.

W3KSMC Spectral modification by GCT and refrac-
tion.
262 WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 DRAFT

SMCxUNO2/3 Irregular grid mid-flux on U-faces by

UNO2/3.
SMCyUNO2/3 Irregular grid mid-flux on V-faces by
UNO2/3.
SMCxUNO2r/3r Regular grid mid-flux on U-faces by
UNO2/3.
SMCyUNO2r/3r Regular grid mid-flux on V-faces by
UNO2/3.
SMCkUNO2 Shift in k-space due to refraction by UNO2.
SMCGradn Evaluate field gradient at cell centre.
SMCAverg 1-2-1 weighted average for centre field.
SMCGtCrfr Refraction and GCT rotation in theta.
SMCDHXY Evaluate depth gradient and refraction lim-
iter.
SMCDCXY Evaluate current velocity gradient.
W3GATHSMC W3SCATSMC
Gather and scatter spectral components.

Triangle-based propagation schemes w3profsmd.ftn

w3xypug Interface to the unstructured propagation

schemes.
w3cflug Computes the maximum CFL number for
spatial propagation.
w3xypfsn2 N-scheme.
w3xypfspsi2 PSI-scheme.
w3xypfsnimp Implicit version of the N-scheme.
w3xypfsfct2 FCT-scheme.
bcgstab Part of the iterative SPARSKIT solver,
used for the implicit scheme.

The source term calculation and integration is contained in several modules.

The module w3srcemd.ftn manages the general calculation and integration.
Additional modules contain the actual source term options.

Source term integration module w3srcemd.ftn

w3srce Integration of source terms.

DRAFT WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 263

Flux (stress) module (Wu, 1980) w3flx1md.ftn

w3flx1 Calculation of stresses.

Flux (stress) module (Tolman and Chalikov) w3flx2md.ftn

w3flx2 Calculation of stresses.

Flux (stress) module (Tolman and Chalikov, capped) w3flx3md.ftn

w3flx3 Calculation of stresses.

Flux (stress) module (slot for user supplied routines) w3flxxmd.ftn

w3flxx Calculation of stresses.

inflxx Initialization routine.

Linear input (Cavaleri and Malanotte Rizzoli) w3sln1md.ftn

w3sln1 Calculation Slin .

264 WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 DRAFT

Linear input (slot for user supplied routines) w3slnxmd.ftn

w3slnx Calculation Slin .

inslnx Corresponding initialization routine.

Input and dissipation module (dummy version) w3src0md.ftn

w3spr0 Calculation of mean wave parameters (sin-

gle grid point).

Input and dissipation module (WAM-3) w3src1md.ftn

w3spr1 Calculation of mean wave parameters (sin-

gle grid point).
w3sin1 Calculation of Sin .
w3sds1 Calculation of Sds .

Input and dissipation module Tolman and Chalikov 1996 w3src2md.ftn

w3spr2 Calculation of mean wave parameters (sin-

gle grid point).
w3sin2 Calculation of Sin .
w3sds2 Calculation of Sds .
inptab Generation of the interpolation table for β.
w3beta Function to calculate β (internal).

Input and dissipation module WAM-4 and ECWAM. w3src3md.ftn

w3spr3 Calculation of mean wave parameters (sin-

gle grid point).
w3sin3 Calculation of Sin .
w3sds3 Calculation of Sds .
tabu stress Tabulation of wind stress as a function of
U10 and τw
tabu tauhf Tabulation of the short waves-supported
stress
calc ustar Computes friction velocity using stress ta-
ble

Input and dissipation module Ardhuin et al. 2010 w3src4md.ftn

DRAFT WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 265

w3spr4 Calculation of mean wave parameters (sin-

gle grid point).
w3sin4 Calculation of Sin .
w3sds4 Calculation of Sds .
tabu stress Tabulation of wind stress as a function of
U10 and τw
tabu tauhf Tabulation of the short waves-supported
stress
tabu tauhf2 Tabulation of the short waves-supported
stress with sheltering
tabu swellft Tabulation of oscillatory friction factor for
negative part of Sin .
calc ustar Computes friction velocity using stress ta-
ble

Input and dissipation module BYDRZ w3src6md.ftn

w3spr6 Integral parameter calculation following

st1.
w3sin6 Observation-based wind input.
w3sds6 Observation-based dissipation.
irange Generate a sequence of integer values.
lfactor Calculate reduction factor for Sin.
tauwinds Normal stress calculation for Sin.
polyfit2 Quadratic fit using least-squares.

Input and dissipation module (slot for user supplied routines) w3srcxmd.ftn

w3sinx Calculation of Sin .

w3sdsx Calculation of Sds .

Swell dissipation module w3swldmd.ftn

w3swl4 Ardhuin et al (2010+) swell dissipation.

w3swl6 Babanin (2011) swell dissipation.
irange Generate a sequence of integer values.

Nonlinear interaction module (DIA) w3snl1md.ftn

266 WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 DRAFT

w3snl1 Calculation of Snl .

insnl1 Initialization for Snl .

Nonlinear interaction module (WRT) w3snl2md.ftn

w3snl2 Interface routine for Snl .

insnl2 Initialization for Snl .

These routines provide the interface to the WRT routines. The WRT routines
are provided in the files mod constants.f90, mod fileio.f90, mod xnl4v4.f90, and
serv xnl4v4.f90. For details on these files, see Van Vledder (2002b).

Nonlinear interaction module (GMD) w3snl3md.ftn

w3snl3 Calculation of Snl .

expand Expand spectral space.
expan2 Map form expanded to original spectral
space.
insnl3 Initialization for Snl .

Nonlinear interaction module (slot for user supplied routines) w3snlxmd.ftn

w3snlx Calculation of Snl .

insnlx Initialization for Snl .

Nonlinear high-frequency filter w3snlsmd.ftn

w3snls Calculation of filter.

expand Expand spectral space.
insnls Initialization for filter.

Bottom friction module (JONSWAP) w3sbt1md.ftn

w3bt1 Calculation of Sbot .

Bottom friction module (SHOWEX) w3sbt4md.ftn

insbt4 Initialization of Sbot )

DRAFT WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 267

tabu erf Table or error function.

w3sbt4 Calculation of Sbot , and energy and momen-
tum fluxes to the bottom boundary layer.

Fluid mud dissipation (Dalrymple and Liu, 1978) w3sbt8md.ftn

w3sbt8 Source term.

268 WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 DRAFT

Fluid mud dissipation (Ng, 2000) w3sbt9md.ftn

w3sbt9 Source term.

Bottom friction module (slot for user supplied routines) w3sbtxmd.ftn

w3sbtx Calculation of Sbot .

insbtx Initialization of Sbot .

Depth induced breaking module (Battjes-Janssen) w3sdb1md.ftn

w3sdb1 Calculation of Sdb .

Depth induced breaking module (slot for user supplied routines)

w3sdbxmd.ftn

w3sdbx Calculation of Sdb .

insdbx Initialization of Sdb .

Triad interactions module (LTA) w3str1md.ftn

w3str1 Calculation of Str .

Triad interactions module (slot for user supplied routines) w3strxmd.ftn

w3strx Calculation of Str .

instrx Initialization of Str .

Bottom scattering module w3sbs1md.ftn

w3sbs1 Calculation of Sbs and associated momen-

tum flux to the bottom.
insbs1 Initialization of Sbs .

Bottom scattering module (slot for user supplied routines) w3sbsxmd.ftn

w3sbsx Calculation of Sbs .

insbsx Initialization of Sbs .
DRAFT WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 269

Wave-ice interactions (simple) w3sic1md.ftn

w3sic1 Calculation of Sid .

Wave-ice interactions (Liu et al.) w3sic2md.ftn

w3sic2 Calculation of Sid .

Interpolation tables.

Wave-ice interactions Wang and Shen (2010) w3sic3md.ftn

w3sic3 Calculation of Sid .

bsdet Calculate the determinant for the disper-
sion relation.
wn complex Calculate complex wavenumber in ice.
cmplx root muller Find root for complex numbers.
fun zhao Wrapper for functions below.
func0 zhao, finc1 zhao

w3sis2 Calculation of Sis .

Waves scattering in ice and ice break-up w3sis2md.ftn

Shoreline reflection w3ref1md.ftn

w3ref1 Calculation of Sref .

Module for unclassified source term (slot for user supplied routines)
w3sxxxmd.ftn

w3sxxx Calculation of Sxx .

insxxx Initialization of Sxx .

To complete the basic wave model, several additional modules are needed.
For the actual contents of the service modules see the documentation in the
source code files.

constants.ftn Physical and mathematical constants and Kelvin

functions.
w3arrymd.ftn Array manipulation routines including ’print plot’
routines.
270 WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 DRAFT

w3init w3iogr

w3iors w3mpii

w3iopp w3mpio

w3mpip

w3flgrdupdt

Figure 6.2: Subroutine structure for wave model initialization routine with-
out service routines, data base management routines and MPI calls. Note
that w3iogr on reading data in calls all necessary initialization routines for
interpolation tables and physics parameterizations.

w3bullmd.ftn Perform bulletin style output for output points.

w3cspcmd.ftn Conversion of spectral discretization.
w3dispmd.ftn Routines to solve the Laplace dispersion relation
(linear waves, flat bottom, no ice), including in-
terpolation tables. Includes also ice corrections in
liu foreward dispersion and liu inverse dispersion.
w3gsrumd.ftn Regridding utilities.
w3partmd.ftn Perform spectral partitioning for a single spectrum.
w3servmd.ftn General service routines.
w3timemd.ftn Time management routines.
w3triamd.ftn Basic routines for triangle-based grids: reading, in-
terpolation, definition of miscellaneous arrays, de-
termination of boundary points.

This completes the description of the basic wave model routines. The re-
lation between the initialization routine and other routines is illustrated in
Fig. 6.2. A similar relational diagram for the wave model routine is presented
in Fig. 6.3.
DRAFT WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 271

input
w3wave w3ice3wncg w3ucur

ug gradients w3dzxy / smcdxy

w3uwnd w3uini w3iobc

w3ubpt w3uice w3ulev

w3mapn w3utrn w3nmin

w3cflug w3cflxy w3nmin

propagation
w3ktpn w3qckn
w3gath(smc)
w3xypn w3unon

w3xypug
w3scat(smc)
w3psmc

w3srce
output source terms
w3cprt w3outg w3sprn w3flxn

w3iogo w3iope w3slnn w3sinn

w3iopo w3iotr w3snln w3sdsn

w3iors w3iobc w3swln w3sbtn

w3iosf w3sicn ...

Figure 6.3: Subroutine structure for wave model routine without service
routines, routines managing the data structures, and mpi routines. ‘. . . ’
identifies additional source term routines.
272 WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 DRAFT

6.3.2 Multi-grid modules

The multi-grid wave model shel ww3 multi provides a shell around the basic
wave model as described in the previous section. This shell manages the side-
by-side running of multiple wave model grids, and all communication between
the grids. To achieve this various additional modules have been developed.
At the core are the initialization, multi-grid model and finalization routines.

Initialization of multi-grid model wminitmd.ftn

wminit Multi-grid model initialization.

Running of multi-grid model wmwavemd.ftn

wmwave Multi-grid model execution.

wmprnt Printing to log file.
wmbcst Non-blocking MPI broadcast.
wmwout Idem.

Finalizing of multi-grid model wmfinlmd.ftn

wmfinl Multi-grid model finalization.

These routines are designed to become part of a coupled model. For the
structure of the actual wave model routine, reference is made to Tolman
(2007). The resulting wave model driver ww3 multi consequently becomes
extremely simple; it initializes the MPI environment, and then calls the above
three modules consecutively.
The main multi-grid wave model routines require an expansion of the
data structure used by WAVEWATCH III. Furthermore, main activities are
gathered in subroutines in various modules.

Data storage wmmdatmd.ftn

wmndat Set number of grids to be considered.

wmdimd, wmdimm
Set dimensions and allocate storage.
wmsetm Set pointers to selected grid.
DRAFT WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 273

Determine grid relations wmgridmd.ftn

wmglow Relations to lower ranked grids.
wmghgh Relations to higher ranked grids.
wmgeql Relations between equal ranked grids.
wmrspc Determine need for spectral conversion be-
tween grids.
Update model input wmupdtmd.ftn
wmupdt General input update routine.
wmupd1 Update input from native files using
w3fldsmd.ftn from Section 6.3.4.
wmupd2 Update input from pore-defined input
grids.
wmupdv Update vector fields.
wmupds Update scalar fields.
Perform internal communications wminiomd.ftn
wmiobs Stage internal boundary data.
wmiobg Gather internal boundary data.
wmiobf Finalize wmiobs (MPI only).
wmiohs Stage internal high to low rank data.
wmiohg Gather internal high to low rank data.
wmiohf Finalize wmiohs (MPI only).
wmioes Stage internal data between equal ranked
grids.
wmioeg Gather internal data between equal ranked
grids.
wmioef Finalize wmioes (MPI only).
Unify point output to single file wmiopomd.ftn
wmiopp Initialization routine.
wmiopo Data gather and write routine (using
w3iopo in w3iopomd.ftn).
To complete the multi-grid wave model, one additional service module is
needed. For the actual contents of the service module see the documentation
in the source code files.
274 WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 DRAFT

wmunitmd.ftn Dynamic unit number assignment

wmscrpmd.ftn SCRIP utilities.

6.3.3 Data assimilation module

WAVEWATCH III R
includes a data assimilation module that can work
in conjunction with the main wave model routine, and is integrated in the
generic program shell. The module is intended as an interface to a data
assimilation package to be provided by the user.

Data assimilation module w3wdasmd.ftn

w3wdas Data assimilation interface.

6.3.4 Auxiliary programs

WAVEWATCH III R
has several auxiliary pre- and post-processors, and two
wave model shells (see Section 4.4). These auxiliary programs and some
additional routines are stored in the following files. Generally, subroutines
used only by the programs are stored as internal subroutines with the main
program. There is no need for using the module structure in this case. The
exception is an additional module w3fldsmd.ftn which deals with the data
flow of input fields for the wave model between the field pre-processor and
the stand-alone model shell. The latter module does not have any explicit
WAVEWATCH III dependencies, and can therefore be integrated in any cus-
tom data pre-processor.

Input data file management module w3fldsmd.ftn

w3fldo Opening and checking of data files for

w3shel.
w3fldg Reading and writing of data files for
w3shel (model input).
DRAFT WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 275

w3fldd Reading and writing of data files for

w3shel (data assimilation).
w3fldp Prepare interpolation of input fields from
arbitrary grids.
w3fldh Management of homogeneous input fields
in w3shel.
w3fldm Process moving grid data in w3shel.

Grid pre-processing program ww3 grid.ftn

w3grid The grid preprocessor.

readnl Reading namelist input (internal).

Initial conditions program ww3 strt.ftn

w3strt The initial conditions program.

Boundary conditions program ww3 bound.ftn

Boundary conditions program (NetCDF) ww3 bounc.ftn

w3bound The boundary conditions program

(NetCDF).

Input field pre-processing program ww3 prep.ftn

Input field pre-processing program from NetCDF files ww3 prnc.ftn

w3prep Pre-processor for the input fields for the ge-

neric shell.

Tide pre-processing program ww3 prtide.ftn

w3prtide Pre-processor for tides.

Restart file pre-processing program ww3 uprstr.ftn

w3uprstr The restart file preprocessor.

readnl Reading namelist input (internal).

Generic wave model program ww3 shel.ftn

276 WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 DRAFT

w3shel The generic program shell.

Grid splitting for ww3 multi ww3 gspl.ftn

w3gspl The grid splitting program.

grinfo, grtrim grfill, grlost, grsqrg, grsngl, grsepa, grfsml, grfrlg, gr1grd
Routines to incrementally adjust individual
grids.

Generic wave model program ww3 multi.ftn

w3mlti The multi-grid program shell.

Grid output integration for ww3 multi ww3 gint.ftn

w3gint The post-processing program for integrat-

ing gridded fields of mean wave parameters.
w3exgi Actual output routine (internal).

Gridded data post-processing program ww3 outf.ftn

w3outf The post-processing program for gridded

fields of mean wave parameters.
w3exgo Actual output routine (internal).
DRAFT WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 277

Gridded data post-processing program (NetCDF) ww3 ounf.ftn

w3ounf The post-processing program for gridded

fields of mean wave parameters, using
NetCDF3 or NetCDF4 libraries for For-
tran90.
w3crnc Creation of NetCDF files, definition of di-
mensions and header data.
w3exnc Actual output routine (internal).

Gridded data post-processing program (GrADS) gx outf.ftn

gxoutf The post-processing program for convert-

ing gridded fields of mean wave parameters
to input files for GrADS.
gxexgo Actual output routine (internal).

Gridded data post-processing program (GRIB) ww3 grib.ftn

w3grib The post-processing program for generat-

ing GRIB files.
w3exgb Actual output routine (internal).

Point post-processing program ww3 outp.ftn

w3outp The post-processing program output at se-

lected locations.
w3expo Actual output routine (internal).

Point post-processing program ww3 ounp.ftn

w3ounp The post-processing program output at se-

lected locations using NetCDF.
w3crnc Creation of NetCDF files, definition of di-
mensions and header data.
w3exnc Actual output routine (internal).

Point post-processing program (GrADS) gx outp.ftn

278 WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 DRAFT

gxoutp The post-processing program for convert-

ing output at selected locations to input
files for GrADS.
gxexpo Actual output routine (internal).

Track output post-processing program ww3 trck.ftn

w3trck Converting unformatted direct access track

output file to integer-packed formatted file.

Track output post-processing program ww3 trnc.ftn

w3trck Converting unformatted direct access track

output file to NetCDF file.
w3crnc Creation of NetCDF files, definition of di-
mensions and header data.
w3exnc Actual output routine (internal).

Wave field tracking post-processing program ww3 systrk.ftn

w3systrk Tracking wave fields in space and time.

6.4 Optimization

The source code of WAVEWATCH III is written in ANSI standard FOR-

TRAN 90, and has been compiled and run on a variety of platforms ranging
from PC’s to supercomputers.
Optimization for vector computers has been performed by structuring
the code in long vector loops where possible. Optimization was originally
performed for the Cray YMP and C90. Note that some compiler directives
for vectorization have been used. Note also that the vector optimization has
not been updated since about 1997, and therefore needs to be revisited if
the model is implemented on a vector machine. Vectorization directives are
activated by the corresponding preprocessor switch (c90).
Parallelization for shared memory machines using threading has been im-
plemented using standard OpenMP directives. Such parallelization takes
DRAFT WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 279

place mainly in the loop calling the source term routine w3srce and the
different propagation routines. OpenMP directives are activated by the cor-
responding preprocessor switches (ompn).
Parallelization for distributed memory machines is discussed in some de-
tail in section 6.5.2.
Note that an important part of the optimization is the use of interpolation
tables for the solution of the dispersion relation and for the calculation of
the wind-wave interaction parameter.
280 WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 DRAFT

ny
ny-1
l ny-2
a
t ...
i
t ...
u
d 3
e 2
1
(nx) 1 2 3 ... . . . nx-2 nx-1 nx (1)
longitude
Figure 6.4: Layout of the spatial grid. Grid points are denoted as boxes,
dotted boxes denoted repeated columns for global model applications.

6.5 Internal data storage

The remainder of this chapter will deal with the internal data storage used by
WAVEWATCH III. In Section 6.5.1 the layout of a single wave model grid as
used in ww3 shel is discussed. In Section 6.5.2 the parallelization approaches
for a single grid are discussed. In Section 6.5.3 the simultaneous storage of
multiple wave grids is discussed. Finally, the actual wave model variables are
described in Section 6.6. Note that the code is fully documented, including
the variables defining the data storage.

6.5.1 Grids

For convenience and economy of programming, spatial and spectral grids are
considered separately. This approach is inspired by the splitting technique
described in chapter 3. For spatial propagation, a simple ‘rectangular’ spatial
grid is used, as is illustrated in Fig. 6.4. The grid can either be a Cartesian
‘(x, y)’ grid, a spherical grid (with regular steps on latitude and longitude), a
curvilinear grid, or a triangle-based grid. In a spherical grid, the longitudes
DRAFT WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 281

are denoted throughout the program by the counter ix, and latitudes by
the counter iy, and the corresponding grid dimensions (nx,ny). All spatial
field arrays are dynamically allocated within the code, corresponding work
arrays are usually automatic, to allow for thread-safe code. The closure of
the grid in case of a global applications is handled within the model, and
does not require user intervention. To simplify the calculation of derivatives
of in particular the current, the outer grid points (ix=1,nx, unless the grid
is global) and (iy=1,ny) will be considered as land points, inactive points or
active boundary points. The minimum grid size therefore is nx=3, ny=3,
except for triangle-based grids. In that latter case, all the nodes are listed as
a long vector of dimension nx, while ny=1, allowing to keep the same code
structure. Input arrays are typically assumed to be of the form

array(nx,ny) ,

and are read row by row (see also chapter 4). Within the program, however,
they are typically stored with rotated indices

array(ny,nx) .

This makes it easier to provide global closure, which typically requires ex-
tension of the x axis. Furthermore, such two-dimensional array are usually
treated as one-dimensional arrays, to increase vector lengths. The array ar-
ray, its one-dimensional equivalent varray and ixy are defined as

array(my,mx) , varray(my*mx) ,
ixy = iy + (ix-1)*my .

Note that this representation of the grid is used internally within the model
only.
The spectral grid for a given spatial grid point (ix,iy) is defined similarly,
using a directional counter ith and a wavenumber counter ik (Fig. 6.5). The
size of the spectral grid is set using dynamic allocation. As with the spatial
grid, the internal description of the spectrum a is defined as

a(nth,nk) ,

and equivalent one-dimensional arrays are used throughout the program. In-
282 WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 DRAFT

nk
w nk-1
a nk-2
v
e
n ...
u
m ...
b 3
e
r 2
1
(nth) 1 2 3 ... ... ... . . . nth (1)
direction
Figure 6.5: Layout of the spectral grid. Dotted boxes denoted repeated
columns for directional closure.

side the model, directions are always Cartesian, θ = 0◦ corresponds to propa-

gation from west to east (positive x or ix direction), and θ = 90◦ corresponds
to propagation from south to north (positive y or iy direction). Output di-
rections use other conventions, as is discussed in Chapter 4.
The storage of the wave spectra accounts for the majority of the memory
required by the model, because the splitting technique used assures that any
part of the model operates on a small subset of the entire wave field. To
minimize the amount of memory needed, only spectra for actual sea points
are stored. Sea points are here defined as points where spectra are potentially
needed. This includes active boundary points, and sea points covered by ice.
For archiving purposes, a one-dimensional sea point grid is defined using the
counter isea. Spectra are then stored as

a(ith,ik,isea) .

An example of the layout of this storage grid in relation to the full grid of
Fig. 6.4 is given in Fig. 6.6. Obviously, the relation between the storage grid
and the full spatial grid requires some bookkeeping. For this purpose, two
‘maps’ mapfs and mapsf are defined.
DRAFT WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 283

8 ❅❅❅❅
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❅
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❅
t ❅
❅❅❅❅❅❅❅❅❅❅❅❅❅❅ 19 ❅
❅❅❅❅
5 ❅❅❅❅
❅❅❅❅❅❅ 15 16 17 18 ❅ ❅❅❅
❅
i ❅
❅❅❅❅❅❅❅❅❅ 14 ❅
❅❅❅❅
t ❅❅❅❅
u 4 ❅
❅❅❅❅ 10
❅ 11 12 ❅ ❅
❅❅❅
❅❅❅❅❅
❅❅❅❅❅
❅
❅❅❅❅ 13 ❅
❅❅❅❅
❅
❅❅❅❅
d 3 ❅❅❅❅
❅ 8 ❅ ❅❅❅
❅❅❅❅❅❅ ❅❅❅❅
❅
e ❅❅❅❅ 6
❅ 7 ❅❅❅❅❅❅❅❅❅❅ 9 ❅ ❅❅❅❅
(iy) 2 ❅❅❅❅
❅ 4 ❅ ❅❅❅
❅ ❅❅❅❅
❅
❅❅❅❅ 1
❅ 2 3 ❅❅❅❅ 5 ❅
❅ ❅❅❅❅
1 ❅❅❅❅
❅❅❅❅❅❅❅❅❅❅ ❅❅❅❅❅ ❅❅❅❅❅❅❅❅❅❅❅❅❅❅❅❅❅❅❅❅
❅
❅
❅❅❅❅❅❅❅❅❅❅❅❅❅❅❅ ❅❅❅❅❅ ❅❅❅❅❅❅❅❅❅❅❅❅❅❅❅
❅❅❅❅
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
longitude (ix)

Figure 6.6: An example of the one-dimensional storage grid for spectra.

Hatched grid boxes denote land points. Numbers within the grid boxes show
the grid counter isea of the storage grid.

mapsf(isea,1) = ix ,
mapsf(isea,2) = iy ,
mapsf(isea,3) = ixy ,
mapfs(iy,ix) = vmapfs(ixy) = isea ,

where mapfs(iy,ix) = 0 for land points. Finally, status maps map-

sta(iy,ix) and mapst2(iy,ix) are maintained to identify sea, land, active
boundary and ice points. mapsta represents the main status map for the
grid;

mapsta(iy,ix) = 0 for excluded points,

mapsta(iy,ix) = 1 for sea points,
mapsta(iy,ix) = 2 for active boundary points.

Sea points and active boundary point which are not considered in the wave
model due to the presence of ice are marked by their corresponding negative
status indicator (-1 or -2). mapst2 contains secondary information. For
excluded points mapsta(iy,ix) = 0, this map distinguished between land
284 WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 DRAFT

points mapst2(iy,ix) = 0 and otherwise excluded points mapst2(iy,ix)

= 1. For sea points that are disabled mapsta(iy,ix) < 0, consecutive
bits in mapst2 identify the reason for deactivation (bit value 1 indicating
deactivation).

bit identifies
1 Ice coverage
2 Point dried out
3 Land in moving grid or inferred in nesting
4 Masked in two-way nesting

Two additional considerations have been made. First, the two status
maps can be collapsed into a single map for storage. To assure that the
storage is backward compatible with the previous mode version, the two
maps are combined into a single map maptmp

maptmp = mapsta + 8 * mapst2

considering that only the first few bits of mapsta contain data. It is this
map MAPTMP that is saved in NetCDF files. The original maps can be
recovered as

mapsta = mod ( maptmp + 2 , 8 ) - 2

mapst2 = maptmp - mapsta

Second, a single map is used in the graphics output program, to simplify the
plotting of the status of grid points. In the graphics files, the map is defined
as

map implies
2 Active boundary point
1 Active sea point
0 Land point (including as identified in MAPST2
-1 Point covered by ice, but wet
-2 Dry point, not covered by ice
-3 Dry point covered by ice
-4 Point masked in the two-way nesting scheme
-5 Other disabled point
DRAFT WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 285

Similarly, a single map can be used to simplify processing in the grid prepa-
ration program ww3 grid. In this map a distinction is made between points
as follows:
map implies
3 Excluded points
2 Active boundary point
1 Active sea point
0 Land point

6.5.2 Distributed memory concepts.

The general grid structure described in the previous paragraph is used for
both shared and distributed memory versions of the model, with some minor
differences. For the distributed memory version of the model, not all data is
kept at each processor. Instead, each spectrum is kept at a single processor
only. The spectra on the storage grid are distributed over the available
processors with a constant stride. Because only part of the spectra are stored
locally on a given processor, a distinction needs to be made between the
above global sea point counter isea, and the local sea point counter jsea. If
the actual number of processors used in the computation is naproc, and if
iaproc is the processor number ranging form 1 to naproc, these parameters
are related in the following way

isea = iaproc + (jsea-1) naproc ,

jsea = 1 + (isea-1) / naproc ,
iaproc = 1 + mod(isea-1,naproc) .

In model version 3.10, a further refinement was introduced. The actual num-
ber of processors naproc can be smaller than the total number of processors
used by the program (ntproc). Processors where naproc < iaproc ≤ nt-
proc are reserved for output processing only.
With this data distribution, source terms and intra-spectral propagation
can be calculated at the each given processor without the need for com-
munication between processors. For spatial propagation, however, a data
transpose is required where the spectral components (ith,ik) for all spatial
grid points have to be gathered at a single processor. After propagation has
286 WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 DRAFT

been performed, the modified data have to be scattered back to their ‘home’
processor. Individual spectral components are assigned to specific processors
in such a way that the number of partial propagation steps to be performed
by each processor is roughly identical. This makes a good load balance pos-
sible. The actual algorithm can be found in section 4.d of the subroutine
w3init (w3initmd.ftn).

The data transpose for the gather operation is implemented in two steps
using the Message Passing Interface (MPI) standard (e.g. Gropp et al., 1997).
First, values for each spatial grid point for a given spectral bin (ith,ik) are
gathered in a single target processor in a one-dimensional array store(isea),
which then is converted to the full two-dimensional field of spectral compo-
nents. After propagation has been performed, the transpose for the scatter
operation reverses this process, using the same one-dimensional array store.
Whereas the algorithm for distributing spatial propagation over individual
processors assures a global (per time step) load balance, it does not assure
that communication is synchronized, because not each calculation at each
processor will take the same effort. To avoid that this results in a load im-
balance, non-blocking communication has been used. Furthermore, the one-
dimensional array store(isea) is replaced by store(isea,ibuf), where the
added dimension of the array supplies an actively managed buffer space (see
w3gath and w3scat in w3wavemd.ftn). These buffers allow that spare clock
cycles as may occur during communication can be used for calculation, and
that hiding of communication behind calculation will occur if the hardware
is capable of doing this. To avoid problems with incompatibilities between
FORTRAN and MPI, separate gather and scatter data arrays are used. The
buffered data transposes are graphically depicted in Fig. 6.7. More details
can be found in Tolman (2002b).

In principle only the storage array a(ith,ik,jsea) is influenced by the

data distribution. Input fields, maps and output fields of mean wave param-
eters in principle are retained at full resolution at each grid point. Full maps
are available at each processor at each phase of the calculation. Input and
output fields generally contain pertinent data at the stride naproc only.

Distributed memory also requires modifications to the I/O. Input files

are read completely by each separate processor. The type of file output is
determined by the I/O type indicator iostyp.
DRAFT WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 287

processors with 1-D full-grid array with corresponding

native data. single spectral component. 2-D array.

1 ❙
❙❙
♦
❙
❙ buffer space
2 ◗❙❙
❦
◗◗◗❙
◗◗❙❙
◗◗
s✲
✇
❙
◗ ✲
3 ✛ ✸
✑◗
❙
✑
✼
✓ active ✛ propagate
✑ ✓✑
✓
✑ ✑
✑ ✑✓✓
... ✰
✑✑ ✓✓
✓✓
✓✓ at target processor
naproc ✓
✴

Figure 6.7: Data transpose in distributed memory model version. First, the
data is moved from left to right in the figure during the gather operation.
After the calculation is performed, the data is moved from right to left in the
scatter operation.

iostyp implies
0 Restart file written from each individual process.
1 Each file written from assigned process.
2 Each file written from a single dedicated output process.
3 Dedicated output processes for each output type.
Note that the restart file is a direct access file, so that each processor can
efficiently gather only the locally stored spectra, without the need of reading
through the entire file. The restart file is either written by each individual
process directly, or all data is funneled through a dedicated processor. The
first method requires a parallel file system, the second method is generally
applicable.
The present algorithm for data distribution has been chosen for several
reasons. First, it results in an automatic and efficient load balancing with
respect to the (dynamic) integration of source terms, the exclusion of ice
covered grid points, and of intra-spectral propagation. Secondly, the com-
munication by definition becomes independent of the numerical propagation
scheme, unlike for the more conventional domain decomposition. In the lat-
ter case, only a so-called ‘halo’ of boundary data needs to be converted to
288 WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 DRAFT

neighboring ‘blocks’ of grid points. The size of the halo depends on the
propagation scheme selected. The main disadvantage of the present data dis-
tribution scheme is that the amount of data to be communicated each time
step is much larger than for a more conventional domain decomposition, par-
ticularly when relatively small numbers of processors are used. On an IBM
RS6000 SP, on which the distributed memory version of WAVEWATCH III
was tested, the relatively large amount of communication did not constitute
a significant part of the overall time of computation, and the model shows
excellent scaling behavior for up to O(100) processors (Tolman, 2002b).
More recently, hybrid parallelization techniques have been developed us-
ing a combination of a course scale domain decomposition and a local data
transpose, using approaches already available in ww3 multi. To accommo-
date this, the file ww3 gspl(.sh) tools were introduced in model version 4.10.
Although this approach still needs some work with respect to the model mem-
ory footprint in the initialization in ww3 multi, initial scaling results obtained
with this approach are encouraging (see Tolman, 2013b).

6.5.3 Multiple grids

So far, only a single wave model grid has been considered. To make it possible
to run several model grids in a single program, a data structure needs to be
devised in which all different model grids and internal work arrays for all
models are retained simultaneously, with a simple mechanism to choose the
actual wave model grid to work on. In order to achieve this, some FORTRAN
90 features (e.g., Metcalf and Reid, 1999) are used in the following way:

1) Define one or more data structures in the model code that contain
the model setup and relevant work arrays, using a type declara-
tion.

2) Construct arrays of these data structures, with each element of the

array defining a separate model grid.

3) Redefine the basic parameters describing the model such as the

number of grid points nx and ny as pointers, and point these
to the proper element of the proper data structures to generate
instantaneous aliases.
DRAFT WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 289

!/
!/ Data structures
!/
TYPE GRID
INTEGER :: NX, NY, NSEA
REAL, POINTER :: ZB(:)
END TYPE GRID
!/
!/ Data storage
!/
TYPE(GRID), TARGET, ALLOCATABLE :: GRIDS(:)
!/
!/ Data aliasses
!/
INTEGER, POINTER :: NX, NY, NSEA
REAL, POINTER :: ZB(:):
!/

Figure 6.8: Example of the data structure declarations used in w3gdatmd.ftn

to define multiple spatial grids in the wave model. For simplicity, the example
considers only the grid dimensions nx, ny and nsea, and the bottom depth
array zb.

In this way it is possible to define a multi-model data structure, while keeping

the layout of all original variables describing the model unchanged inside the
model subroutines. Such a structure and its usage are illustrated in Figs. 6.8
and 6.9 with an example from the actual source code. Note that the pointer
arrays like zb inside the structures are assigned memory as

allocate grids(imod)%zb(nsea)

After this statement, the alias pointer zb again needs to be pointed to the
proper element of the structure for this alias to properly point to the newly
allocated space. For this reason, the subroutine w3dimx, which allocates the
arrays in this structure, includes at the end a call to the subroutine w3setx,
290 WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 DRAFT

!
NX => GRIDS(IMOD)%NX
NY => GRIDS(IMOD)%NY
NSEA => GRIDS(IMOD)%NSEA
!
ZB => GRIDS(IMOD)%ZB
!

Figure 6.9: Example of the source code used to activate the pointer aliases
in Fig. 6.8 for the model number imod.

which in turn sets all pointer aliases for the selected grid. The same is true
for other subroutines setting array sizes in other structures.

6.6 Variables in modules

In the documentation of model versions up to version 3.14, all public and

private variables in modules were described in the present and following
sections. All these parameters are also documented in the source code of
the model. Keeping two separate unlinked copies of the documentations is
becoming a daunting task with little benefit to the model user and developer.
Hence, from model version 6.07 on, the main documentation of the variables
in the code is kept up to date in the source code itself, and second full
documentation in the manual is no longer maintained. In this manual, we now
only describe parameter definitions, as they may influence model behavior,
and identify critical versions of I/O elements of the code. The file name of
the module is given at the right margin of the start of each list. The second
column of each list identifies the type of the variable. i, r, l and c represent
integer, real, logical and character, a identifies an array, and p identifies a
∗
parameter declaration. All variables are public, unless marked with . The
following sections account for parameter settings in modules (and programs),
and give a top level description of what is stored in the data structures, and
where these data structures are located in the code.
DRAFT WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 291

6.6.1 Parameter settings in modules

Several modules have internally used parameter settings. Here only parame-
ter settings that are generally usable or impact model behavior are presented.

Physical and mathematical constants : constants.ftn

grav rp Acceleration of gravity g. (m s−2 )

dwat rp Density of water. (kg m−3 )
dair rp Density of air. (kg m−3 )
nu air rp Kinematic viscosity of air (m2 s−1 )
nu water rp Kinematic viscosity of water (m2 s−1 )
sed sd rp Specific gravity of sediment (–)
kappa rp Von Karman’s constants (–)
pi rp π.
tpi rp 2π.
hpi rp 0.5π.
tpiinv rp (2π)−1 .
hpiinv rp (0.5π)−1 .
rade rp Conversion factor from radians to degrees.
dera rp Conversion factor from degrees to radians.
radius rp Radius of the earth. (m)
g2pi3i rp g −2 (2π)−3 .
g1pi1i rp g −1 (2π)−1 .

Wave model initialization module : w3initmd.ftn

critos rp Critical fraction of resources used for output only (trig-

gers warning output).
wwver cp Version number of the main program.
switches cp Switches taken from bin/switch.

I/O module (mod def.ww3) : w3iogrmd.ftn

∗
vergrd cp Version number of file mod def.ww3.
∗
idstr cp ID string for file.

I/O module (out grd.ww3) : w3iogomd.ftn

∗
verogr cp Version number of file out grd.ww3.
292 WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 DRAFT

∗
idstr cp ID string for file.

I/O module (out pnt.ww3) : w3iopomd.ftn

∗
veropt cp Version number of file out pnt.ww3.
∗
idstr cp ID string for file.
acc cp Relative offset below which output point is moved to
grid point.

I/O module (track o.ww3) : w3iotrmd.ftn

∗
vertrk cp Version number of file track o.ww3.
∗
idstri cp ID string for file track i.ww3.
otype cp Array dimension.

I/O module (restart.ww3) : w3iorsmd.ftn

∗
verini cp Version number of file restart.ww3.
∗
idstr cp ID string for file.

I/O module (nest.ww3) : w3iobcmd.ftn

∗
verbpt cp Version number of file nest.ww3.
∗
idstr cp ID string for file.

I/O module (partition.ww3) : w3iosfmd.ftn

∗
vertrt cp Version number of file partition.ww3.
∗
idstr cp ID string for file.

Multi-grid model input update : wmupdtmd.ftn

swpmax ip Maximum number of extrapolation sweeps allowed to

make maps match in conversion from input from input
grid to wave model grid.

Several routines contain interpolation tables that are set up with parameter
statements, including

Solving the dispersion relation : w3dispmd.ftn

nar1d ip Dimension of interpolation tables.

DRAFT WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 293

dfac rp Maximum nondimensional water depth kd.

ecg1 ra Table for calculating group velocities from the fre-
quency and the depth.
ewn1 ra Id. wavenumbers.
n1max i Largest index in tables.
dsie r Nondimensional frequency increment.
Shallow water quadruplet lookup table for GMD : w3snl3md.ftn
nkd ip Number of nondimensional depths in storage array.
kdmin rp Minimum relative depth in table.
kdmax rp Maximum relative depth in table.
lammax rp Maximum value for λ or µ.
delthm rp Maximum angle gap θ12 (◦ ).
Shallow water lookup table for nonlinear filter : w3snlsmd.ftn
nkd ip Number of nondimensional depths in storage array.
kdmin rp Minimum relative depth in table.
kdmax rp Maximum relative depth in table.
abmax rp Maximum value for a34 .
Lookup table for β in Tolman and Chalikov 1996 : w3src2md.ftn
nrsiga ip Array dimension (σa ).
nrdrag ip Array dimension (Cd ).
sigamx rp Maximum nondimensional frequency σ̃a .
dragmx rp Maximum drag coefficient Cd
Lookup table for . . . in WAM-4 / ECWAM : w3src3md.ftn
kappa rp von Kármán’s constant.
nu air rp air viscosity.
itaumax ip size of stress dimension.
jumax ip size of wind dimension.
iustar ip size of ustar dimension.
ialpha ip size of Charnock dimension.
ilevtail ip size of tail level dimension.
umax rp Maximum wind speed in table.
tauwmax rp Maximum ustar in table.
eps1 rp Small number for stress convergence.
294 WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 DRAFT

eps2 rp Small number for stress convergence.

niter ip Number of iterations in stress table.
xm ip power of TAUW/TAU in roughness parameterization.
jtot ip Number of points in discretization of tail.

Lookup tables Ardhuin et al. 2010 : w3src3md.ftn

Combination of previous two sets of parameters.

Table of error functions in bottom friction : w3sbt4md.ftn

sizeerftable ip Size of table for erf function.

xerfmax rp Maximum value of x in table of erf(x).
wsub rpa Weights for 3-point Gauss-Hermitte quadrature.
xsub rpa x values for 3-point Gauss-Hermitte quadrature.

Some model parameters are set using parameter statements.

Source term computation and integration : w3srcemd.ftn

∗
offset rp Offset ǫ in Eq. (3.61).

Auxiliary data storage : w3adatmd.ftn

mpibuf ip Number of buffers used in MPI data transpose.

Some service routines contain parameters that can be used to influence, for
instance, the model output.

Array I/O including text outputs : w3arrymd.ftn

∗
icol ip Set maximum columns on output (now set to 80).
∗
nfrmax ip Set maximum number of frequency in spectral print
plots (now set to 50).

Automatic unit number assignment : wmunitmd.ftn

unitlw ip Lowest unit number to be considered.

unithg ip Highest unit number to be considered.
inplow, inphgh
ip Range of input file unit numbers.
outlow, outhgh
DRAFT WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 295

ip Range of output file unit numbers.

scrlow, scrhgh
ip Range of scratch file unit numbers.

Creating spectral bulletins : w3bullmd.ftn

nptab, nfld, npmax, bhsmin, bhsdrop, dhsmax,

dptmx, ddmmax, ddwmax, agemin
i/rp Setting of size of bulletin as well as various filter val-
ues.

6.6.2 Data structures

As outlined in Section 6.5.3, the core of the wave model consists of a set of
data structures allowing for the consecutive storage of data for multiple grids.
The individual storage structures are contained in the following modules:

w3gdatmd.ftn In formation for spatial and spectral grids, and all

physical and numerical model parameters.
w3wdatmd.ftn The actual wave data, consisting of spectra and the
fields like u∗ that are needed to hot-start the model.
w3adatmd.ftn Auxiliary fields and parameters.
w3odatmd.ftn Output data.
w3idatmd.ftn Input data.
wmmdatmd.ftn Data specific to the multi-grid model.

The data structures are fully documented in the above files, and the docu-
mentation is no linger reproduced here in the manual.
296 WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 DRAFT

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DRAFT WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 297

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APPENDICES
This page is intentionally left blank.
DRAFT WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 A.1

A Setting model time steps

Model time steps are set on a grid-by-grid basis and are considered as a part
of the model setup in the model definition file mod def.ww3. This implies that
in a multi-grid model set-up (using the model driver ww3 multi) each grid
is associated with its own time step setting. In this section some guidance
is given for setting time steps for individual grids, and for grids in a mosaic
approach. Examples of practical time step setting for practical grids can be
found in the individual grids used in the test cases mww3 case 01 through
mww3 case 03.

A.1 Individual grids

A basic wave model grid requires the definition of four time steps as is de-
scribed in Section 3.2 on page 121 of this manual. Typically, the first step
to consider is the CFL time step for spatial propagation, that is, the second
of the four time steps defined in ww3 grid.inp for the grid considered. The
critical CFL number Cc that identifies stability of the numerical scheme is
defined as [compare Eq. (3.16)]

cg,max ∆t
Cc = , (A.1)
min(∆x, ∆y)
where cg,max is the maximum group velocity, and ∆t, ∆x, and ∆y are time and
space increments. The maximum group velocity is the group velocity for the
lowest discrete model frequency. Noting that for a given frequency the largest
group velocity occurs in intermediate water depth, this maximum velocity is
approximately 1.15 times the deep water group velocity for the lowest discrete
spectral frequency. Note that the CFL number formally includes affects of
currents [Eq. (2.9)] and grid movement [Eq. (3.45)]. The latter two effects
are accounted for internally in the model by adjusting the corresponding
minimum time step dynamically depending on the current velocity and the
grid movement speed. Hence, the user can define this minimum propagation
time step ignoring currents and grid movement. For the schemes used here
the critical CFL number is 1.
The second time step to consider is the overall time step (the first time
step identified in ww3 grid.inp). For maximum numerical accuracy, this time
step should be set smaller than or equal to the above CFL time step. However,
A.2 WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 DRAFT

particularly in spherical grids, the critical CFL condition occurs only in a few
grid points. In most grid points, CFL numbers will be much smaller. In such
grids, accuracy does not suffer significantly if the overall time step is take as 2
to 4 times the critical CFL time steps. Such a setting generally has a major
positive impact on model economy. The key to numerical accuracy is the
interpretation of the CFL number. This number represents the normalized
distance over which information propagates in a single time step. Inaccuracy
occurs if information propagates over several grid boxes before source terms
are applied. With CFL ≈ 1 and the overall time step four times the CFL time
step, information will propagate over four grid boxes before source terms are
applied. This may lead to model inaccuracies. If, however, the maximum
CFL number is 1, but the average CFL number is only 0.25, as is the case even
for the lowest frequency in many spherical grids, information only propagates
over one grid box in a single overall time step, and no issues with accuracy
develop.
An effective overall time step also considers requested time intervals at
which model forcing is available, and at which model output is requested.
If input and output time steps are multiple integer times the overall time
step, a balanced and consistent numerical integration scheme exists, although
the model does not require this. Most important in this consideration is
reproducibility of results. If input or output time steps are modified so that
they are no longer an integer multiple of the overall model time step, then
the actual discrete time stepping in the model will be modified by these input
and output time steps, and hence an impact on actual model results may be
expected. Such an impact may be notable, but is generally very minor.
The third time step to consider is the maximum refraction (and wavenum-
ber shift) time step. For maximum model economy, this time step should
be set equal to (or larger than) the overall time step. However, this will
alternate the order of spatial and refraction computations for consecutive
model time steps, which in cases of strong refraction may lead to a minor
oscillation of wave parameter with a period of 2∆t. Such oscillations can
be avoided altogether by setting the maximum refraction time step to half
the overall time step. Considering the minor cost of the refraction term in
the model, this generally has a negligible impact on model economy. The
preferred refraction time step is therefore half the overall model time step.
One note of caution is appropriate with setting this time step. To as-
sure numerical stability, the characteristic refraction velocities are filter as in
Eq. (3.51). This filtering suppresses refraction in cases with rapidly changing
DRAFT WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 A.3

bottom topography. The impact of this filtering is reduced when the refrac-
tion time step is reduced. It is therefore prudent to test a model grid with
much smaller intra-spectral model time steps to assess the impact of this
filtering.
The final time step to set is the minimum time step for the dynamical
source term integration in Section 3.6. This is a safety valve to avoid pro-
hibitively small time steps in the source term integration. Depending on the
grid increment size this is typically set to 5 to 15s. Note that increasing this
time step does not necessarily improve model economy; a larger minimum
source term integration time step will increase the spectral noise in the inte-
gration, which in turn may reduce the average source term integration time
step!

A.2 Mosaics of grids

Considerations for time step settings for individual grids making up a mosaic
model using ww3 multi are in principle identical to those for individual grids
as discussed in the previous section. Additional considerations are:

• Overall time steps for individual grids do not need to ‘match’ in any
way for the management algorithm for the mosaic approach to work
properly. However, if identically ranked grids share overall time steps,
and if integer ratios between time steps of grids with different ranks are
employed, then it will be much easier to follow and predict the working
of the management algorithm,

• If two grids with identical rank overlap, then the required width of
the overlap area will be defined by the stencil width of the numerical
scheme, and the number of times this scheme is called for the longest
wave component (ratio of overall time step to maximum CFL time step).
Thus, model economy for individual grids will improve with increased
overall model time step, but the required overlap of equally ranked
grids will then increase, reducing the economy of the mosaic approach.
This page is intentionally left blank.
DRAFT WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 B.1

B Setting up nested runs

B.1 Using ww3 shel

The mechanics of running nested models using the single-grid wave model
program ww3 shel in principle is simple. A large scale model produces a file
with boundary data, for instance nest1.ww3. This file is then renamed to
nest.ww3 and put in the directory in which the nested (small scale) model is
run. The small scale model then will automatically process the file and up-
date the boundary conditions as required and available. Setting up the nest-
ing consistently is more involved. A simple step-by-step method is presented
here. Another possibility, described in the next subsection is to assemble the
nest.ww3 file from spectral output using ww3 bound.
1) The first step is to set up the large scale model completely, but
without generating boundary data for the nested model(s). Include
the proper wind fields, graphical outputs etc. Test this model until
you are satisfied that it works properly.
2) Set up the small scale model, for the moment ignoring the boundary
conditions. Take into consideration that the boundary conditions
ideally should coincide with grid lines in the large scale model to
minimize the file size of the boundary data files. Set up this model
in the same way as the large scale model, and test it thoroughly.
3) When the small scale model is set up satisfactorily in the above
way, the boundary conditions need to be defined. Go into the file
ww3 grid.inp for the small scale model, and mark all the intended
input boundaries as outlined in the documentation in section 4.4.3.
Make sure that the model switch !/O1 is selected in the switch file,
and recompile if necessary. Run ww3 grid and save the screen output.
The output of this program now includes a list of all points that
are marked as input boundary points. Also make sure that stored
copies of mod def.ww3 for the small scale model (if any) are properly
updated.
4) The next step is to include all the input boundary points in the
above list as output boundary points in the large scale model. Keep
B.2 WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 DRAFT

the list handy, and go to the file ww3 grid.inp for the large scale
model. Add all points of the above list as output boundary points
as indicated in the documentation in section 4.4.3. Make sure that
all data (an no other data) is sent to a single file, and run ww3 grid
with the proper input file. This should now give a list of output
boundary points that should be consistent with the above list of
input boundary points. Note that the order in which the points
occur in the list is inconsequential. Again make sure that stored
copies of mod def.ww3 for the large scale model (if any) are properly
updated.

5) If there are discrepancies between the two lists of points, iterate

between the two previous steps until the list are consistent.

6) The next step is to start generating the boundary data from the large
scale model. This requires the nesting output to be activated in the
large scale model. The output is already set up and included in the
model definition file (mod def.ww3) of the large scale model in the
above steps. It now needs to be activated by setting the beginning
time, time increment and ending time in the input file ww3 shel.inp
for the actual model run of the large scale model. This step does not
need to be performed if a second or consecutive nest is added. The
large scale model will now produce the file with boundary data. If
this is the first nest included the output file will be nest1.ww3. This
file needs to be saved for use in the small scale model.

7) To include the nesting data in the small scale model, the above
boundary data file needs to be renamed to nest.ww3 and needs to be
put in the directory from which ww3 shel for the small scale model is
run. If the small scale model has properly defined the input boundary
points in its definition file mod def.ww3, it will automatically process
the file nest.ww3 and update the boundary data as available. At this
point, two additional tests are recommended.

• When first running the small scale model with the file nest.ww3
present, pay close attention to the output of ww3 shel to as-
sure that (i) the program reports that the file nest.ww3 has
been processed and has been found OK, and (ii) that no addi-
tional warnings are present regarding incompatible or missing
DRAFT WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 B.3

boundary data. Also check the log file log.ww3 to assure that
the boundary data are updated at the expected times.
• When all data apparently are processed, it is illustrative and
prudent to make a model run of the small scale model where
the wind fields are switched off in ww3 shel.inp, and where no
restart file restart.ww3 is made available. In such a model run,
wave energy can only enter the domain from the boundaries.
This is a good test to assure that the boundary data is passed
from the large scale model to the small scale model as expected.

Additional nested models can be added in the same way. Adding a second
level nest from the small scale model is also done in the same way. The model
is presently set up for producing up to 9 files with boundary data per model
run. There are no limitations on the number of consecutive (‘telescoping’)
nests.

B.2 Using ww3 bound and/or unstructured grids

In some circumstances it is difficult or impossible to know in advance the

position of the forcing points for small scale model when running the large
scale model. This is the case if one wants to run a coastal zoom using
boundary condition from an on-line or third-party database.
In this case, it is possible to generate nest.ww3 file from spectral output
using ww3 bound. This is particularly handy also for unstructured grids due
to the irregular spacing of points on the boundary. ww3 bound takes a list
of spectra files, which should have the same spectral grid, and generates a
nest.ww3. The interpolation coefficients are determined from the positions of
the nearest available spectra and the positions of the active boundary points
in the small scale model.
B.4 WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 DRAFT

B.3 Using ww3 multi

Performing two-way nesting in the wave model driver ww3 multi is greatly
simplified compared to using the wave model driver ww3 shel, because all
data transfer needed is performed internally in the multi-grid wave model
routines. A mosaic model system is set up by iteratively going through the
following steps.

1) Set up a grid using the ww3 grid utility. Define the grid, its active
boundary points and all other model information such as time steps,
but do not attempt to generate output nesting data for other grids.
This will be assessed automatically by the multi-grid wave model
routines in ww3 multi. Note that the lowest ranked grid can option-
ally use active boundary data, either as read from file or to be kept
constant during computation. Higher ranked grids will require active
boundary point in order to be valid in the mosaic approach,

2) Add this grid as an extra grid to the input file ww3 multi.inp with
the appropriate rank number. Running ww3 multi will identify dis-
crepancies between grids and requested boundary data points that
can be resolved iteratively, and other discrepancies between grids.
It can be tedious to remove such discrepancies by hand. The grid
generation package of Chawla and Tolman (2007, 2008) checks for
such discrepancies automatically, and is therefore recommended for
grid generation for this version of WAVEWATCH III.

Note that grid on which input data fields are defined can be added in a
similar way. Note that the use of land-sea masks in oceanic input fields
(current, water level and ice) is recommended to assure realistic input values
at coastal points.
Generally, lower ranked grids are developed first, although grid of any
rank could be added at any time.
DRAFT WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 C.1

C Setting up for distributed machines

(MPI)

C.1 Model setup

In order to run WAVEWATCH III on a distributed memory machine us-

ing MPI, two requirements need to be met. First, all executables need to
be compiled properly. This implies that the codes are compiled with the
proper WAVEWATCH III options (switches), and with the proper compiler
options. Second, the parallel version of the model needs to be run in a
proper parallel environment. This implies that the parallel codes are run on
a multi-processor machine, invoking the proper parallel environment on that
machine. These two issues are discussed in some detail below.
Of all the WAVEWATCH III programs described in section 4, only three
benefit from a parallel implementation with MPI: the actual models ww3 shel
and ww3 multi, and the initial conditions program ww3 strt. ww3 strt is typi-
cally not used in operational environments, and can generally be run in single
processor mode. The main reason for running ww3 strt in multi-processor
mode is to reduce its memory requirements. These three codes are the only
codes that manipulate all spectra for all grid points simultaneously, and hence
require much more memory than all other WAVEWATCH III programs. An
added benefit (other than reduced run times) of running these programs in
parallel is that the parallel versions of these programs require less memory
per processor if the number of processors is increased.
Considering the above, it is sufficient for most implementations on parallel
machines to compile only the main programs ww3 shel and ww3 multi with
the MPI options. All other WAVEWATCH III programs with the exception
of ww3 strt are designed for single-processor use. The latter programs should
not be run in a parallel environment, because this will lead to I/O errors
in output files. Furthermore, there is no possible gain in run time for these
codes in a parallel environment due to their design. Because all programs
share subroutines, it is important to assure that this compilation is done
correctly, that is, that the subroutines and main programs are compiled with
compatible compiler settings. This implies that subroutines that are shared
between parallel and non-parallel programs should be compiled individually
C.2 WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 DRAFT

for each application.

The first step for compiling the MPI version of programs is to assure that
the proper compiler and compiler options are used. Examples of this for an
IBM system using the xlf compiler, and a Linux system using the Portland
compiler can be found in the example comp and link scripts provided with
the distribution of WAVEWATCH III.
The second step is to invoke the proper compile options (switches) in
compiling all parts of WAVEWATCH III. Most programs will be compiled
for single-processor use. To assure that all subroutines are consistent with
the main programs to which they are linked, the compile procedure should
be divided into two parts. A simple script that will properly compile all
WAVEWATCH III programs is given in Fig. C.1. An expanded version of
this example is now available as

make MPI

or in

w3 automake

. Alternatively, the commands in the script can be run interactively, while

directly editing the switch file when appropriate.
An alternative way of consistently compiling the code is to first extract
all necessary subroutines per code using w3 source, then put the sources and
the makefile in individual directories, and compile using the make command.
In this case the code for ww3 shel and ww3 multi are extracted using the
appropriate MPI switches, whereas all other codes are extracted using the
switches for the shared memory architecture.
After all codes have been compiled properly, the actual wave models
ww3 shell and ww3 multi needs to be run in the proper parallel environment.
The actual parallel environment depends largely on the computer system
used. For instance, on NCEP’s IBM systems, the number of processors and
the proper environment is set in ‘job cards’ at the beginning of the script.
The code is then directed to the parallel environment by invoking it as

poe ww3 shel

Conversely, on many Linux types systems, the MPI implementation includes

the mpirun command which is typically used in the form
DRAFT WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 C.3

#!/bin/sh

# Generate appropriate switch file for shared and

# distributed computational environments

cp switch switch.hold
sed -e ’s/DIST/SHRD/g’ \
-e ’s/MPI //g’ switch.hold > switch.shrd
sed ’s/SHRD/DIST MPI/g’ switch.hold > switch.MPI

# Make all single processor codes

cp switch.shrd switch
w3_make ww3_grid ww3_strt ww3_prep ww3_outf ww3_outp \
ww3_trck ww3_grib gx_outf gx_outp

# Make all parallel codes

cp switch.MPI switch
w3_make ww3_shel ww3_multi

# Go back to a selected switch file

cp switch.shrd switch
# cp switch.hold switch

# Clean up

rm -f switch.hold switch.shrd switch.MPI

w3_clean

# end of script

Figure C.1: Simple script to assure proper compilation of all WAVE-

WATCH III codes in a distributed (MPI) environment. This script assumes
that the shrd switch is selected in the switch file before the script is run.
C.4 WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 DRAFT

mpirun -np $NP ww3 shel

where the -np $NP option typically requests a number of processes from a
resource file ($NP is a shell script variable with a numerical value). For details
of running parallel codes on your system, please refer to the manual or user
support (if available).
Note that the as a part of the parallel model setup, I/O options are
available to select between parallel and non-parallel file systems (see also
Tolman, 2003a).

C.2 Common errors

Some of the most common errors made in attempting to run ww3 shel and
ww3 multi under MPI are:

• Running in a parallel environment with a serial code (no MPI in com-

pilation).

This will result in corrupted data files, because all processes are at-
tempting to write to the same file. This can be identified by the stan-
dard output of ww3 shel. The proper parallel version of the code will
produce each output line only once. The non-parallel version will pro-
duce one copy of each output line for each individual process started.

• You are running in a parallel environment with a serial code (programs

other than intended MPI codes).

This will result in corrupted data files, because all processes are at-
tempting to write to the same file. This can be identified by the stan-
dard output of the programs, which will produce multiple copies of each
output line.

• ww3 shel or ww3 multi are compiled properly, but not run in a parallel
environment.

On some systems, this will result in automatic failure of the execution

of ww3 shel. If this does not occur, this can only be traced by using
system tools for tracking when and where the code is running.
DRAFT WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 C.5

• During compilation serial and parallel compiled subroutines are mixed.

This is the most common source of compiling, linking and run time
errors of the code. Follow the steps outlined in the previous section to
avoid this.

C.3 MPI point-to-point communication errors

Running ww3 multi in parallel with several large overlapping grids involves
a large number of concurrently active MPI point-to-point communications
(MPI send/recv pairs). For correct execution, each active MPI message must
have a unique envelope (send id, recv id, tag, communicator) with an allowed
tag value. In this context two types of MPI point-to-point communication
errors may occur: (1) the MPI message tag value exceeds an upper-bound or
(2) two or more MPI messages have the same envelope. The first error may
result in ww3 multi crashing with a MPI “invalid tag” error or an internal
tag upper-bound exceeded error. The second error may result in spectra sent
from one MPI task to another being delivered to the wrong location. The
second error is more difficult to detect in that it is not trapped by MPI and
may only be manifested as strange results in model output.
To address these possible errors the allowed ranges of MPI tags for the
different sets of point-to-point communication in ww3 multi are controlled by
the M T AGB, M T AG0, M T AG1, M T AG2, and M T AG U B parameters
defined in WMMDATMD. These parameters must satisfy M T AGB ≥ 0 and
7 ∗ N RGRD − 1 ≤ M T AG0 < M T AG1 < M T AG2 < M T AG U B ≤
M P I T AG U B, where M P I T AG U B is the tag upper-bound for the MPI
implementation.
The value of M P I T AG U B for a specific MPI implementation can be
obtained at run-time using the M P I COM M GET AT T R routine. An
MPI implementation is free to set the value of M P I T AG U B larger than the
minimum set by the MPI standard (32767 = 215 − 1). In the current release
version of OpenMPI, the value of M P I T AG U B is 2147483647 (231 − 1).
On the Cray XC40 with Cray MPICH, the value of M P I T AG U B is much
smaller, that is, 2097151 (221 − 1). As the currently known lowest value of
M P I T AG U B amongst available parallel platforms, the Cray XC40 value
is used to set M T AG U B in WMMDATMD.
C.6 WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 DRAFT

If an MPI tag value exceeds the upper-bound (M P I T AG U B) imposed

by the MPI implementation, ww3 multi may crash with a MPI “invalid tag”
error. If an MPI tag value exceeds one of the internal tag upper-bounds,
ww3 multi will crash with error code 1001 and a report of which tag upper-
bound was exceeded. What follows is a description of the allowed MPI tag
ranges and how they are set.
The M T AGB parameter is only used as the tag lower-bound for blocking
communication that does not overlap with other point-to-point communica-
tion. Hence it is sufficent to set M T AGB to the lowest allowed MPI tag
value of 0.
In addition to being the tag lower-bound for communication of in-
ternal boundary data in WMINIOMD, the M T AG0 parameter is used in
WMIOPOMD as the tag upper-bound for the unified point output communi-
cation. To ensure that the unified point output communication tag values
are ≥ 0, M T AG0 must be at least 7 ∗ N RGRD − 1. A generous setting of
M T AG0 = 1000 is used in WMMDATMD.
The allowed tag range for point-to-point communication of internal
boundary data (WMINIOMD:WMIOBS) is (M T AG0, M T AG1]. Given that
this communication involves only the boundary points of the model grids a
generous setting of M T AG1 = 10000 is used in WMMDATMD.
The allowed tag range for point-to-point communication from high rank
to low rank grids (WMINIOMD:WMIOHS) is (M T AG1, M T AG2]. The al-
lowed tag range for point-to-point communication between equal rank model
grids (WMINIOMD:WMIOES) is (M T AG2, M T AG U B]. The high-rank-to-
low-rank and equal-rank communications involve both boundary and interior
points of model grids. Hence, the allowed tag ranges for these two communi-
cation sets should be larger than the allowed range for the communication of
internal boundary data. In nested grid applications (e.g., a single global grid
with several regional nests) the required tag range for high-rank-to-low-rank
communications will be larger than the required tag range for the equal-rank
communications. The setting of M T AG2 = 1500000 is used in WMMDATMD
to give a larger portion of the total allowed range of tags for the high-rank-
to-low-rank communications. Other multiple grid applications may require
adjusting M T AG2.
DRAFT WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 D.1

D Mosaic approach with non-regular grids

D.1 Introduction

WAVEWATCH III version 3.14 (Tolman, 2009b) introduced multi-grid ca-

pability. This capability is described above (Section 3.14.2). With model
version 4, there is an option to use irregular grids or unstructured grids, as
described in Section 3.4.3 and Section 3.4.4, respectively. Unfortunately, the
methods described in Section 3.14.2 are not general, as they are intended for
regular grids only. Some new capabilities are implemented in 6.07 to accom-
modate irregular and unstructured grids within the multi-grid approach.
The core component for communication from lower rank grids to higher
rank grids of Tolman (2008b) is an interpolation in space to provide boundary
data at the higher spatial resolution. For version 6.07 the technique was
generalized by making calls to the grid-search-utility (GSU) implemented in
WAVEWATCH III version 4 by T. Campbell. Other generalizations were
made to ancillary components of this routine.
The core component for communication from higher rank grids to lower
rank grids of Tolman (2008b) is a conservative remapping operation: the
spectral density of a larger (low rank) grid cell is updated based on the
spectral densities of the overlapping smaller (high rank) grid cells, weighted
according to the fraction of the larger cell that is covered by each smaller cell,
keeping in mind that a smaller cell may be overlapping with more than one
larger cell. For version 6.07 the technique was generalized by making calls to
an external software package, SCRIP-WW3, which is described below. The
remapping weights are stored in a FORTRAN “derived data type” array.
Generalizations were also made to ancillary components of the remapping
routine, for example to the logic used to calculate distances to the boundaries,
to deal with masked points and land points, etc.

D.2 SCRIP-WW3

The SCRIP-WW3 software package is adapted from the SCRIP (Spheri-

cal Coordinate Remapping and Interpolation Package) software package of
D.2 WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 DRAFT

Jones (1998), which we refer to here as SCRIP-LANL. SCRIP-WW3 is based

on SCRIP-LANL v1.5. The primary difference between SCRIP-LANL and
SCRIP-WW3 is that the former is a standalone code using NetCDF files for
user interface, and the latter is modified to run within WAVEWATCH III
with communication via system memory. Further, SCRIP-WW3 only utilizes
the conservative remapping feature, whereas SCRIP-LANL has a number of
other optional uses, such as bi-linear remapping.
The conservative remapping used in SCRIP is based on Jones (1999). In
this method, for each source/destination grid pair, line integrals are com-
puted around all cells in each grid while keeping track of intersections with
the other grid, resulting in area of overlap between grids. The method is de-
signed for use with a spherical coordinate system (as opposed to treating lat-
itudes and longitudes as if they are x- any y-axes in a Cartesian system) and
includes special logic for handling longitude wrapping (the so-called “branch
cut”) and cells that include a pole. It also allows for unstructured grids, with
arbitrary number of cell corners. The grid corner coordinates must be given
in an order which traces the outside of a grid cell in a counterclockwise di-
rection. The software allows either first- or second-order remapping; weights
for both are calculated in SCRIP-WW3. At present, only the first-order
remapping is implemented in WAVEWATCH III : Jones (1999) points out
that there is virtually no advantage to using the second-order method when
mapping from a fine grid to a coarse grid.

D.3 SCRIP Operation

SCRIP-WW3 is activated by including SCRIP in the file switch. If the user

attempts to use irregular or unstructured grids within ww3 multi without this
switch, this will result in an error message and program termination. SCRIP-
WW3 is not required for ww3 shel (traditional one-way nesting), and is not
required for ww3 multi with only regular grids, since original methods for
remapping are retained in the code for this purpose. SCRIP-WW3 source
files are kept in a separate directory /ftn/SCRIP/, since it is modified 3rd
party software. With the SCRIP switch, the build system ( ww3 make ) will
automatically compile files from this directory and link them into ww3 multi.
A user may also optionally include the switch SCRIPNC along with
SCRIP. This feature requires NetCDF. Instructions for using NetCDF in
DRAFT WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 D.3

WAVEWATCH III are found in Section 5.7 and in the file w3 make. With
SCRIPNC activated, for each source/destination grid pair, a NetCDF file
will be created, e.g. rmp src to dst conserv 002 001.nc, with 002 and 001 re-
ferring to the source and destination grid respectively; the numbering of
grids is assigned by ww3 multi and is indicated in screen output of that pro-
gram. This .nc file contains all information required by WAVEWATCH III
for remapping. Additional diagnostic information about the remapping can
be included in the .nc file by adding the switch T38. Note: switch should
include either ‘SCRIP SCRIPNC’ or ‘SCRIP’; using SCRIPNC without
SCRIP will result in a compile error.
Though it is not required, SCRIP-WW3 may be utilized for remapping
between regular grids. In the case of spherical (lat/lon) grids, there may
be slight differences using SCRIP-WW3, since SCRIP-WW3 calculates areas
based on real distances, and the non-SCRIP approach uses degrees lat/lon.

D.4 Optimization and common problems

SCRIP-WW3 routines are not parallelized. Therefore, if ww3 multi is run

with many processes, each process will perform identical calculations of all
weights. For remapping between grids with large numbers of points, this can
make the preparations for ww3 multi time-consuming, e.g. 3 to 10 minutes,
which can be prohibitively expensive for routine, operational use. To deal
with this problem, SCRIP-WW3 has been adapted to allow use of remapping
weights that were computed in a prior application of ww3 multi. If the appro-
priate .nc files are found by ww3 multi, it will simply read the remapping data
from these files, and SCRIP will not be called. Of course, if any grids have
been changed since the prior run, or if moving grids are used, pre-computed
weights should not be used.
An additional feature is provided for user convenience: if a file named
SCRIP STOP is found in the run directory, ww3 multi will terminate after
the .nc files are created. The content of SCRIP STOP is unimportant; it
may be an empty file. When this feature is used, remapping operations
will be distributed among processes: rmp src to dst conserv 002 001.nc is cre-
ated by process 1, rmp src to dst conserv 003 001.nc is created by process 2,
etc., which will dramatically improve performance in cases where a signifi-
cant number of grids are used. To clarify, there are two modes of operation
D.4 WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 DRAFT

that are targetted with this feature: Mode A) Precalculate weights, where
SCRIP STOP exists and .nc files do not exist. Mode B) Use precalculated
weights, where SCRIP STOP does not exist and .nc files do exist. If both
files types exist (through accident) in the work directory, ww3 multi will fail
with an error. In a hypothetical operational context, Mode A is used for the
first run and Mode B is used for all subsequent runs with the same grid set.
The scalability is limited by the most expensive remapping pair, i.e. load
balancing is an issue. For a case where 12 remapping pairs are calculated
and each pair requires 1/12th of the computation time, speed-up will be by
factor twelve. For another case with 12 remapping pairs, where one remap-
ping pair takes 50% of computation time, speed-up will be by factor two only.
Note that resources are maximized by using a number of processes equal to
the number of remapping pairs: extra processes will not be used.
To further explain the options available to users, take an example of a
multi-grid system with 9 grids and 12 remapping pairs, with many sea points,
run twice a day for several months, for a total of 1000 forecasts. The user
may handle this in different ways:

1) Using SCRIP, SCRIPNC, and MPI, and using the SCRIP STOP
feature, the calculation of weights will be done in parallel. The
first time the model is applied, this may take 5 to 10 minutes to
calculate remapping weights (Mode A above) and 20 minutes to
perform the model forecast (Mode B above). For forecasts 2 to
1000, only the 20 minutes to perform the model forecast (Mode
B) is needed.
2) Using SCRIP, SCRIPNC and the SCRIP STOP feature, but cre-
ating the .nc files running in serial mode and running the forecast
with MPI, the first time the model is applied, this may take 20
minutes to calculate remapping weights and 20 minutes to per-
form the model forecast. For forecasts 2 to 1000, only the 20
minutes to perform the model forecast is needed.
3) Using SCRIP, SCRIPNC, and MPI, without using the
SCRIP STOP feature, the calculation of weights will not be done
in parallel, and will even be slower than if run in serial, because
of communications. The first time the model is applied, this may
take 40 minutes to calculate remapping weights and 20 minutes
to perform the model forecast. For forecasts 2 to 1000, only the
20 minutes to perform the model forecast is needed.
DRAFT WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 D.5

4) Using SCRIP and MPI, running on 12 processors, the calculation

of weights will not be done in parallel, will be slow, and will need
to be computed each time. For all forecasts 1 to 1000, this may
take 40 minutes to calculate remapping weights and 20 minutes
to perform the model forecast.
In some cases, SCRIP-WW3 will return suspicious values for some points,
which will result in warning message(s) in the screen output. When this
occurs for a small fraction of grid points, our experience (from analysis of
the diagnostic output in the .nc files) is that the remapping weights are valid,
since the problem points are at edges where WAVEWATCH III does not use
the weights. However, when this occurs for a large fraction of grid points, it
is likely that SCRIP-WW3 has truly failed. In this case, WAVEWATCH III
stops with an error message. Our experience is that this occurs most often
for overlapping regular grids with a large number of coincident line segments.
A workaround exists: it can be remedied by adding an artificial offset to one
of the grids. It was already possible to specify an offset in ww3 grid.inp in the
grid description, but since that offset is intended as a real quantity, this other,
artificial offset is implemented separately as a namelist option. It is GSHIFT
under namelist group MISC. An example namelist would be: MISC GSHIFT
= 1.0D-6. A smaller number will result in less regridding error, though the
number must be sufficient large to actually have the intended beneficial effect.
We recommend to determine this by trial-and-error, varying by factor 10 each
time.

D.5 Limitations

Two features are not yet addressed, and will be addressed in a later version:
1) Communication between equal rank grids is still limited to regular
grids. If one of the grids is irregular or unstructured, ww3 multi
will terminate with an error message. It is possible to have non-
regular grids as part of a multi-grid system which includes equal
rank grids, as long as the overlapping equal-ranked grids are all
regular.
2) The “input grid” (or “F modid”) option for defining input fields
(e.g. winds) is not implemented yet for irregular or unstructured
D.6 WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 DRAFT

grids. If this is attempted, ww3 multi will terminate with an error

message. The “native” input grid option should be used instead.

Attribution statement: This section was written by E. Rogers. The coding

and testing for this effort was performed by E. Rogers, M. Dutour, A. Roland,
F. Ardhuin, and K. Lind. Technical advice was given by H. Tolman and T.
Campbell.
DRAFT WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 E.1

E Ocean-Ice-Waves-Atmosphere coupling
with OASIS

E.1 Introduction

WAVEWATCH III has been interfaced with OASIS3-MCT to allow cou-

pling simulations with atmosphere and/or ocean models. OASIS (Ocean
Atmosphere Sea Ice Soil)1 – note that waves are missing in that acronym
– is a coupling software developed by the CERFACS and CNRS (Valcke,
2013). The current OASIS3-MCT version is interfaced with MCT, the
Model Coupling Toolkit (J. Larson, 2005; R. Jacob, 2005). developed by the
Argonne National Laboratory. The OASIS coupler is also interfaced with
the SCRIP library developed by Los Alamos National Laboratory. All the
information on how to use the OASIS coupler is present in the oasis user
guide. Here we will just add the information about the use of OASIS in
WAVEWATCH III.

In a nutshell, OASIS3-MCT ...

• ... is totally parallelized

• ... doesn’t have an executable (we don’t need to give it processes when
we launch a coupling simulation)

• ... is able to exchange 2D and 3D fields

• ... is able to exchange fields in parallel

• ... support unstructured grids

• ... uses an input file called namcouple that allows changes to the cou-
pling characteristics (exchange time, interpolation type, number of ex-
change fields) without recompiling the code...

1
https://verc.enes.org/oasis/
E.2 WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 DRAFT

E.2 Interfacing with OASIS3-MCT

To communicate with another model, a component model (ocean, wave, sea

ice or atmosphere) needs to include a few specific calls to the OASIS3-MCT
coupling library. To use these OASIS’s functions in WAVEWATCH III we
created 4 new modules:
• w3oacpmd.ftn, module containing common functions for atmosphere
and ocean coupling. These functions are called before the temporal
loop, in the ww3 shel program.

• w3ogcmmd.ftn, w3igcmmd.ftn and w3agcmmd.ftn, modules containing

specific functions for, respectively, waves-ocean coupling, waves-sea ice-
coupling and waves-atmosphere coupling. These functions are called in
the temporal loop.

E.3 Compiling with OASIS3-MCT

To use or not these coupling functions 5 switches were created:

• switch COU, to perform the coupling : reading the ww3 shel.inp input file
and define the number of variable exchanged and the time exchange.

• switch OASIS, to initialize the coupler OASIS w3oacpmd.ftn

• switch OASACM and/or OASOCM and/or OASICM, to send/receive the cou-

pling fields to/from the atmospheric model w3agcmmd.ftn and/or the
oceanic model w3ogcmmd.ftn and/or the sea ice model w3igcmmd.ftn

To allow the use of OASIS, WAVEWATCH III R

should be compiled
with the following switches. For a coupling with an atmospheric circulation
model
COU OASIS OASACM
and with an ocean circulation model
COU OASIS OASOCM
DRAFT WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 E.3

and with a sea ice model

COU OASIS OASICM

and both ocean and atmosphere circulation models

COU OASIS OASACM OASOCM

Only the program ww3 shel is compiled with the OASIS library, all the
other programs can be used as usual.

The switches for interpolation in time of the wind and current forcing
fields must not be used regarding the fact that coupling mechanisms cannot
provided the future value of the forcing field. Depending on the type of
coupling, the switch WNT0 must be set for atmospheric coupling and the
switch CRT0 must be set for oceanic coupling.

E.4 Launch a coupling simulation

To launch a coupling simulation, for example with Intel Mpi, we need the:

• input files for WW3 : ww3 shel.inp, and the usual *.ww3 files.

• input file for OASIS : namcouple

• input files for ocean/sea ice/atmosphere models : files depends on the

model

To launch a coupling simulation, the mpirun command should be used as

follows
mpirun -np $nbre cores WW3 exe WW3 : -np $nbre cores OA
exe OA
E.4 WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 DRAFT

E.5 Limitations

A few limitations are not yet addressed, and will be addressed in a later
version:

• the coupling with OASIS is only coding for ww3 shel program, not yet
for the ww3 multi

• in the WW3 suite, there are 2 versions of SCRIP, one for OASIS and
one for the ww3 multi

• ...
DRAFT WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 F.1

F Coupling with NUOPC

F.1 Introduction

WAVEWATCH III as of v6.02 has a component cap wmesmf that interfaces

with the multi-grid routines via the National Unified Operational Prediction
Capability (NUOPC)1 Layer which specifies the use of the Earth System
Modeling Framework (ESMF) 2 for coupling with other earth systems such
as atmosphere, ocean, ice and storm surge models. This cap is meant to be
flexible and is already in use in multiple different coupled models at NOAA
and the US Navy. This section describes how to build, install, configure and
run the NUOPC cap. It assumes a basic knowledge of WAVEWATCH III.

F.2 Building and Installing the NUOPC Cap

To make the library that will contain the WAVEWATCH III code and cap
that can be included in a NUOPC coupled model, use modelesmfMakefile.
For example, in the NOAA Environmental Modeling System (NEMS) the
command is:

make ww3 nems

this makefile will subsequently call w3 make. As part of this process a

nuopc.mk makefile fragment will also be created, which tells NUOPC/ESMF
where the WAVEWATCH III library is located.

F.3 Import/Export Fields in the NUOPC Cap

The avaiable fields for import and export are listed below. Please see Section
F.4 for information on how to activate coupling for an import field.
Import Fields:
1
https://earthsystemcog.org/projects/nuopc/
2
https://www.earthsystemcog.org/projects/esmf/
F.2 WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 DRAFT

• sea surface height above sea level

• surface eastward sea water velocity

• surface northward sea water velocity

• eastward wind at 10m height

• northward wind at 10m height

• sea ice concentration

Export:

• wave induced charnock parameter

• wave z0 roughness length

• eastward stokes drift current

• northward stokes drift current

• eastward wave bottom current

• northward wave bottom current

• wave bottom current period

• eastward wave radiation stress

• eastward northward wave radiation stress

• northward wave radiation stress

DRAFT WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 F.3

F.4 Configuration of Input Files for the NUOPC Cap

The required WAVEWATCH III input file is the ww3 multi.inp or

ww3 multi.nml file. To spcify that a particular input field is to be obtained
via coupling and not a file ’CPL:’ is put infront of the input grid specification
for the particular input field.
Note that current limitations of the NUOPC cap are that there can only
be one input grid (whether it is one of the model grids or an input grid) and
one export grid (the first computational grid if there are multiple computa-
tional grids). The grid can be unstructured or structured.
Note that while the start and end times for the run is determined by the
NUOPC driver, the start time, end time and frequency of output are still
determined by the ww3 multi input file.

F.5 Running the NUOPC Cap

While the cap is designed to be used in coupled systems outside of the scope
of this documentation. A script to run a regression test of the standalone
WAVEWATCH III cap is provided in the regtestrun esmf test suite
script.
DRAFT WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 G.1

G Configuration of Input Files

This section contains the input files in the traditional *.inp format or new
namelist *.nml format for each program. These can also be found in the
model/inp or model/nml folders respectively.

G.1 ww3 grid

G.1.1 ww3 grid.inp

start of example input file (traditional form)

$ -------------------------------------------------------------------- $
$ WAVEWATCH III Grid preprocessor input file $
$ -------------------------------------------------------------------- $
$ Grid name (C*30, in quotes)
$
’TEST GRID (GULF OF NOWHERE) ’
$
$ Frequency increment factor and first frequency (Hz) ---------------- $
$ number of frequencies (wavenumbers) and directions, relative offset
$ of first direction in terms of the directional increment [-0.5,0.5].
$ In versions 1.18 and 2.22 of the model this value was by definiton 0,
$ it is added to mitigate the GSE for a first order scheme. Note that
$ this factor is IGNORED in the print plots in ww3_outp.
$
1.1 0.04118 25 24 0.
$
$ Set model flags ---------------------------------------------------- $
$ - FLDRY Dry run (input/output only, no calculation).
$ - FLCX, FLCY Activate X and Y component of propagation.
$ - FLCTH, FLCK Activate direction and wavenumber shifts.
$ - FLSOU Activate source terms.
$
F T T T F T
$
$ Set time steps ----------------------------------------------------- $
$ - Time step information (this information is always read)
$ maximum global time step, maximum CFL time step for x-y and
$ k-theta, minimum source term time step (all in seconds).
$
G.2 WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 DRAFT

900. 950. 900. 300.

$
$ Start of namelist input section ------------------------------------ $
$ Starting with WAVEWATCH III version 2.00, the tunable parameters
$ for source terms, propagation schemes, and numerics are read using
$ namelists. Any namelist found in the folowing sections up to the
$ end-of-section identifier string (see below) is temporarily written
$ to ww3_grid.scratch, and read from there if necessary. Namelists
$ not needed for the given switch settings will be skipped
$ automatically, and the order of the namelists is immaterial.
$ As an example, namelist input to change SWELLF and ZWND in the
$ Tolman and Chalikov input would be
$
$ &SIN2 SWELLF = 0.1, ZWND = 15. /
$
$ Define constants in source terms ----------------------------------- $
$
$ Stresses - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
$ TC 1996 with cap : Namelist FLX3
$ CDMAX : Maximum allowed CD (cap)
$ CTYPE : Cap type :
$ 0: Discontinuous (default).
$ 1: Hyperbolic tangent.
$ Hwang 2011 : Namelist FLX4
$ CDFAC : re-scaling of drag
$
$ Linear input - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
$ Cavaleri and M-R : Namelist SLN1
$ CLIN : Proportionality constant.
$ RFPM : Factor for fPM in filter.
$ RFHF : Factor for fh in filter.
$
$ Exponential input - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
$ WAM-3 : Namelist SIN1
$ CINP : Proportionality constant.
$
$ Tolman and Chalikov : Namelist SIN2
$ ZWND : Height of wind (m).
$ SWELLF : swell factor in (n.nn).
$ STABSH, STABOF, CNEG, CPOS, FNEG :
$ c0, ST0, c1, c2 and f1 in . (n.nn)
$ through (2.65) for definition of
$ effective wind speed (!/STAB2).
$ WAM4 and variants : Namelist SIN3
$ ZWND : Height of wind (m).
DRAFT WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 G.3

$ ALPHA0 : minimum value of Charnock coeffici

$ Z0MAX : maximum value of air-side roughnes
$ BETAMAX : maximum value of wind-wave couplin
$ SINTHP : power of cosine in wind input
$ ZALP : wave age shift to account for gust
$ TAUWSHELTER : sheltering of short waves to reduc
$ SWELLFPAR : choice of swell attenuation formul
$ (1: TC 1996, 3: ACC 2008)
$ SWELLF : swell attenuation factor
$ Extra parameters for SWELLFPAR=3 only
$ SWELLF2, SWELLF3 : swell attenuation factors
$ SWELLF4 : Threshold Reynolds number for ACC2
$ SWELLF5 : Relative viscous decay below thres
$ Z0RAT : roughness for oscil. flow / mean f
$ BYDRZ input : Namelist SIN6
$ SINA0 : factor for negative input
$ SINWS : wind speed scaling option
$ SINFC : high-frequency extent of the
$ prognostic frequency region
$
$ Nonlinear interactions - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
$ Discrete I.A. : Namelist SNL1
$ LAMBDA : Lambda in source term.
$ NLPROP : C in sourc term. NOTE : default
$ value depends on other source
$ terms selected.
$ KDCONV : Factor before kd in Eq. (n.nn).
$ KDMIN, SNLCS1, SNLCS2, SNLCS3 :
$ Minimum kd, and constants c1-3
$ in depth scaling function.
$ Exact interactions : Namelist SNL2
$ IQTYPE : Type of depth treatment
$ 1 : Deep water
$ 2 : Deep water / WAM scaling
$ 3 : Shallow water
$ TAILNL : Parametric tail power.
$ NDEPTH : Number of depths in for which
$ integration space is established.
$ Used for IQTYPE = 3 only
$ Namelist ANL2
$ DEPTHS : Array with depths for NDEPTH = 3
$ Gen. Multiple DIA : Namelist SNL3
$ NQDEF : Number of quadruplets.
$ MSC : Scaling constant ’m’.
$ NSC : Scaling constant ’N’.
G.4 WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 DRAFT

$ KDFD : Deep water relative filter depth,

$ KDFS : Shallow water relative filter depth
$ Namelist ANL3
$ QPARMS : 5 x NQDEF paramaters describing the
$ quadruplets, repeating LAMBDA, MU,
$ Cdeep and Cshal. See examples below
$ Two Scale Approx. : Namelist SNL4
$ INDTSA : Index for TSA/FBI computations
$ (0 = FBI ; 1 = TSA)
$ ALTLP : Index for alternate looping
$ (1 = no ; 2 = yes)
$
$ Traditional DIA setup (default):
$
$ &SNL3 NQDEF = 1, MSC = 0.00, NSC = -3.50 /
$ &ANL3 QPARMS = 0.250, 0.000, -1.0, 0.1000E+08, 0.0000E+00 /
$
$ GMD3 from 2010 report (G13d in later paper) :
$
$ &SNL3 NQDEF = 3, MSC = 0.00, NSC = -3.50 /
$ &ANL3 QPARMS = 0.126, 0.000, -1.0, 0.4790E+08, 0.0000E+00 ,
$ 0.237, 0.000, -1.0, 0.2200E+08, 0.0000E+00 ,
$ 0.319, 0.000, -1.0, 0.1110E+08, 0.0000E+00 /
$
$ G35d from 2010 report:
$
$ &SNL3 NQDEF = 5, MSC = 0.00, NSC = -3.50 /
$ &ANL3 QPARMS = 0.066, 0.018, 21.4, 0.170E+09, 0.000E+00 ,
$ 0.127, 0.069, 19.6, 0.127E+09, 0.000E+00 ,
$ 0.228, 0.065, 2.0, 0.443E+08, 0.000E+00 ,
$ 0.295, 0.196, 40.5, 0.210E+08, 0.000E+00 ,
$ 0.369, 0.226, 11.5, 0.118E+08, 0.000E+00 /
$
$ Nonlinear filter based on DIA - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
$ Namelist SNLS
$ A34 : Relative offset in quadruplet
$ FHFC : Proportionality constants.
$ DMN : Maximum relative change.
$ FC1-3 : Constants in frequency filter.
$
$ Whitecapping dissipation - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
$ WAM-3 : Namelist SDS1
$ CDIS, APM : As in source term.
$
$ Tolman and Chalikov : Namelist SDS2
DRAFT WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 G.5

$ SDSA0, SDSA1, SDSA2, SDSB0, SDSB1, PHIMIN :

$ Constants a0, a1, a2, b0, b1 and
$ PHImin.
$
$ WAM4 and variants : Namelist SDS3
$ SDSC1 : WAM4 Cds coeffient
$ MNMEANP, WNMEANPTAIL : power of wavenumber
$ for mean definitions in Sds and tai
$ SDSDELTA1, SDSDELTA2 : relative weights
$ of k and k^2 parts of WAM4 dissipat
$ SDSLF, SDSHF : coefficient for activation of
$ WAM4 dissipation for unsaturated (SDSLF)
$ saturated (SDSHF) parts of the spectrum
$ SDSC2 : Saturation dissipation coefficien
$ SDSC4 : Value of B0=B/Br for wich Sds is
$ SDSBR : Threshold Br for saturation
$ SDSP : power of (B/Br-B0) in Sds
$ SDSBR2 : Threshold Br2 for the separation
$ WAM4 dissipation in saturated and non-satu
$ SDSC5 : coefficient for turbulence dissipati
$ SDSC6 : Weight for the istropic part of Sds_
$ SDSDTH: Angular half-width for integration o
$
$ BYDRZ : Namelist SDS6
$ SDSET : Select threshold normalization spe
$ SDSA1, SDSA2, SDSP1, SDSP2 :
$ Coefficients for dissipation terms T1 an
$ : Namelist SWL6
$ SWLB1 : Coefficient for swell dissipation
$
$ Bottom friction - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
$ JONSWAP : Namelist SBT1
$ GAMMA : Bottom friction emprical constant
$
$
$ Surf breaking - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
$ Battjes and Janssen : Namelist SDB1
$ BJALFA : Dissipation constant (default = 1)
$ BJGAM : Breaking threshold (default = 0.73
$ BJFLAG : TRUE - Use Hmax/d ratio only (def
$ FALSE - Use Hmax/d in Miche formul
$
$ Dissipation in the ice - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
$ Generalization of Liu et al. : Namelist SIC2
$ IC2DISPER : If true uses Liu formulation wi
G.6 WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 DRAFT

$ If false, uses the generalizati

$ to laminar transition
$ IC2TURB : empirical factor for the turbul
$ IC2ROUGH : under-ice roughness length
$ IC2REYNOLDS: Re number for laminar to turbul
$ IC2SMOOTH : smoothing of transition reprens
$ IC2VISC : empirical factor for viscous pa
$
$
$ Scattering in the ice & creep dissipations- - - - - - - - - - - - -
$ Generalization of Wiliams et al. : Namelist SIS2
$ ISC1 : scattering coefficient (defa
$ IS2BACKSCAT : fraction of energy back-scat
$ IS2BREAK : TRUE - changes floe max dia
$ : FALSE - does not change floe
$ IS2C1 : scattering in pack ice
$ IS2C2 : frequency dependance of scat
$ IS2C3 : frequency dependance of scat
$ ISBACKSCAT : fraction of scattered energy
$ IS2DISP : use of ice-specific dispersi
$ FRAGILITY : parameter between 0 and 1 th
$ IS2DMIN : minimum floe diameter in met
$ IS2DAMP : multiplicative coefficient f
$ IS2UPDATE : TRUE - updates the max floe
$ : FALSE - updates the max floe
$
$ Dissipation by sea ice
$ Empirical/parametric representations : Namelist SIC4
$ IC4METHOD : integer 1 to 7
$ : In most cases, additional inp
$ : is required.
$ : See examples in /regtests/ww3
$ : See also: 1) description in m
$ : and 2) inline documentation
$ w3sic4md.ftn
$
$ Triad nonlinear interactions - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
$ Lumped Triad Interaction (LTA) : Namelist STR1 (To be implemented)
$ PTRIAD1 : Proportionality coefficient (defau
$ PTRIAD2 : Multiple of Tm01 up to which inter
$ is computed (2.5)
$ PTRIAD3 : Ursell upper limit for computing
$ interactions (not used, default 10
$ PTRIAD4 : Shape parameter for biphase
$ computation (0.2)
DRAFT WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 G.7

$ PTRIAD5 : Ursell number treshold for computi

$ interactions (0.01)
$
$ Shoreline reflections - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
$ ref. parameters : Namelist REF1
$ REFCOAST : Reflection coefficient at shorel
$ REFFREQ : Activation of freq-dependent ref
$ REFMAP : Scale factor for bottom slope ma
$ REFRMAX : maximum ref. coeffient (default
$ REFFREQPOW: power of frequency
$ REFICEBERG: Reflection coefficient for icebe
$ REFSUBGRID: Reflection coefficient for islan
$ REFCOSP_STRAIGHT: power of cosine used for
$ straight shoreline
$
$ Bound 2nd order spectrum and free IG - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
$ IG1 parameters : Namelist SIG1
$ IGMETHOD : 1: Hasselmann, 2: Krasitskii-Jan
$ IGADDOUTP : activation of bound wave correct
$ in ww3_outp / ww3_ounp
$ IGSOURCE : 1: uses bound waves, 2: empirica
$ IGSTERMS : > 0 : no source term in IG band
$ IGMAXFREQ : maximum frequency of IG band
$ IGEMPIRICAL: constant in empirical free IG s
$ IGBCOVERWRITE: T: Replaces IG spectrum, does
$ IGSWELLMAX: T: activates free IG sources for
$
$
$ Propagation schemes ------------------------------------------------ $
$ First order : Namelist PRO1
$ CFLTM : Maximum CFL number for refraction.
$
$ UQ/UNO with diffusion : Namelist PRO2
$ CFLTM : Maximum CFL number for refraction.
$ DTIME : Swell age (s) in garden sprinkler
$ correction. If 0., all diffusion
$ switched off. If small non-zero
$ (DEFAULT !!!) only wave growth
$ diffusion.
$ LATMIN : Maximum latitude used in calc. of
$ strength of diffusion for prop.
$
$ UQ/UNO with averaging : Namelist PRO3
$ CFLTM : Maximum CFL number for refraction.
$ WDTHCG : Tuning factor propag. direction.
G.8 WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 DRAFT

$ WDTHTH : Tuning factor normal direction.

$
$ Note that UQ and UNO schemes have no tunable parameters.
$ All tuneable parameters are associated with the refraction
$ limitation and the GSE alleviation.
$
$ Unstructured grids ------------------------------------------------ $
$ UNST parameters : Namelist UNST
$ UGOBCAUTO : TRUE: OBC points are taken from
$ FALSE: OBC points must be listed
$ UGOBCDEPTH: Threshold ( < 0) depth for OBC p
$ EXPFSN : Activation of N scheme
$ EXPFSPSI : Activation of PSI scheme
$ EXPFSFCT : Activation of FCT scheme
$ IMPFSN : Activation of N implicit scheme
$ IMPTOTAL : Activation of fully implicit sch
$ EXPTOTAL : Turn on implicit refraction (onl
$ IMPREFRACTION : Turn on implicit freq. shif
$ IMPFREQSHIFT : Turn on implicit freq. shift
$ IMPSOURCE : Turn on implicit source terms (
$ JGS_TERMINATE_MAXITER : max. Number of iter
$ JGS_TERMINATE_DIFFERENCE : terminate based
$ JGS_TERMINATE_NORM : terminate based on the
$ JGS_USE_JACOBI : Use Jacobi solver for impt
$ JGS_BLOCK_GAUSS_SEIDEL : Use Block Gauss Se
$ JGS_MAXITER : max. Number of solver iterati
$ JGS_PMIN : % of grid points that do not nee
$ JGS_DIFF_THR : implicit solver threshold fo
$ JGS_NORM_THR : terminate based on the norm
$ SETUP_APPLY_WLV : Compute wave setup (exper
$ SOLVERTHR_SETUP : Solver threshold for setu
$ CRIT_DEP_SETUP : Critical depths for setup
$
$ SMC grid propagation : Namelist PSMC and default values
$ CFLTM : Maximum CFL no. for propagation, 0.
$ DTIME : Swell age for diffusion term (s), 0
$ LATMIN : Maximum latitude (deg) for GCT, 8
$ RFMAXD : Maximum refraction turning (deg), 8
$ LvSMC : No. of refinement level, default 1
$ ISHFT : Shift number of i-index, default 0
$ JEQT : Shift number of j-index, default 0
$ NBISMC : No. of input boundary points, 0
$ UNO3 : Use 3rd order advection scheme, .FA
$ AVERG : Add extra spatial averaging, .FA
$ SEAWND : Use sea-point only wind input. .FA
DRAFT WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 G.9

$ &PSMC DTIME = 39600.0, LATMIN=85.0, RFMAXD = 36.0, LvSMC=3, JEQT=1344

$
$ Rotated pole ------------------------------------------------------ $
$ Pole parameters : Namelist ROTD
$ PLAT : Rotated pole latitude
$ PLON : Rotated pole longitude
$ UNROT : Logical, un-rotate directions to tru
$
$ These will be used to derive rotation angle corrections in the
$ model. The corrections are used for rotation of boundary spectra
$ and for restoring conventional lat/lon orientation of the
$ output spectra, mean direction or any related variables.
$ The PLAT/LON example below is a standard setting for Met
$ Office UK regional models.
$
$ &ROTD PLAT = 37.5, PLON = 177.5, UNROT = .TRUE. /
$
$ Output of 3D arrays------------------------------------------------- $
$ In order to limit the use of memory, arrays for 3D output fiels (i.e.
$ variables that are a function of both space and frequency, are not
$ declared, and thus cannot be used, unless specified by namelists.
$ NB: Output of ’first 5’ moments E, th1m, sth1m, th2, sth2m allows to e
$ directional spectrum using, e.g. MEM (Lygre&Krogstad 1986).
$
$ Parameters (integers) : Namelist OUTS
$ For the frequency spectrum E(f)
$ E3D : <=0: not declared, > 0: declared
$ I1E3D : First frequency index of output (de
$ I2E3D : Last frequency index of output (de
$ For the mean direction th1m(f), and spread sth1m(f)
$ TH1MF, STH1MF : <=0: not declared, > 0: declared
$ I1TH1MF, I1STH1MF: First frequency index of output (de
$ I2TH1MF, I2STH1MF: First frequency index of output (de
$ For the mean direction th2m(f), and spread sth2m(f)
$ TH2MF, STH2MF : <=0: not declared, > 0: declared
$ I1TH2MF, I1STH2MF: First frequency index of output (de
$ I2TH2MF, I2STH2MF: First frequency index of output (de
$ For 2nd order pressure at K=0 (source of microseisms & microbaroms)
$ P2SF : <=0: not declared, > 0: declared
$ I1P2SF : First frequency index of output (de
$ I2P2SF : Last frequency index of output (de
$ For the surface Stokes drift partitions (USP)
$ USSP : First index (default is 1, should alw
$ IUSSP : Last index (must be <= than NK and s
$ between 3 and ~10 with t
G.10 WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 DRAFT

$ between accuracy and res

$ STK_WN : List of wavenumbers (size of IUSSP)
$ e.g.: USSP = 1, IUSSP=3, STK_WN = 0.04, 0.11
$ provides 3 partitions of both x & y co
$ with a reasonable accuracy for using i
$ a climate model.
$
$ Miscellaneous ------------------------------------------------------ $
$ Misc. parameters : Namelist MISC
$ CICE0 : Ice concentration cut-off.
$ CICEN : Ice concentration cut-off.
$ PMOVE : Power p in GSE aleviation for
$ moving grids in Eq. (D.4).
$ XSEED : Xseed in seeding alg. (!/SEED).
$ FLAGTR : Indicating presence and type of
$ subgrid information :
$ 0 : No subgrid information.
$ 1 : Transparancies at cell boun-
$ daries between grid points.
$ 2 : Transp. at cell centers.
$ 3 : Like 1 with cont. ice.
$ 4 : Like 2 with cont. ice.
$ TRCKCMPR : Logical variable (T/F). Set to F
$ disable "compression" of track ou
$ This simplifies post-processing.
$ Default is T and will create trac
$ output in the traditional manner
$ (WW3 v3, v4, v5).
$ XP, XR, XFILT
$ Xp, Xr and Xf for the dynamic
$ integration scheme.
$ IHMAX : Number of discrete levels in part.
$ HSPMIN : Minimum Hs in partitioning.
$ WSM : Wind speed multiplier in part.
$ WSC : Cut of wind sea fraction for
$ identifying wind sea in part.
$ FLC : Flag for combining wind seas in
$ partitioning.
$ NOSW : Number of partitioned swell fields
$ in field output.
$ PTM : Partioning method:
$ 1 : Default WW3
$ 2 : Watershedding + wind cutoff
$ 3 : Watershedding only
$ 4 : Wind speed cutoff only
DRAFT WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 G.11

$ 5 : High/Low band cutoff (see PTFC

$ PTFC : Cutouf frequency for High/Low band
$ partioning (PTM=5). Default = 0.1Hz
$ FMICHE : Constant in Miche limiter.
$ STDX : Space-Time Extremes X-Length
$ STDY : Space-Time Extremes Y-Length
$ STDT : Space-Time Extremes Duration
$ P2SF : ......
$
$ Diagnostic Sea-state Dependent Stress- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
$ Reichl et al. 2014 : Namelist FLD1
$ TAILTYPE : High Frequency Tail Method
$ 0: Constant value (prescribed)
$ 1: Wind speed dependent
$ (Based on GFDL Hurricane
$ Model Z0 relationship)
$ TAILLEV : Level of high frequency tail
$ (if TAILTYPE==0)
$ Valid choices:
$ Capped min: 0.001, max: 0.02
$ TAILT1 : Tail transition ratio 1
$ TAILT1*peak input frequency
$ is the first transition point of
$ the saturation specturm
$ Default is 1.25
$ TAILT1 : Tail transition ratio 2
$ TAILT2*peak input frequency
$ is the second transition point o
$ the saturation specturm
$ Default is 3.00
$ Donelan et al. 2012 : Namelist FLD2
$ TAILTYPE : See above (FLD1)
$ TAILLEV : See above (FLD1)
$ TAILT1 : See above (FLD1)
$ TAILT2 : See above (FLD1)
$
$ In the ’Out of the box’ test setup we run with sub-grid obstacles
$ and with continuous ice treatment.
$
&MISC CICE0 = 0.25, CICEN = 0.75, FLAGTR = 4 /
&FLX3 CDMAX = 3.5E-3 , CTYPE = 0 /
$ &SDB1 BJGAM = 1.26, BJFLAG = .FALSE. /
$
$ Mandatory string to identify end of namelist input section.
$
G.12 WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 DRAFT

END OF NAMELISTS
$
$ Define grid -------------------------------------------------------- $
$
$ Five records containing :
$
$ 1 Type of grid, coordinate system and type of closure: GSTRG, FLAGLL,
$ CSTRG. Grid closure can only be applied in spherical coordinates.
$ GSTRG : String indicating type of grid :
$ ’RECT’ : rectilinear
$ ’CURV’ : curvilinear
$ ’UNST’ : unstructured (triangle-based)
$ FLAGLL : Flag to indicate coordinate system :
$ T : Spherical (lon/lat in degrees)
$ F : Cartesian (meters)
$ CSTRG : String indicating the type of grid index space closure :
$ ’NONE’ : No closure is applied
$ ’SMPL’ : Simple grid closure : Grid is periodic in the
$ : i-index and wraps at i=NX+1. In other words,
$ : (NX+1,J) => (1,J). A grid with simple closure
$ : may be rectilinear or curvilinear.
$ ’TRPL’ : Tripole grid closure : Grid is periodic in the
$ : i-index and wraps at i=NX+1 and has closure at
$ : j=NY+1. In other words, (NX+1,J<=NY) => (1,J)
$ : and (I,NY+1) => (NX-I+1,NY). Tripole
$ : grid closure requires that NX be even. A grid
$ : with tripole closure must be curvilinear.
$ 2 NX, NY. As the outer grid lines are always defined as land
$ points, the minimum size is 3x3.
$
$ Branch here based on grid type
$
$ IF ( RECTILINEAR GRID ) THEN
$
$ 3 Grid increments SX, SY (degr.or m) and scaling (division) factor.
$ If CSTRG=’SMPL’, then SX is set to 360/NX.
$ 4 Coordinates of (1,1) (degr.) and scaling (division) factor.
$
$ ELSE IF ( CURVILINEAR GRID ) THEN
$
$ 3 Unit number of file with x-coordinate.
$ Scale factor and add offset: x <= scale_fac * x_read + add_offset.
$ IDLA, IDFM, format for formatted read, FROM and filename.
$ IDLA : Layout indicator :
$ 1 : Read line-by-line bottom to top.
DRAFT WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 G.13

$ 2 : Like 1, single read statement.

$ 3 : Read line-by-line top to bottom.
$ 4 : Like 3, single read statement.
$ IDFM : format indicator :
$ 1 : Free format.
$ 2 : Fixed format with above format descriptor.
$ 3 : Unformatted.
$ FROM : file type parameter
$ ’UNIT’ : open file by unit number only.
$ ’NAME’ : open file by name and assign to unit.
$
$ If the above unit number equals 10, then the x-coord is read from t
$ file. The x-coord must follow the above record. No comment lines
$ allowed within the x-coord input.
$
$ 4 Unit number of file with y-coordinate.
$ Scale factor and add offset: y <= scale_fac * y_read + add_offset.
$ IDLA, IDFM, format for formatted read, FROM and filename.
$ IDLA : Layout indicator :
$ 1 : Read line-by-line bottom to top.
$ 2 : Like 1, single read statement.
$ 3 : Read line-by-line top to bottom.
$ 4 : Like 3, single read statement.
$ IDFM : format indicator :
$ 1 : Free format.
$ 2 : Fixed format with above format descriptor.
$ 3 : Unformatted.
$ FROM : file type parameter
$ ’UNIT’ : open file by unit number only.
$ ’NAME’ : open file by name and assign to unit.
$
$ If the above unit number equals 10, then the y-coord is read from t
$ file. The y-coord must follow the above record. No comment lines
$ allowed within the y-coord input.
$
$ ELSE IF ( UNSTRUCTURED GRID ) THEN
$ Nothing to declare: all the data will be read from the GMESH file
$ END IF ( CURVILINEAR GRID )
$
$ 5 Limiting bottom depth (m) to discriminate between land and sea
$ points, minimum water depth (m) as allowed in model, unit number
$ of file with bottom depths, scale factor for bottom depths (mult.),
$ IDLA, IDFM, format for formatted read, FROM and filename.
$ IDLA : Layout indicator :
$ 1 : Read line-by-line bottom to top.
G.14 WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 DRAFT

$ 2 : Like 1, single read statement.

$ 3 : Read line-by-line top to bottom.
$ 4 : Like 3, single read statement.
$ IDFM : format indicator :
$ 1 : Free format.
$ 2 : Fixed format with above format descriptor.
$ 3 : Unformatted.
$ FROM : file type parameter
$ ’UNIT’ : open file by unit number only.
$ ’NAME’ : open file by name and assign to unit.
$
$ If the above unit number equals 10, then the bottom depths are read
$ this file. The depths must follow the above record. No comment li
$ allowed within the depth input. In the case of unstructured grids,
$ is expected to be a GMESH grid file containing node and element lis
$
$ ----------------------------------------------------------------------
$ Example for rectilinear grid with spherical (lon/lat) coordinate syste
$ Note that for Cartesian coordinates the unit is meters (NOT km).
$
’RECT’ T ’NONE’
12 12
1. 1. 4.
-1. -1. 4.
-0.1 2.50 10 -10. 3 1 ’(....)’ ’NAME’ ’bottom.inp’
$
6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6
6 6 6 5 4 2 0 2 4 5 6 6
6 6 6 5 4 2 0 2 4 5 6 6
6 6 6 5 4 2 0 2 4 5 6 6
6 6 6 5 4 2 0 0 4 5 6 6
6 6 6 5 4 4 2 2 4 5 6 6
6 6 6 6 5 5 4 4 5 6 6 6
6 6 6 6 6 6 5 5 6 6 6 6
6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6
6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6
6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6
6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6
$
$ ----------------------------------------------------------------------
$ Example for curvilinear grid with spherical (lon/lat) coordinate syste
$ Same spatial grid as preceding rectilinear example.
$ Note that for Cartesian coordinates the unit is meters (NOT km).
$
$ ’CURV’ T ’NONE’
DRAFT WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 G.15

$ 12 12
$
$ 10 0.25 -0.5 3 1 ’(....)’ ’NAME’ ’x.inp’
$
$ 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
$ 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
$ 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
$ 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
$ 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
$ 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
$ 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
$ 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
$ 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
$ 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
$ 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
$ 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
$
$ 10 0.25 0.5 3 1 ’(....)’ ’NAME’ ’y.inp’
$
$ 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1
$ 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2
$ 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3
$ 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4
$ 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5
$ 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6
$ 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7
$ 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8
$ 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9
$ 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10
$ 11 11 11 11 11 11 11 11 11 11 11 11
$ 12 12 12 12 12 12 12 12 12 12 12 12
$
$ -0.1 2.50 10 -10. 3 1 ’(....)’ ’NAME’ ’bottom.inp’
$
$ 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6
$ 6 6 6 5 4 2 0 2 4 5 6 6
$ 6 6 6 5 4 2 0 2 4 5 6 6
$ 6 6 6 5 4 2 0 2 4 5 6 6
$ 6 6 6 5 4 2 0 0 4 5 6 6
$ 6 6 6 5 4 4 2 2 4 5 6 6
$ 6 6 6 6 5 5 4 4 5 6 6 6
$ 6 6 6 6 6 6 5 5 6 6 6 6
$ 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6
$ 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6
$ 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6
G.16 WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 DRAFT

$ 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6
$
$ -------------------------------------------------------------
$ SMC grid use the same spherical lat-lon grid parameters
$ ’RECT’ T ’SMPL’
$ 1024 704
$ SMC grid base level resolution dlon dlat and start lon lat
$ 0.35156250 0.23437500 1.
$ 0.17578125 -78.6328125 1.
$
$ Normal depth input line is used to passing the minimum depth
$ though the depth file is not read for SMC grid.
$ -0.1 10.0 30 -1. 1 1 ’(....)’ ’NAME’ ’SMC25Depth.dat’
$ SMC cell and face arrays and obstruction ratio:
$ 32 1 1 ’(....)’ ’S6125MCels.dat’
$ 33 1 1 ’(....)’ ’S6125ISide.dat’
$ 34 1 1 ’(....)’ ’S6125JSide.dat’
$ 31 1.0 1 1 ’(...)’ ’NAME’ ’SMC25Subtr.dat’
$ The input boundary cell file is only needed when NBISMC > 0.
$ 35 1 1 ’(....)’ ’S6125Bundy.dat’
$ Extra cell and face arrays for Arctic part if ARC is selected.
$ 36 1 1 ’(....)’ ’S6125MBArc.dat’
$ 37 1 1 ’(....)’ ’S6125AISid.dat’
$ 38 1 1 ’(....)’ ’S6125AJSid.dat’
$ Normal land-sea mask file input line is kept but file is not used.
$ 39 1 1 ’(....)’ ’NAME’ ’S6125Masks.dat’
$ Boundary cell id list file (unit 35) is only required if boundary
$ cell number entered above is non-zero. The cell id number should b
$ the sequential number in the cell array (unit 32) S625MCels.dat.
$
$ If sub-grid information is available as indicated by FLAGTR above,
$ additional input to define this is needed below. In such cases a
$ field of fractional obstructions at or between grid points needs to
$ be supplied. First the location and format of the data is defined
$ by (as above) :
$ - Unit number of file (can be 10, and/or identical to bottom depth
$ unit), scale factor for fractional obstruction, IDLA, IDFM,
$ format for formatted read, FROM and filename
$
10 0.2 3 1 ’(....)’ ’NAME’ ’obstr.inp’
$
$ *** NOTE if this unit number is the same as the previous bottom
$ depth unit number, it is assumed that this is the same file
$ without further checks. ***
$
DRAFT WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 G.17

$ If the above unit number equals 10, the bottom data is read from
$ this file and follows below (no intermediate comment lines allowed,
$ except between the two fields).
$
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
0 0 0 0 0 0 5 0 0 0 0 0
0 0 0 0 0 0 5 0 0 0 0 0
0 0 0 0 0 0 4 0 0 0 0 0
0 0 0 0 0 0 4 0 0 0 0 0
0 0 0 0 0 0 5 0 0 0 0 0
0 0 0 0 0 0 5 0 0 0 0 0
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
$
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 5 5 5 0
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
$
$ *** NOTE size of fields is always NX * NY ***
$
$ Input boundary points and excluded points -------------------------- $
$ The first line identifies where to get the map data, by unit number
$ IDLA and IDFM, format for formatted read, FROM and filename
$ if FROM = ’PART’, then segmented data is read from below, else
$ the data is read from file as with the other inputs (as INTEGER)
$
10 3 1 ’(....)’ ’PART’ ’mapsta.inp’
$
$ Read the status map from file ( FROM != PART ) --------------------- $
$
$ 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3
$ 3 2 1 1 1 1 0 1 1 1 1 3
$ 3 2 1 1 1 1 0 1 1 1 1 3
G.18 WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 DRAFT

$ 3 2 1 1 1 1 0 1 1 1 1 3
$ 3 2 1 1 1 1 0 0 1 1 1 3
$ 3 2 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 3
$ 3 2 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 3
$ 3 2 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 3
$ 3 2 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 3
$ 3 2 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 3
$ 3 2 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 3
$ 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3
$
$ The legend for the input map is :
$
$ 0 : Land point.
$ 1 : Regular sea point.
$ 2 : Active boundary point.
$ 3 : Point excluded from grid.
$
$ Input boundary points from segment data ( FROM = PART ) ------------ $
$ An unlimited number of lines identifying points at which input
$ boundary conditions are to be defined. If the actual input data is
$ not defined in the actual wave model run, the initial conditions
$ will be applied as constant boundary conditions. Each line contains:
$ Discrete grid counters (IX,IY) of the active point and a
$ connect flag. If this flag is true, and the present and previous
$ point are on a grid line or diagonal, all intermediate points
$ are also defined as boundary points.
$
2 2 F
2 11 T
$
$ Close list by defining point (0,0) (mandatory)
$
0 0 F
$
$ Excluded grid points from segment data ( FROM != PART )
$ First defined as lines, identical to the definition of the input
$ boundary points, and closed the same way.
$
0 0 F
$
$ Second, define a point in a closed body of sea points to remove
$ the entire body of sea points. Also close by point (0,0)
$
0 0
$
DRAFT WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 G.19

$ Sedimentary bottom map if namelist &SBT4 SEDMAPD50 = T

$
$ 22 1. 1 1 ’(f10.6)’ ’NAME’ ’SED.txt’
$
$ Output boundary points --------------------------------------------- $
$ Output boundary points are defined as a number of straight lines,
$ defined by its starting point (X0,Y0), increments (DX,DY) and number
$ of points. A negative number of points starts a new output file.
$ Note that this data is only generated if requested by the actual
$ program. Example again for spherical grid in degrees. Note, these do
$ not need to be defined for data transfer between grids in the multi
$ grid driver.
$
1.75 1.50 0.25 -0.10 3
2.25 1.50 -0.10 0.00 -6
0.10 0.10 0.10 0.00 -10
$
$ Close list by defining line with 0 points (mandatory)
$
0. 0. 0. 0. 0
$
$ -------------------------------------------------------------------- $
$ End of input file $
$ -------------------------------------------------------------------- $

end of example input file (traditional form)

G.1.2 ww3 grid.nml

start of example input file (namelist form)

! -------------------------------------------------------------------- !
! WAVEWATCH III - ww3_grid.nml - Grid pre-processing !
! -------------------------------------------------------------------- !

! -------------------------------------------------------------------- !
! Define the spectrum parameterization via SPECTRUM_NML namelist
!
! * namelist must be terminated with /
! * definitions & defaults:
G.20 WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 DRAFT

! SPECTRUM%XFR = 0. ! frequency increment

! SPECTRUM%FREQ1 = 0. ! first frequency (Hz)
! SPECTRUM%NK = 0 ! number of frequencies (wave
! SPECTRUM%NTH = 0 ! number of direction bins
! SPECTRUM%THOFF = 0. ! relative offset of first di
! -------------------------------------------------------------------- !
&SPECTRUM_NML
SPECTRUM%XFR = 1.1
SPECTRUM%FREQ1 = 0.04118
SPECTRUM%NK = 32
SPECTRUM%NTH = 24
/

! -------------------------------------------------------------------- !
! Define the run parameterization via RUN_NML namelist
!
! * namelist must be terminated with /
! * definitions & defaults:
! RUN%FLDRY = F ! dry run (I/O only, no calcu
! RUN%FLCX = F ! x-component of propagation
! RUN%FLCY = F ! y-component of propagation
! RUN%FLCTH = F ! direction shift
! RUN%FLCK = F ! wavenumber shift
! RUN%FLSOU = F ! source terms
! -------------------------------------------------------------------- !
&RUN_NML
RUN%FLCX = T
RUN%FLCY = T
RUN%FLCTH = T
RUN%FLSOU = T
/

! -------------------------------------------------------------------- !
! Define the timesteps parameterization via TIMESTEPS_NML namelist
!
! * It is highly recommended to set up time steps which are multiple
! between them.
!
! * The first time step to calculate is the maximum CFL time step
! which depend on the lowest frequency FREQ1 previously set up and the
! lowest spatial grid resolution in meters DXY.
! reminder : 1 degree=60minutes // 1minute=1mile // 1mile=1.852km
! The formula for the CFL time is :
DRAFT WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 G.21

! Tcfl = DXY / (G / (FREQ1*4*Pi) ) with the constants Pi=3,14 and G=9.

! DTXY ~= 90% Tcfl
! DTMAX ~= 3 * DTXY (maximum global time step limit)
!
! * The refraction time step depends on how strong can be the current ve
! on your grid :
! DTKTH ~= DTMAX / 2 ! in case of no or light current velocities
! DTKTH ~= DTMAX / 10 ! in case of strong current velocities
!
! * The source terms time step is usually defined between 5s and 60s.
! A common value is 10s.
! DTMIN ~= 10
!
! * namelist must be terminated with /
! * definitions & defaults:
! TIMESTEPS%DTMAX = 0. ! maximum global time step (s)
! TIMESTEPS%DTXY = 0. ! maximum CFL time step for x-y
! TIMESTEPS%DTKTH = 0. ! maximum CFL time step for k-th
! TIMESTEPS%DTMIN = 0. ! minimum source term time step
! -------------------------------------------------------------------- !
&TIMESTEPS_NML
TIMESTEPS%DTMAX = 480.
TIMESTEPS%DTXY = 160.
TIMESTEPS%DTKTH = 240.
TIMESTEPS%DTMIN = 10.
/

! -------------------------------------------------------------------- !
! Define the grid to preprocess via GRID_NML namelist
!
! * the tunable parameters for source terms, propagation schemes, and
! numerics are read using namelists.
! * Any namelist found in the folowing sections is temporarily written
! to param.scratch, and read from there if necessary.
! * The order of the namelists is immaterial.
! * Namelists not needed for the given switch settings will be skipped
! automatically
!
! * grid type can be :
! ’RECT’ : rectilinear
! ’CURV’ : curvilinear
! ’UNST’ : unstructured (triangle-based)
!
! * coordinate system can be :
G.22 WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 DRAFT

! ’SPHE’ : Spherical (degrees)

! ’CART’ : Cartesian (meters)
!
! * grid closure can only be applied in spherical coordinates
!
! * grid closure can be :
! ’NONE’ : No closure is applied
! ’SMPL’ : Simple grid closure. Grid is periodic in the
! : i-index and wraps at i=NX+1. In other words,
! : (NX+1,J) => (1,J). A grid with simple closure
! : may be rectilinear or curvilinear.
! ’TRPL’ : Tripole grid closure : Grid is periodic in the
! : i-index and wraps at i=NX+1 and has closure at
! : j=NY+1. In other words, (NX+1,J<=NY) => (1,J)
! : and (I,NY+1) => (NX-I+1,NY). Tripole
! : grid closure requires that NX be even. A grid
! : with tripole closure must be curvilinear.
!
! * The coastline limit depth is the value which distinguish the sea
! points to the land points. All the points with depth values (ZBIN)
! greater than this limit (ZLIM) will be considered as excluded points
! and will never be wet points, even if the water level grows over.
! It can only overwrite the status of a sea point to a land point.
! The value must have a negative value under the mean sea level
!
! * The minimum water depth allowed to compute the model is the absolute
! depth value (DMIN) used in the model if the input depth is lower to
! avoid the model to blow up.
!
! * namelist must be terminated with /
! * definitions & defaults:
! GRID%NAME = ’unset’ ! grid name (30 char)
! GRID%NML = ’namelists.nml’ ! namelists filename
! GRID%TYPE = ’unset’ ! grid type
! GRID%COORD = ’unset’ ! coordinate system
! GRID%CLOS = ’unset’ ! grid closure
!
! GRID%ZLIM = 0. ! coastline limit depth (m)
! GRID%DMIN = 0. ! abs. minimum water depth (m)
! -------------------------------------------------------------------- !
&GRID_NML
GRID%NAME = ’GULF OF NOWHERE’
GRID%NML = ’namelists.nml’
GRID%TYPE = ’RECT’
GRID%COORD = ’SPHE’
DRAFT WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 G.23

GRID%CLOS = ’SMPL’
GRID%ZLIM = -0.10
GRID%DMIN = 2.5
/

! -------------------------------------------------------------------- !
! Define the rectilinear grid type via RECT_NML namelist
! - only for RECT grids -
!
! * The minimum grid size is 3x3.
!
! * If the grid increments SX and SY are given in minutes of arc, the sc
! factor SF must be set to 60. to provide an increment factor in degre
!
! * If CSTRG=’SMPL’, then SX is forced to 360/NX.
!
! * value <= value_read / scale_fac
!
! * namelist must be terminated with /
! * definitions & defaults:
! RECT%NX = 0 ! number of points along x-axis
! RECT%NY = 0 ! number of points along y-axis
!
! RECT%SX = 0. ! grid increment along x-axis
! RECT%SY = 0. ! grid increment along y-axis
! RECT%SF = 1. ! scaling division factor for x-y
!
! RECT%X0 = 0. ! x-coordinate of lower-left corn
! RECT%Y0 = 0. ! y-coordinate of lower-left corn
! RECT%SF0 = 1. ! scaling division factor for x0,
! -------------------------------------------------------------------- !
&RECT_NML
RECT%NX = 720
RECT%NY = 360
/

! -------------------------------------------------------------------- !
! Define the curvilinear grid type via CURV_NML namelist
! - only for CURV grids -
!
! * The minimum grid size is 3x3.
G.24 WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 DRAFT

!
! * If CSTRG=’SMPL’, then SX is forced to 360/NX.
!
! * value <= scale_fac * value_read + add_offset
!
! * IDLA : Layout indicator :
! 1 : Read line-by-line bottom to top. (default)
! 2 : Like 1, single read statement.
! 3 : Read line-by-line top to bottom.
! 4 : Like 3, single read statement.
! * IDFM : format indicator :
! 1 : Free format. (default)
! 2 : Fixed format.
! 3 : Unformatted.
! * FORMAT : element format to read :
! ’(....)’ : auto detected (default)
! ’(f10.6)’ : float type
!
! * Example :
! IDF SF OFF IDLA IDFM FORMAT FILENAME
! 21 0.25 -0.5 3 1 ’(....)’ ’x.inp’
! 22 0.25 0.5 3 1 ’(....)’ ’y.inp’
!
! * namelist must be terminated with /
! * definitions & defaults:
! CURV%NX = 0 ! number of points along x-axis
! CURV%NY = 0 ! number of points along y-axis
!
! CURV%XCOORD%SF = 1. ! x-coord scale factor
! CURV%XCOORD%OFF = 0. ! x-coord add offset
! CURV%XCOORD%FILENAME = ’unset’ ! x-coord filename
! CURV%XCOORD%IDF = 21 ! x-coord file unit number
! CURV%XCOORD%IDLA = 1 ! x-coord layout indicator
! CURV%XCOORD%IDFM = 1 ! x-coord format indicator
! CURV%XCOORD%FORMAT = ’(....)’ ! x-coord formatted read format
!
! CURV%YCOORD%SF = 1. ! y-coord scale factor
! CURV%YCOORD%OFF = 0. ! y-coord add offset
! CURV%YCOORD%FILENAME = ’unset’ ! y-coord filename
! CURV%YCOORD%IDF = 22 ! y-coord file unit number
! CURV%YCOORD%IDLA = 1 ! y-coord layout indicator
! CURV%YCOORD%IDFM = 1 ! y-coord format indicator
! CURV%YCOORD%FORMAT = ’(....)’ ! y-coord formatted read format
! -------------------------------------------------------------------- !
&CURV_NML
DRAFT WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 G.25

CURV%NX = 720
CURV%NY = 360
!
CURV%XCOORD%SF = 0.25
CURV%XCOORD%OFF = -0.5
CURV%XCOORD%FILENAME = ’x.inp’
CURV%XCOORD%IDLA = 3
!
CURV%YCOORD%SF = 0.25
CURV%YCOORD%OFF = 0.5
CURV%YCOORD%FILENAME = ’y.inp’
CURV%YCOORD%IDLA = 3
/

! -------------------------------------------------------------------- !
! Define the unstructured grid type via UNST_NML namelist
! - only for UNST grids -
!
! * The minimum grid size is 3x3.
!
! * &MISC namelist must be removed
!
! * The depth value must have negative values under the mean sea level
!
! * The map value must be set as :
! -2 : Excluded boundary point (covered by ice)
! -1 : Excluded sea point (covered by ice)
! 0 : Excluded land point
! 1 : Sea point
! 2 : Active boundary point
! 3 : Excluded grid point
! 7 : Ice point
!
! * the file must be a GMESH grid file containing node and element lists
!
! * Extra open boundary list file with UGOBCFILE in namelist &UNST
! An example is given in regtest ww3_tp2.7
!
! * value <= scale_fac * value_read
!
! * IDLA : Layout indicator :
! 1 : Read line-by-line bottom to top. (default)
! 2 : Like 1, single read statement.
! 3 : Read line-by-line top to bottom.
G.26 WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 DRAFT

! 4 : Like 3, single read statement.

! * IDFM : format indicator :
! 1 : Free format. (default)
! 2 : Fixed format.
! 3 : Unformatted.
! * FORMAT : element format to read :
! ’(....)’ : auto detected (default)
! ’(f10.6)’ : float type
!
! * Example :
! IDF SF IDLA IDFM FORMAT FILENAME
! 20 -1. 4 2 ’(20f10.2)’ ’ngug.msh’
!
! * namelist must be terminated with /
! * definitions & defaults:
! UNST%SF = 1. ! unst scale factor
! UNST%FILENAME = ’unset’ ! unst filename
! UNST%IDF = 20 ! unst file unit number
! UNST%IDLA = 1 ! unst layout indicator
! UNST%IDFM = 1 ! unst format indicator
! UNST%FORMAT = ’(....)’ ! unst formatted read format
!
! UNST%UGOBCFILE = ’unset’ ! additional boundary list file
! -------------------------------------------------------------------- !
&UNST_NML
UNST%SF = -1.
UNST%FILENAME = ’ngug.msh’
UNST%IDLA = 4
UNST%IDFM = 2
UNST%FORMAT = ’(20f10.2)’
/

! -------------------------------------------------------------------- !
! Define the spherical multiple-cell grid via SMC_NML namelist
! - only for SMC grids -
!
! * SMC cell ’MCELS’ and face ’ISIDE & JSIDE’ arrays
! and obstruction ratio ’SUBTR’.
!
! * The input boundary cell file ’BUNDY’ is only needed when NBISMC > 0.
! Boundary cell id list file (unit 35) is only required if boundary
! cell number entered above is non-zero. The cell id number should be
! the sequential number in the cell array (unit 31) S625MCels.dat.
!
DRAFT WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 G.27

! * Extra cell and face arrays for Arctic part if switch ARC is selected
!
! * Example :
! IDF IDLA IDFM FORMAT FILENAME
! 31 1 1 ’(....)’ ’S6125MCels.dat’
! 32 1 1 ’(....)’ ’S6125ISide.dat’
! 33 1 1 ’(....)’ ’S6125JSide.dat’
! 34 1 1 ’(....)’ ’SMC25Subtr.dat’
! 35 1 1 ’(....)’ ’S6125Bundy.dat’
! 36 1 1 ’(....)’ ’S6125MBArc.dat’
! 37 1 1 ’(....)’ ’S6125AISid.dat’
! 38 1 1 ’(....)’ ’S6125AJSid.dat’
!
! * namelist must be terminated with /
! * definitions & defaults:
! SMC%MCELS%FILENAME = ’unset’ ! MCels filename
! SMC%MCELS%IDF = 31 ! MCels file unit number
! SMC%MCELS%IDLA = 1 ! MCels layout indicator
! SMC%MCELS%IDFM = 1 ! MCels format indicator
! SMC%MCELS%FORMAT = ’(....)’ ! MCels formatted read format
!
! SMC%ISIDE%FILENAME = ’unset’ ! ISide filename
! SMC%ISIDE%IDF = 32 ! ISide file unit number
! SMC%ISIDE%IDLA = 1 ! ISide layout indicator
! SMC%ISIDE%IDFM = 1 ! ISide format indicator
! SMC%ISIDE%FORMAT = ’(....)’ ! ISide formatted read format
!
! SMC%JSIDE%FILENAME = ’unset’ ! JSide filename
! SMC%JSIDE%IDF = 33 ! JSide file unit number
! SMC%JSIDE%IDLA = 1 ! JSide layout indicator
! SMC%JSIDE%IDFM = 1 ! JSide format indicator
! SMC%JSIDE%FORMAT = ’(....)’ ! JSide formatted read format
!
! SMC%SUBTR%FILENAME = ’unset’ ! Subtr filename
! SMC%SUBTR%IDF = 34 ! Subtr file unit number
! SMC%SUBTR%IDLA = 1 ! Subtr layout indicator
! SMC%SUBTR%IDFM = 1 ! Subtr format indicator
! SMC%SUBTR%FORMAT = ’(....)’ ! Subtr formatted read format
!
! SMC%BUNDY%FILENAME = ’unset’ ! Bundy filename
! SMC%BUNDY%IDF = 35 ! Bundy file unit number
! SMC%BUNDY%IDLA = 1 ! Bundy layout indicator
! SMC%BUNDY%IDFM = 1 ! Bundy format indicator
! SMC%BUNDY%FORMAT = ’(....)’ ! Bundy formatted read format
!
G.28 WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 DRAFT

! SMC%MBARC%FILENAME = ’unset’ ! MBArc filename

! SMC%MBARC%IDF = 36 ! MBArc file unit number
! SMC%MBARC%IDLA = 1 ! MBArc layout indicator
! SMC%MBARC%IDFM = 1 ! MBArc format indicator
! SMC%MBARC%FORMAT = ’(....)’ ! MBArc formatted read format
!
! SMC%AISID%FILENAME = ’unset’ ! AISid filename
! SMC%AISID%IDF = 37 ! AISid file unit number
! SMC%AISID%IDLA = 1 ! AISid layout indicator
! SMC%AISID%IDFM = 1 ! AISid format indicator
! SMC%AISID%FORMAT = ’(....)’ ! AISid formatted read format
!
! SMC%AJSID%FILENAME = ’unset’ ! AJSid filename
! SMC%AJSID%IDF = 38 ! AJSid file unit number
! SMC%AJSID%IDLA = 1 ! AJSid layout indicator
! SMC%AJSID%IDFM = 1 ! AJSid format indicator
! SMC%AJSID%FORMAT = ’(....)’ ! AJSid formatted read format
! -------------------------------------------------------------------- !
&SMC_NML
SMC%MCELS%FILENAME = ’S6125MCels.dat’
SMC%ISIDE%FILENAME = ’S6125ISide.dat’
SMC%JSIDE%FILENAME = ’S6125JSide.dat’
SMC%SUBTR%FILENAME = ’SMC25Subtr.dat’
SMC%BUNDY%FILENAME = ’S6125Bundy.dat’
SMC%MBARC%FILENAME = ’S6125MBArc.dat’
SMC%AISID%FILENAME = ’S6125AISid.dat’
SMC%AJSID%FILENAME = ’S6125AJSid.dat’
/

! -------------------------------------------------------------------- !
! Define the depth to preprocess via DEPTH_NML namelist
! - for RECT and CURV grids -
!
! * if no obstruction subgrid, need to set &MISC FLAGTR = 0
!
! * The depth value must have negative values under the mean sea level
!
! * value <= value_read * scale_fac
!
! * IDLA : Layout indicator :
! 1 : Read line-by-line bottom to top. (default)
! 2 : Like 1, single read statement.
! 3 : Read line-by-line top to bottom.
DRAFT WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 G.29

! 4 : Like 3, single read statement.

! * IDFM : format indicator :
! 1 : Free format. (default)
! 2 : Fixed format.
! 3 : Unformatted.
! * FORMAT : element format to read :
! ’(....)’ : auto detected (default)
! ’(f10.6)’ : float type
!
! * Example :
! IDF SF IDLA IDFM FORMAT FILENAME
! 50 0.001 1 1 ’(....)’ ’GLOB-30M.bot’
!
! * namelist must be terminated with /
! * definitions & defaults:
! DEPTH%SF = 1. ! scale factor
! DEPTH%FILENAME = ’unset’ ! filename
! DEPTH%IDF = 50 ! file unit number
! DEPTH%IDLA = 1 ! layout indicator
! DEPTH%IDFM = 1 ! format indicator
! DEPTH%FORMAT = ’(....)’ ! formatted read format
! -------------------------------------------------------------------- !
&DEPTH_NML
DEPTH%SF = 0.001
DEPTH%FILENAME = ’GLOB-30M.bot’
/

! -------------------------------------------------------------------- !
! Define the point status map via MASK_NML namelist
! - only for RECT and CURV grids -
!
! * If no mask defined, INBOUND can be used to set active boundaries
!
! * IDLA : Layout indicator :
! 1 : Read line-by-line bottom to top. (default)
! 2 : Like 1, single read statement.
! 3 : Read line-by-line top to bottom.
! 4 : Like 3, single read statement.
! * IDFM : format indicator :
! 1 : Free format. (default)
! 2 : Fixed format.
! 3 : Unformatted.
! * FORMAT : element format to read :
G.30 WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 DRAFT

! ’(....)’ : auto detected (default)

! ’(f10.6)’ : float type
!
! * Example :
! IDF IDLA IDFM FORMAT FILENAME
! 60 1 1 ’(....)’ ’GLOB-30M.mask’
!
! * The legend for the input map is :
! -2 : Excluded boundary point (covered by ice)
! -1 : Excluded sea point (covered by ice)
! 0 : Excluded land point
! 1 : Sea point
! 2 : Active boundary point
! 3 : Excluded grid point
! 7 : Ice point
!
! * namelist must be terminated with /
! * definitions & defaults:
! MASK%FILENAME = ’unset’ ! filename
! MASK%IDF = 60 ! file unit number
! MASK%IDLA = 1 ! layout indicator
! MASK%IDFM = 1 ! format indicator
! MASK%FORMAT = ’(....)’ ! formatted read format
! -------------------------------------------------------------------- !
&MASK_NML
MASK%FILENAME = ’GLOB-30M.mask’
/

! -------------------------------------------------------------------- !
! Define the obstruction map via OBST_NML namelist
! - only for RECT and CURV grids -
!
! * only used if &MISC FLAGTR = 1 in param.nml
! (transparencies at cell boundaries)
! or if &MISC FLAGTR = 2 in param.nml
! (transparencies at cell centers)
! or if &MISC FLAGTR = 3 in param.nml
! (transparencies at cell boundaries with cont. ice)
! or if &MISC FLAGTR = 4 in param.nml
! (transparencies at cell centers with cont. ice)
!
! * value <= value_read * scale_fac
DRAFT WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 G.31

!
! * IDLA : Layout indicator :
! 1 : Read line-by-line bottom to top. (default)
! 2 : Like 1, single read statement.
! 3 : Read line-by-line top to bottom.
! 4 : Like 3, single read statement.
! * IDFM : format indicator :
! 1 : Free format. (default)
! 2 : Fixed format.
! 3 : Unformatted.
! * FORMAT : element format to read :
! ’(....)’ : auto detected (default)
! ’(f10.6)’ : float type
!
! * Example :
! IDF SF IDLA IDFM FORMAT FILENAME
! 70 0.0001 1 1 ’(....)’ ’GLOB-30M.obst’
!
! * If the file unit number equals 10, then the data is read from this
! file. The data must follow the above record. No comment lines are
! allowed within the data input.
!
! * In the case of unstructured grids, no obstruction file can be added
!
! * namelist must be terminated with /
! * definitions & defaults:
! OBST%SF = 1. ! scale factor
! OBST%FILENAME = ’unset’ ! filename
! OBST%IDF = 70 ! file unit number
! OBST%IDLA = 1 ! layout indicator
! OBST%IDFM = 1 ! format indicator
! OBST%FORMAT = ’(....)’ ! formatted read format
! -------------------------------------------------------------------- !
&OBST_NML
OBST%SF = 0.0001
OBST%FILENAME = ’GLOB-30M.obst’
/

! -------------------------------------------------------------------- !
! Define the reflexion slope map via SLOPE_NML namelist
! - only for RECT and CURV grids -
!
! * only used if &REF1 REFMAP = 2 defined in param.nml
G.32 WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 DRAFT

!
! * value <= value_read * scale_fac
!
! * IDLA : Layout indicator :
! 1 : Read line-by-line bottom to top. (default)
! 2 : Like 1, single read statement.
! 3 : Read line-by-line top to bottom.
! 4 : Like 3, single read statement.
! * IDFM : format indicator :
! 1 : Free format. (default)
! 2 : Fixed format.
! 3 : Unformatted.
! * FORMAT : element format to read :
! ’(....)’ : auto detected (default)
! ’(f10.6)’ : float type
!
! * Example :
! IDF SF IDLA IDFM FORMAT FILENAME
! 80 0.0001 1 1 ’(....)’ ’GLOB-30M.slope’
!
! * In the case of unstructured grids, no sed file can be added
!
! * namelist must be terminated with /
! * definitions & defaults:
! SLOPE%SF = 1. ! scale factor
! SLOPE%FILENAME = ’unset’ ! filename
! SLOPE%IDF = 80 ! file unit number
! SLOPE%IDLA = 1 ! layout indicator
! SLOPE%IDFM = 1 ! format indicator
! SLOPE%FORMAT = ’(....)’ ! formatted read format
! -------------------------------------------------------------------- !
&SLOPE_NML
SLOPE%SF = 0.0001
SLOPE%FILENAME = ’GLOB-30M.slope’
/

! -------------------------------------------------------------------- !
! Define the sedimentary bottom map via SED_NML namelist
!
! * only used if &SBT4 SEDMAPD50 = T defined in param.nml
!
! * value <= value_read * scale_fac
!
DRAFT WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 G.33

! * IDLA : Layout indicator :

! 1 : Read line-by-line bottom to top. (default)
! 2 : Like 1, single read statement.
! 3 : Read line-by-line top to bottom.
! 4 : Like 3, single read statement.
! * IDFM : format indicator :
! 1 : Free format. (default)
! 2 : Fixed format.
! 3 : Unformatted.
! * FORMAT : element format to read :
! ’(....)’ : auto detected (default)
! ’(f10.6)’ : float type
!
! * Example :
! IDF SF IDLA IDFM FORMAT FILENAME
! 90 1. 1 2 ’(f10.6)’ ’SED.txt’
!
! * In the case of unstructured grids, no sed file can be added
!
! * namelist must be terminated with /
! * definitions & defaults:
! SED%SF = 1. ! scale factor
! SED%FILENAME = ’unset’ ! filename
! SED%IDF = 90 ! file unit number
! SED%IDLA = 1 ! layout indicator
! SED%IDFM = 1 ! format indicator
! SED%FORMAT = ’(....)’ ! formatted read format
! -------------------------------------------------------------------- !
&SED_NML
SED%FILENAME = ’SED.txt’
SED%IDFM = 2
SED%FORMAT = ’(f10.6)’
/

! -------------------------------------------------------------------- !
! Define the input boundary points via INBND_COUNT_NML and
! INBND_POINT_NML namelist
! - for RECT, CURV and UNST grids -
!
! * If no mask defined, INBOUND can be used
!
! * If the actual input data is not defined in the actual wave model run
G.34 WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 DRAFT

! the initial conditions will be applied as constant boundary conditio

!
! * The number of points is defined by INBND_COUNT
!
! * The points must start from index 1 to N
!
! * Each line contains:
! Discrete grid counters (IX,IY) of the active point and a
! connect flag. If this flag is true, and the present and previous
! point are on a grid line or diagonal, all intermediate points
! are also defined as boundary points.
!
! * Included point :
! grid points from segment data
! Defines as lines identifying points at which
! input boundary conditions are to be defined.
!
! * namelist must be terminated with /
! * definitions & defaults:
! INBND_COUNT%N_POINT = 0 ! number of segments
!
! INBND_POINT(I)%X_INDEX = 0 ! x index included point
! INBND_POINT(I)%Y_INDEX = 0 ! y index included point
! INBND_POINT(I)%CONNECT = F ! connect flag
!
! OR
! INBND_POINT(I) = 0 0 F ! included point
! -------------------------------------------------------------------- !
&INBND_COUNT_NML
INBND_COUNT%N_POINT = 2
/

&INBND_POINT_NML
INBND_POINT(1) = 2 2 F
INBND_POINT(2) = 2 11 T
/

! -------------------------------------------------------------------- !
! Define the excluded points and bodies via EXCL_COUNT_NML, EXCL_POINT_N
! and EXCL_BODY_NML namelist
! - only for RECT and CURV grids -
!
! * If no mask defined, EXCL can NOT be used
!
DRAFT WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 G.35

! * The number of points and bodies are defined by EXCL_COUNT

!
! * The points and bodies must start from index 1 to N
!
! * Each line contains:
! Discrete grid counters (IX,IY) of the active point and a
! connect flag. If this flag is true, and the present and previous
! point are on a grid line or diagonal, all intermediate points
! are also defined as boundary points.
!
! * Excluded point :
! grid points from segment data
! Defined as lines identifying points at which
! input boundary conditions are to be excluded.
!
! * Excluded body:
! Define a point in a closed body of sea points to remove the
! entire body of sea points.
!
! * namelist must be terminated with /
! * definitions & defaults:
! EXCL_COUNT%N_POINT = 0 ! number of segments
! EXCL_COUNT%N_BODY = 0 ! number of bodies
!
! EXCL_POINT(J)%X_INDEX = 0 ! x index excluded point
! EXCL_POINT(J)%Y_INDEX = 0 ! y index excluded point
! EXCL_POINT(J)%CONNECT = F ! connect flag
!
! EXCL_BODY(K)%X_INDEX = 0 ! x index excluded body
! EXCL_BODY(K)%Y_INDEX = 0 ! y index excluded body
! OR
! EXCL_POINT(J) = 0 0 F ! excluded point
! EXCL_BODY(K) = 0 0 ! excluded body
! -------------------------------------------------------------------- !
&EXCL_COUNT_NML
EXCL_COUNT%N_POINT = 2
EXCL_COUNT%N_BODY = 1
/

&EXCL_POINT_NML
EXCL_POINT(1) = 20 2 F
EXCL_POINT(2) = 20 11 T
/

&EXCL_BODY_NML
G.36 WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 DRAFT

EXCL_BODY(1) = 10 15
/

! -------------------------------------------------------------------- !
! Define the output boundary points via OUTBND_COUNT_NML and
! OUTBND_LINE_NML namelist
! - only for RECT and CURV grids -
!
! * It will creates a nest file with output boundaries for a inner grid.
! The prefered way to do it is to use ww3_bounc program.
!
! * These do not need to be defined for data transfer between grids in
! the multi grid driver.
!
! * The number of lines are defined by OUTBND_COUNT
!
! * The lines must start from index 1 to N
!
! * Output boundary points are defined as a number of straight lines,
! defined by its starting point (X0,Y0), increments (DX,DY) and number
! of points. A negative number of points starts a new output file.
!
! * Example for spherical grid in degrees :
! ’1.75 1.50 0.25 -0.10 3’
! ’2.25 1.50 -0.10 0.00 -6’
! ’0.10 0.10 0.10 0.00 -10’
!
! * namelist must be terminated with /
! * definitions & defaults:
! OUTBND_COUNT%N_LINE = 0 ! number of lines
!
! OUTBND_LINE(I)%X0 = 0. ! x index start point
! OUTBND_LINE(I)%Y0 = 0. ! y index start point
! OUTBND_LINE(I)%DX = 0. ! x-along increment
! OUTBND_LINE(I)%DY = 0. ! y-along increment
! OUTBND_LINE(I)%NP = 0 ! number of points
! OR
! OUTBND_LINE(I) = 0. 0. 0. 0. 0 ! included lines
! -------------------------------------------------------------------- !
&OUTBND_COUNT_NML
OUTBND_COUNT%N_LINE = 3
/

&OUTBND_LINE_NML
DRAFT WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 G.37

OUTBND_LINE(1) = 1.75 1.50 0.25 -0.10 3

OUTBND_LINE(2) = 2.25 1.50 -0.10 0.00 -6
OUTBND_LINE(3) = 0.10 0.10 0.10 0.00 -10
/

! -------------------------------------------------------------------- !
! WAVEWATCH III - end of namelist !
! -------------------------------------------------------------------- !

end of example input file (namelist form)

G.2 ww3 strt

G.2.1 ww3 strt.inp

start of example input file (traditional form)

$ -------------------------------------------------------------------- $
$ WAVEWATCH III Initial conditions input file $
$--------------------------------------------------------------------- $
$ type of initial field ITYPE .
$
1
$
$ ITYPE = 1 ---------------------------------------------------------- $
$ Gaussian in frequency and space, cos type in direction.
$ - fp and spread (Hz), mean direction (degr., oceanographic
$ convention) and cosine power, Xm and spread (degr. or m) Ym and
$ spread (degr. or m), Hmax (m) (Example for lon-lat grid in degr.).
$
$ 0.10 0.01 270. 2 1. 0.5 1. 0.5 2.5
0.10 0.01 270. 2 0. 1000. 1. 1000. 2.5
$ 0.10 0.01 270. 2 0. 1000. 1. 1000. 0.01
$ 0.10 0.01 270. 2 0. 1000. 1. 1000. 0.
G.38 WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 DRAFT

$
$ ITYPE = 2 ---------------------------------------------------------- $
$ JONSWAP spectrum with Hasselmann et al. (1980) direct. distribution.
$ - alfa, peak freq. (Hz), mean direction (degr., oceanographical
$ convention), gamma, sigA, sigB, Xm and spread (degr. or m) Ym and
$ spread (degr. or m) (Example for lon-lat grid in degr.).
$ alfa, sigA, sigB give default values if less than or equal to 0.
$
$ 0.0081 0.1 270. 1.0 0. 0. 1. 100. 1. 100.
$
$ ITYPE = 3 ---------------------------------------------------------- $
$ Fetch-limited JONSWAP
$ - No additional data, the local spectrum is calculated using the
$ local wind speed and direction, using the spatial grid size as
$ fetch, and assuring that the spectrum is within the discrete
$ frequency range.
$
$ ITYPE = 4 ---------------------------------------------------------- $
$ User-defined spectrum
$ - Scale factor., defaults to 1 if less than or equal 0.
$ - Spectrum F(f,theta) (single read statement)
$
$ -0.1
$ 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
$ 0 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
$ 0 1 4 2 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
$ 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
$ 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
$ 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
$ 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
$ 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
$ 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
$ 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
$ 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
$ 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 2 3 2 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
$ 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 3 9 7 5 3 2 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
$ 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 3 4 3 2 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
$ 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
$ 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
$ 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
$ 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
$ 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
$ 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
$ 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
$ 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
DRAFT WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 G.39

$ 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
$ 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
$
$ ITYPE = 5 ---------------------------------------------------------- $
$ Starting from calm conditions.
$ - No additional data.
$
$ -------------------------------------------------------------------- $
$ End of input file $
$ -------------------------------------------------------------------- $

end of example input file (traditional form)

G.3 ww3 bound

G.3.1 ww3 bound.inp

start of example input file (traditional form)

$ -------------------------------------------------------------------- $
$ WAVEWATCH III Ascii boundary input processing $
$--------------------------------------------------------------------- $
$
$ Boundary option: READ or WRITE
$
WRITE
$
$ Interpolation method: 1: nearest
$ 2: linear interpolation
2
$
$ Verbose mode [0-1]
$
0
$
$ List of spectra files. These ASCII files use the WAVEWATCH III
$ format as described in the ww3_outp.inp file. The files are
$ defined relative to the directory in which the program is run.
G.40 WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 DRAFT

$
$ Examples of such files can be found at (for example):
$ ftp://polar.ncep.noaa.gov/pub/waves/develop/glw.latest_run/
$ (the *.spec.gz files)
$ http://tinyurl.com/iowagaftp/HINDCAST/GLOBAL/2009_ECMWF/SPEC
$
$ If data is used other than from previous WAVEWATCH III runs, then
$ this data will need to be converted to the WAVEWATCH III format.
$
$ In the case of NetCDF files see ww3_bounc.inp
$
SPECTRI/mww3.W004N476.spec
SPECTRI/mww3.W0042N476.spec
SPECTRI/mww3.W0044N476.spec
SPECTRI/mww3.W0046N476.spec
SPECTRI/mww3.W0048N476.spec
SPECTRI/mww3.W005N476.spec
SPECTRI/mww3.W0052N476.spec
SPECTRI/mww3.W0054N476.spec
SPECTRI/mww3.W0056N476.spec
SPECTRI/mww3.W0058N489.spec
SPECTRI/mww3.W006N478.spec
SPECTRI/mww3.W006N482.spec
SPECTRI/mww3.W006N486.spec
SPECTRI/mww3.W006N489.spec
’STOPSTRING’
$
$ -------------------------------------------------------------------- $
$ End of input file $
$ -------------------------------------------------------------------- $

end of example input file (traditional form)

G.4 ww3 bounc

G.4.1 ww3 bounc.inp

start of example input file (traditional form)

DRAFT WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 G.41

$ -------------------------------------------------------------------- $
$ WAVEWATCH III NetCDF boundary input processing $
$--------------------------------------------------------------------- $
$
$ Boundary option: READ or WRITE
$
WRITE
$
$ Interpolation method: 1: nearest
$ 2: linear interpolation
2
$ Verbose (0, 1, 2)
1
$
$ List of spectra files. These NetCDF files use the WAVEWATCH III
$ format as described in the ww3_ounp.inp file. The files are
$ defined relative to the directory in which the program is run.
$
SPECTRA_NC/ww3.62163_spec.nc
SPECTRA_NC/ww3.62069_spec.nc
’STOPSTRING’
$
$ -------------------------------------------------------------------- $
$ End of input file $
$ -------------------------------------------------------------------- $

end of example input file (traditional form)

G.4.2 ww3 bounc.nml

start of example input file (namelist form)

! -------------------------------------------------------------------- !
! WAVEWATCH III - ww3_bounc.nml - Boundary input post-processing !
! -------------------------------------------------------------------- !

! -------------------------------------------------------------------- !
! Define the input boundaries to preprocess via BOUND_NML namelist
!
! * namelist must be terminated with /
G.42 WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 DRAFT

! * definitions & defaults:

! BOUND%MODE = ’WRITE’ ! [’WRITE’|’READ’]
! BOUND%INTERP = 2 ! interpolation [1
! BOUND%VERBOSE = 1 ! [0|1|2]
! BOUND%FILE = ’spec.list’ ! input _spec.nc l
! -------------------------------------------------------------------- !
&BOUND_NML
/

! -------------------------------------------------------------------- !
! WAVEWATCH III - end of namelist !
! -------------------------------------------------------------------- !

end of example input file (namelist form)

G.5 ww3 prep

G.5.1 ww3 prep.inp

start of example input file (traditional form)

$ -------------------------------------------------------------------- $
$ WAVEWATCH III Field preprocessor input file $
$ -------------------------------------------------------------------- $
$ Major types of field and time flag
$ Field types : IC1 Ice thickness.
$ IC5 Ice floe mean diameter.
$ ICE Ice concentrations.
$ ISI Icebergs and sea ice.
$ LEV Water levels.
$ WND Winds.
$ WNS Winds (including air-sea temp. dif.)
$ CUR Currents.
$ DAT Data for assimilation.
$
$ Format types : AI Transfer field ’as is’.
$ LL Field defined on rectilinear grid (in same
$ coordinate system as model grid)
DRAFT WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 G.43

$ F1 Field defined on curvilinear grid (in same

$ coordinate system as model grid), coordinates
$ of each grid point given in separate file.
$ F2 Like F1, composite of 2 fields.
$
$ - Format type not used for field type ’DAT’.
$
$ Time flag : If true, time is included in file.
$ Header flag : If true, header is added to file.
$ (necessary for reading, FALSE is used only for
$ incremental generation of a data file.)
$
’ICE’ ’LL’ F T
$
$ Additional time input ---------------------------------------------- $
$ If time flag is .FALSE., give time of field in yyyymmdd hhmmss format.
$
19680606 053000
$
$ Additional input format type ’LL’ ---------------------------------- $
$ Grid range (degr. or m) and number of points for axes, respectively.
$ Example for longitude-latitude grid.
$
-0.25 2.5 15 -0.25 2.5 4
$
$ Additional input format type ’F1’ or ’F2’ -------------------------- $
$ Three or four additional input lines, to define the file(s) with
$ the grid information :
$ 1) Discrete size of input grid (NXI,NYI) and T/F flag identifying
$ closure in longitudes ("CLO"). Tripole input is not supported.
$ 2) Define type of file using the parameters FROM, IDLA, IDFM (see
$ input for grid preprocessor), and a format
$ 3) Unit number and (dummy) name of first file.
$ 4) Unit number and (dummy) name of second file (F2 only).
$
$ 15 3
$ ’UNIT’ 3 1 ’(.L.L.)’
$ 10 ’ll_file.1’
$ 10 ’ll_file.2’
$
$ Additional input for data ------------------------------------------ $
$ Dimension of data (0,1,2 for mean pars, 1D or 2D spectra), "record
$ length" for data, data value for missing data
$
$ 0 4 -999.
G.44 WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 DRAFT

$
$ Define data files -------------------------------------------------- $
$ The first input line identifies the file format with FROM, IDLA and
$ IDFM, the second (third) lines give the file unit number and name.
$
’UNIT’ 3 1 ’(..T..)’ ’(..F..)’
10 ’data_file.1’
$ 10 ’data_file.2’
$
$ If the above unit numbers are 10, data is read from this file
$ (no intermediate comment lines allowed),
$ This example is an ice concentration field.
$
1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 0. 0. 0. 0. 0. 0. 0. 0. 0.
1. 1. .5 .5 .5 0. 0. 0. 0. 0. 0. 0. 0. 0. 0.
0. 0. 0. 0. 0. 0. 0. 0. 0. 0. 0. 0. 0. 0. 0.
0. 0. 0. 0. 0. 0. 0. 0. 0. 0. 0. 0. 0. 0. 0.
$
$ This example is mean parameter assimilation data
$ First record gives number of data records, data are read as as
$ individual records of reals with record length as given above
$
$ 3
$ 1.5 1.6 0.70 10.3
$ 1.7 1.5 0.75 9.8
$ 1.9 1.4 0.77 11.1
$
$ -------------------------------------------------------------------- $
$ End of input file $
$ -------------------------------------------------------------------- $

end of example input file (traditional form)

G.6 ww3 prnc

G.6.1 ww3 prnc.inp

start of example input file (traditional form)

DRAFT WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 G.45

$ -------------------------------------------------------------------- $
$ WAVEWATCH III Field preprocessor input file $
$ -------------------------------------------------------------------- $
$ Major types of field and time flag
$ Field types : IC1 Ice thickness.
$ IC5 Ice floe mean diameter.
$ ICE Ice concentrations.
$ ISI Icebergs and sea ice.
$ LEV Water levels.
$ WND Winds.
$ WNS Winds (including air-sea temp. dif.)
$ CUR Currents.
$ DAT Data for assimilation.
$
$ Format types : AI Transfer field ’as is’. (ITYPE 1)
$ LL Field defined on regular longitude-latitude
$ or Cartesian grid. (ITYPE 2)
$ Format types : AT Transfer field ’as is’, performs tidal
$ analysis on the time series (ITYPE 6)
$ When using AT, another line should be added
$ with the choice of tidal constituents:
$ FAST or VFAST or a list: e.g. ’M2 S2’
$
$ - Format type not used for field type ’DAT’.
$
$ Time flag : If true, time is included in file.
$ Header flag : If true, header is added to file.
$ (necessary for reading, FALSE is used only for
$ incremental generation of a data file.)
$
’WND’ ’LL’ T T
$
$ Name of spatial dimensions------------------------------------------ $
$ NB: time dimension is expected to be called ’time’ and must respect
$ Julian or Gregorian calendar with leap day.
$
longitude latitude
$
$ Variables to use --------------------------------------------------- $
$
U V
$
$ Additional time input ---------------------------------------------- $
$ If time flag is .FALSE., give time of field in yyyymmdd hhmmss format.
$
G.46 WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 DRAFT

$ 19680606 053000
$
$ Define data files -------------------------------------------------- $
$ The input line identifies the filename using for the forcing field.
$
’wind.nc’
$
$ -------------------------------------------------------------------- $
$ End of input file $
$ -------------------------------------------------------------------- $

end of example input file (traditional form)

G.6.2 ww3 prnc.nml

start of example input file (namelist form)

! -------------------------------------------------------------------- !
! WAVEWATCH III - ww3_prnc.nml - Field preprocessor !
! -------------------------------------------------------------------- !

! -------------------------------------------------------------------- !
! Define the forcing fields to preprocess via FORCING_NML namelist
!
! * only one FORCING%FIELD can be set at true
! * only one FORCING%grid can be set at true
! * tidal constituents FORCING%tidal is only available on grid%asis with
!
! * namelist must be terminated with /
! * definitions & defaults:
! FORCING%TIMESTART = ’19000101 000000’ ! Start date for
! FORCING%TIMESTOP = ’29001231 000000’ ! Stop date for
!
! FORCING%FIELD%ICE_PARAM1 = f ! Ice thickness
! FORCING%FIELD%ICE_PARAM2 = f ! Ice viscosity
! FORCING%FIELD%ICE_PARAM3 = f ! Ice density
! FORCING%FIELD%ICE_PARAM4 = f ! Ice modulus
! FORCING%FIELD%ICE_PARAM5 = f ! Ice floe mean diamete
! FORCING%FIELD%MUD_DENSITY = f ! Mud density
! FORCING%FIELD%MUD_THICKNESS = f ! Mud thickness
DRAFT WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 G.47

! FORCING%FIELD%MUD_VISCOSITY = f ! Mud viscosity

! FORCING%FIELD%WATER_LEVELS = f ! Level
! FORCING%FIELD%CURRENTS = f ! Current
! FORCING%FIELD%WINDS = f ! Wind
! FORCING%FIELD%WIND_AST = f ! Wind and air-sea temp
! FORCING%FIELD%ICE_CONC = f ! Ice concentration
! FORCING%FIELD%ICE_BERG = f ! Icebergs and sea ice
! FORCING%FIELD%DATA_ASSIM = f ! Data for assimilation
!
! FORCING%GRID%ASIS = f ! Transfert field ’as i
! FORCING%GRID%LATLON = f ! Define field on regul
!
! FORCING%TIDAL = ’unset’ ! Set the tidal constit
! -------------------------------------------------------------------- !
&FORCING_NML
FORCING%TIMESTART = ’20100101 120000’
FORCING%TIMESTOP = ’20101231 000000’
FORCING%FIELD%WINDS = t
FORCING%GRID%LATLON = t
/

! -------------------------------------------------------------------- !
! Define the content of the input file via FILE_NML namelist
!
! * input file must respect netCDF format and CF conventions
! * input file must contain :
! -dimension : time, name expected to be called time
! -dimension : longitude/latitude, names can defined in the namelis
! -variable : time defined along time dimension
! -attribute : time with attributes units written as ISO8601 conven
! -attribute : time with attributes calendar set to standard as CF
! -variable : longitude defined along longitude dimension
! -variable : latitude defined along latitude dimension
! -variable : field defined along time,latitude,longitude dimension
! * FILE%VAR(I) must be set for each field component
!
! * namelist must be terminated with /
! * definitions & defaults:
! FILE%FILENAME = ’unset’ ! relative path input file
! FILE%LONGITUDE = ’unset’ ! longitude/x dimension nam
! FILE%LATITUDE = ’unset’ ! latitude/y dimension name
! FILE%VAR(I) = ’unset’ ! field component
! FILE%TIMESHIFT = ’00000000 000000’ ! shift the time value to ’
G.48 WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 DRAFT

! -------------------------------------------------------------------- !
&FILE_NML
FILE%FILENAME = ’wind.nc’
FILE%LONGITUDE = ’longitude’
FILE%LATITUDE = ’latitude’
FILE%VAR(1) = ’U’
FILE%VAR(2) = ’V’
/

! -------------------------------------------------------------------- !
! WAVEWATCH III - end of namelist !
! -------------------------------------------------------------------- !

end of example input file (namelist form)

G.7 ww3 prtide

G.7.1 ww3 prtide.inp

start of example input file (traditional form)

$ -------------------------------------------------------------------- $
$ WAVEWATCH III Field preprocessor input file $
$ -------------------------------------------------------------------- $
$ types of field
$ Field types : LEV Water levels.
$ CUR Currents.
’CUR’
$
$ List of tidal constituents------------------------------------------ $
$
Z0 M2
$
$ Maximum allowed values ------------------------------------------ $
$ First line: name of tidal constituents for which the max. are defined
$ these should be chosen among the ones avaialable in the
DRAFT WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 G.49

$ tidal analysis.
$ If analysis was performed with ww3_prnc, the default list
$ is Z0 SSA MSM MSF MF 2N2 MU2 N2 NU2 M2 S2 K2 MSN2 MN4 M4
$ MS4 S4 M6 2MS6 M8
$ Second line: values of maximum magnitude of the amplitude
$ at points where not values are defined or where these maxima are
$ exceeded, the constituents are extrapolated from neighbors
$ (e.g. tidal flats ...)
Z0 SSA MSF
1.0 0.5 0.5
$
$ Start time step end time
19680606 000000 1800 19680607 120000
$
$ Define data files -------------------------------------------------- $
$ The input line identifies the filename using for the forcing field.
$
’ww3_tide’
$ -------------------------------------------------------------------- $
$ End of input file $
$ -------------------------------------------------------------------- $

end of example input file (traditional form)

G.8 ww3 shel

G.8.1 ww3 shel.inp

start of example input file (traditional form)

$ -------------------------------------------------------------------- $
$ WAVEWATCH III shel input file $
$ -------------------------------------------------------------------- $
$ Define input to be used with F/T/C flag for use or nor or coupling and
$ T/F flag for definition as a homogeneous field.
$
$ Include ice and mud parameters only if IC1/2/3/4 used :
F F Ice parameter 1
G.50 WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 DRAFT

F F Ice parameter 2
F F Ice parameter 3
F F Ice parameter 4
F F Ice parameter 5
F F Mud parameter 1
F F Mud parameter 2
F F Mud parameter 3
F F Water levels
F F Currents
T T Winds
T Ice concentrations
F Assimilation data : Mean parameters
F Assimilation data : 1-D spectra
F Assimilation data : 2-D spectra
$
$ Time frame of calculations ----------------------------------------- $
$ - Starting time in yyyymmdd hhmmss format.
$ - Ending time in yyyymmdd hhmmss format.
$
19680606 000000
19680606 060000
$
$ Define output data ------------------------------------------------- $
$
$ Define output server mode. This is used only in the parallel version
$ of the model. To keep the input file consistent, it is always needed.
$ IOSTYP = 1 is generally recommended. IOSTYP > 2 may be more efficient
$ for massively parallel computations. Only IOSTYP = 0 requires a true
$ parallel file system like GPFS.
$
$ IOSTYP = 0 : No data server processes, direct access output from
$ each process (requires true parallel file system).
$ 1 : No data server process. All output for each type
$ performed by process that performs computations too.
$ 2 : Last process is reserved for all output, and does no
$ computing.
$ 3 : Multiple dedicated output processes.
$
2
$
$ Five output types are available (see below). All output types share
$ a similar format for the first input line:
$ - first time in yyyymmdd hhmmss format, output interval (s), and
$ last time in yyyymmdd hhmmss format (all integers).
$ Output is disabled by setting the output interval to 0.
DRAFT WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 G.51

$
$ ------------------------------------------------------------------- $
$
$ Type 1 : Fields of mean wave parameters
$ Standard line and line with logical flags to activate output
$ fields as defined in section 2.4 of the manual. The logical
$ flags are not supplied if no output is requested. The logical
$ flags can be placed on multiple consecutive lines. However,
$ the total number and order of the logical flags is fixed.
$ The raw data file is out_grd.ww3,
$ see w3iogo.ftn for additional doc.
$
19680606 000000 3600 19680608 000000
$----------------------------------------------------------------
$ Output request flags identifying fields.
$
$ The table below provides a full definition of field output parameters
$ as well as flags indicating if they are available in different field
$ output output file types (ASCII, grib, NetCDF).
$ Further definitions are found in section 2.4 of the manual.
$
$ Selection of field outputs may be made in two ways:
$ F/T flags: first flag is set to F, requests made per group (1st line
$ followed by parameter flags (total of 10 groups).
$ Namelists: first line is set to N, next line contains parameter
$ symbol as per table below.
$
$ Example of F/T flag use is given in this sample ww3_shel.inp, below.
$ For namelist usage, see the sample ww3_ounf.inp for an example.
$
$ ----------------------------------------
$ Output field parameter definitions table
$ ----------------------------------------
$
$ All parameters listed below are available in output file of the types
$ ASCII and NetCDF. If selected output file types are grads or grib,
$ some parameters may not be available. The first two columns in the
$ table below identify such cases by flags, cols 1 (GRB) and 2 (GXO)
$ refer to grib (ww3_grib) and grads (gx_outf), respectively.
$
$ Columns 3 and 4 provide group and parameter numbers per group.
$ Columns 5, 6 and 7 provide:
$ 5 - code name (internal)
$ 6 - output tags (names used is ASCII file extensions, NetCDF
$ variable names and namelist-based selection (see ww3_ounf.inp)
G.52 WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 DRAFT

$ 7 - Long parameter name/definition

$
$ G G
$ R X Grp Param Code Output Parameter/Group
$ B O Numb Numbr Name Tag Definition
$ --------------------------------------------------
$ 1 Forcing Fields
$ -------------------------------------------------
$ T T 1 1 DW DPT Water depth.
$ T T 1 2 C[X,Y] CUR Current velocity.
$ T T 1 3 UA WND Wind speed.
$ T T 1 4 AS AST Air-sea temperature difference.
$ T T 1 5 WLV WLV Water levels.
$ T T 1 6 ICE ICE Ice concentration.
$ T T 1 7 IBG IBG Iceberg-induced damping.
$ T T 1 8 D50 D50 Median sediment grain size.
$ T T 1 9 IC1 IC1 Ice thickness.
$ T T 1 10 IC5 IC5 Ice flow diameter.
$ -------------------------------------------------
$ 2 Standard mean wave Parameters
$ -------------------------------------------------
$ T T 2 1 HS HS Wave height.
$ T T 2 2 WLM LM Mean wave length.
$ T T 2 3 T02 T02 Mean wave period (Tm0,2).
$ T T 2 4 T0M1 T0M1 Mean wave period (Tm0,-1).
$ T T 2 5 T01 T01 Mean wave period (Tm0,1).
$ T T 2 6 FP0 FP Peak frequency.
$ T T 2 7 THM DIR Mean wave direction.
$ T T 2 8 THS SPR Mean directional spread.
$ T T 2 9 THP0 DP Peak direction.
$ T T 2 10 HIG HIG Infragravity height
$ T T 2 11 STMAXE MXE Max surface elev (STE)
$ T T 2 12 STMAXD MXES St Dev of max surface elev (STE)
$ T T 2 13 HMAXE MXH Max wave height (STE)
$ T T 2 14 HCMAXE MXHC Max wave height from crest (STE)
$ T T 2 15 HMAXD SDMH St Dev of MXC (STE)
$ T T 2 16 HCMAXD SDMHC St Dev of MXHC (STE)
$ F T 2 17 WBT WBT Dominant wave breaking probability b
$ -------------------------------------------------
$ 3 Spectral Parameters (first 5)
$ -------------------------------------------------
$ F F 3 1 EF EF Wave frequency spectrum
$ F F 3 2 TH1M TH1M Mean wave direction from a1,b2
$ F F 3 3 STH1M STH1M Directional spreading from a1,b2
$ F F 3 4 TH2M TH2M Mean wave direction from a2,b2
DRAFT WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 G.53

$ F F 3 5 STH2M STH2M Directional spreading from a2,b2

$ F F 3 6 WN WN Wavenumber array
$ -------------------------------------------------
$ 4 Spectral Partition Parameters
$ -------------------------------------------------
$ T T 4 1 PHS PHS Partitioned wave heights.
$ T T 4 2 PTP PTP Partitioned peak period.
$ T T 4 3 PLP PLP Partitioned peak wave length.
$ T T 4 4 PDIR PDIR Partitioned mean direction.
$ T T 4 5 PSI PSPR Partitioned mean directional spread.
$ T T 4 6 PWS PWS Partitioned wind sea fraction.
$ T T 4 7 PTHP0 PDP Peak wave direction of partition.
$ T T 4 8 PQP PQP Goda peakdedness parameter of partit
$ T T 4 9 PPE PPE JONSWAP peak enhancement factor of p
$ T T 4 10 PGW PGW Gaussian frequency width of partitio
$ T T 4 11 PSW PSW Spectral width of partition.
$ T T 4 12 PTM1 PTM10 Mean wave period (m-1,0) of partitio
$ T T 4 13 PT1 PT01 Mean wave period (m0,1) of partition
$ T T 4 14 PT2 PT02 Mean wave period (m0,2) of partition
$ T T 4 15 PEP PEP Peak spectral density of partition.
$ T T 4 16 PWST TWS Total wind sea fraction.
$ T T 4 17 PNR PNR Number of partitions.
$ -------------------------------------------------
$ 5 Atmosphere-waves layer
$ -------------------------------------------------
$ T T 5 1 UST UST Friction velocity.
$ F T 5 2 CHARN CHA Charnock parameter
$ F T 5 3 CGE CGE Energy flux
$ F T 5 4 PHIAW FAW Air-sea energy flux
$ F T 5 5 TAUWI[X,Y] TAW Net wave-supported stress
$ F T 5 6 TAUWN[X,Y] TWA Negative part of the wave-supported
$ F F 5 7 WHITECAP WCC Whitecap coverage
$ F F 5 8 WHITECAP WCF Whitecap thickness
$ F F 5 9 WHITECAP WCH Mean breaking height
$ F F 5 10 WHITECAP WCM Whitecap moment
$ F F 5 11 FWS FWS Wind sea mean period
$ -------------------------------------------------
$ 6 Wave-ocean layer
$ -------------------------------------------------
$ F F 6 1 S[XX,YY,XY] SXY Radiation stresses.
$ F F 6 2 TAUO[X,Y] TWO Wave to ocean momentum flux
$ F F 6 3 BHD BHD Bernoulli head (J term)
$ F F 6 4 PHIOC FOC Wave to ocean energy flux
$ F F 6 5 TUS[X,Y] TUS Stokes transport
$ F F 6 6 USS[X,Y] USS Surface Stokes drift
G.54 WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 DRAFT

$ F F 6 7 [PR,TP]MS P2S Second-order sum pressure

$ F F 6 8 US3D USF Spectrum of surface Stokes drift
$ F F 6 9 P2SMS P2L Micro seism source term
$ F F 6 10 TAUICE TWI Wave to sea ice stress
$ F F 6 11 PHICE FIC Wave to sea ice energy flux
$ F F 6 12 USSP USP Partitioned surface Stokes drift
$ -------------------------------------------------
$ 7 Wave-bottom layer
$ -------------------------------------------------
$ F F 7 1 ABA ABR Near bottom rms amplitides.
$ F F 7 2 UBA UBR Near bottom rms velocities.
$ F F 7 3 BEDFORMS BED Bedforms
$ F F 7 4 PHIBBL FBB Energy flux due to bottom friction
$ F F 7 5 TAUBBL TBB Momentum flux due to bottom friction
$ -------------------------------------------------
$ 8 Spectrum parameters
$ -------------------------------------------------
$ F F 8 1 MSS[X,Y] MSS Mean square slopes
$ F F 8 2 MSC[X,Y] MSC Spectral level at high frequency tai
$ F F 8 3 WL02[X,Y] WL02 East/X North/Y mean wavelength compo
$ F F 8 4 ALPXT AXT Correl sea surface gradients (x,t)
$ F F 8 5 ALPYT AYT Correl sea surface gradients (y,t)
$ F F 8 6 ALPXY AXY Correl sea surface gradients (x,y)
$ -------------------------------------------------
$ 9 Numerical diagnostics
$ -------------------------------------------------
$ T T 9 1 DTDYN DTD Average time step in integration.
$ T T 9 2 FCUT FC Cut-off frequency.
$ T T 9 3 CFLXYMAX CFX Max. CFL number for spatial advectio
$ T T 9 4 CFLTHMAX CFD Max. CFL number for theta-advection.
$ F F 9 5 CFLKMAX CFK Max. CFL number for k-advection.
$ -------------------------------------------------
$ 10 User defined
$ -------------------------------------------------
$ F F 10 1 U1 User defined #1. (requires coding ..
$ F F 10 2 U2 User defined #1. (requires coding ..
$ -------------------------------------------------
$
$ Section 4 consist of a set of fields, index 0 = wind sea, index
$ 1:NOSWLL are first NOSWLL swell fields.
$
$ Actual active parameter selection section
$
$ (1) Forcing Fields
T
DRAFT WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 G.55

$ DPT CUR WND AST WLV ICE IBG D50 IC1 IC5
T T T T T F F F F F
$ (2) Standard mean wave Parameters
T
$ HS LM T02 T0M1 T01 FP DIR SPR DP
T T T T T T T T T
$ (3) Frequency-dependent parameters
T
$ EF TH1M STH1M TH2M STH2M WN
T T T F F F
$ (4) Spectral Partition Parameters
T
$ PHS PTP PLP PDIR PSPR PNR PDP PQP PPE PGW PSW PTM10 PT01 PT02 PEP PWS
T T T T T T T T T T T T T T T T
$ (5) Atmosphere-waves layer
T
$ UST CHA CGE FAW TAW TWA WCC WCF WCH WCM FWS
T T T T T T T T T T T
$ (6) Wave-Ocean layer
T
$ SXY TWO BHD FOC TUS USS P2S USF P2L TWI FIC USP
T T T T T T T F F F F T
$ (7) Wave-bottom layer
T
$ ABR UBR BED FBB TBB
T T T T T
$ (8) Spectrum parameters
T
$ MSS MSC WL02 AXT AYT AXY
T T T T T T
$ (9) Numerical diagnostics
T
$ DTD FC CFX CFD CFK
T T T T T
$ (10) User defined (NOEXTR flags needed)
F
$ U1 U2
$ T T
$
$----------------------------------------------------------------
$
$ Type 2 : Point output
$ Standard line and a number of lines identifying the
$ longitude, latitude and name (C*10) of output points.
$ The list is closed by defining a point with the name
G.56 WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 DRAFT

$ ’STOPSTRING’. No point info read if no point output is

$ requested (i.e., no ’STOPSTRING’ needed).
$ Example for spherical grid.
$ The raw data file is out_pnt.ww3,
$ see w3iogo.ftn for additional doc.
$
$ NOTE : Spaces may be included in the name, but this is not
$ advised, because it will break the GrADS utility to
$ plots spectra and source terms, and will make it more
$ difficult to use point names in data files.
$
19680606 000000 900 19680608 000000
$
-0.25 -0.25 ’Land ’
0.0 0.0 ’Point_1 ’
2.0 1.0 ’Point_2 ’
1.8 2.2 ’Point_3 ’
2.1 0.9 ’Point_4 ’
5.0 5.0 ’Outside ’
$
0.0 0.0 ’STOPSTRING’
$
$ Type 3 : Output along track.
$ Flag for formatted input file.
$ The data files are track_i.ww3 and
$ track_o.ww3, see w3iotr.ftn for ad. doc.
$
19680606 000000 1800 19680606 013000
T
$
$ Type 4 : Restart files (no additional data required).
$ The data file is restartN.ww3, see
$ w3iors.ftn for additional doc.
$
19680606 030000 3600 19680607 030000
$
$ Type 5 : Boundary data (no additional data required).
$ The data file is nestN.ww3, see
$ w3iobcmd.ftn for additional doc.
$
19680606 000000 3600 20010102 000000
$
$ Type 6 : Separated wave field data (dummy for now).
$ First, last step IX and IY, flag for formatted file
$
DRAFT WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 G.57

19680606 000000 3600 20010102 000000

0 999 1 0 999 1 T
$
$ Type 7 : Coupling. (must be fully commented if not used with switch CO
$ Namelist type selection is used here.
$ Diagnostic fields to exchange. (see namcouple for more inform
$
$ 19680606 000000 3600 20010102 000000
$ N
$
$ - Sent fields by ww3:
$ - Ocean model : T0M1 OCHA OHS DIR BHD TWO UBR FOC TAW TUS USS LM
$ - Atmospheric model : ACHA AHS TP (or FP) FWS
$ - Ice model : IC5 TWI
$
$ CHA
$
$ - Received fields by ww3:
$ - Ocean model : SSH CUR
$ - Atmospheric model : WND
$ - Ice model : ICE IC1 IC5
$
$ WND
$
$ Homogeneous field data --------------------------------------------- $
$ Homogeneous fields can be defined by a list of lines containing an ID
$ string ’LEV’ ’CUR’ ’WND’, date and time information (yyyymmdd
$ hhmmss), value (S.I. units), direction (current and wind, oceanogr.
$ convention degrees)) and air-sea temperature difference (degrees C).
$ ’STP’ is mandatory stop string.
$ Also defined here are the speed with which the grid is moved
$ continuously, ID string ’MOV’, parameters as for ’CUR’.
$
’LEV’ 19680606 010000 1.00
’CUR’ 19680606 073125 2.0 25.
’WND’ 19680606 000000 20. 145. 2.0
’MOV’ 19680606 013000 4.0 25.
’STP’
$
$ -------------------------------------------------------------------- $
$ End of input file $
$ -------------------------------------------------------------------- $

end of example input file (traditional form)

G.58 WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 DRAFT

G.8.2 ww3 shel.nml

start of example input file (namelist form)

! -------------------------------------------------------------------- !
! WAVEWATCH III - ww3_shel.nml - single-grid model !
! -------------------------------------------------------------------- !

! -------------------------------------------------------------------- !
! Define top-level model parameters via DOMAIN_NML namelist
!
! * IOSTYP defines the output server mode for parallel implementation.
! 0 : No data server processes, direct access output from
! each process (requires true parallel file system).
! 1 : No data server process. All output for each type
! performed by process that performs computations too.
! 2 : Last process is reserved for all output, and does no
! computing.
! 3 : Multiple dedicated output processes.
!
! * namelist must be terminated with /
! * definitions & defaults:
! DOMAIN%IOSTYP = 1 ! Output server type
! DOMAIN%START = ’19680606 000000’ ! Start date for the entire mod
! DOMAIN%STOP = ’19680607 000000’ ! Stop date for the entire mode
! -------------------------------------------------------------------- !
&DOMAIN_NML
DOMAIN%START = ’20100101 120000’
DOMAIN%STOP = ’20101231 000000’
/

! -------------------------------------------------------------------- !
! Define each forcing via the INPUT_NML namelist
!
! * The FORCING flag can be : ’F’ for "no forcing"
! ’T’ for "external forcing file"
! ’H’ for "homogeneous forcing input"
! ’C’ for "coupled forcing field"
!
! * homogeneous forcing is not available for ICE_CONC
!
DRAFT WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 G.59

! * The ASSIM flag can : ’F’ for "no forcing"

! ’T’ for "external forcing file"
!
! * namelist must be terminated with /
! * definitions & defaults:
! INPUT%FORCING%WATER_LEVELS = ’F’
! INPUT%FORCING%CURRENTS = ’F’
! INPUT%FORCING%WINDS = ’F’
! INPUT%FORCING%ICE_CONC = ’F’
! INPUT%FORCING%ICE_PARAM1 = ’F’
! INPUT%FORCING%ICE_PARAM2 = ’F’
! INPUT%FORCING%ICE_PARAM3 = ’F’
! INPUT%FORCING%ICE_PARAM4 = ’F’
! INPUT%FORCING%ICE_PARAM5 = ’F’
! INPUT%FORCING%MUD_DENSITY = ’F’
! INPUT%FORCING%MUD_THICKNESS = ’F’
! INPUT%FORCING%MUD_VISCOSITY = ’F’
! INPUT%ASSIM%MEAN = ’F’
! INPUT%ASSIM%SPEC1D = ’F’
! INPUT%ASSIM%SPEC2D = ’F’
! -------------------------------------------------------------------- !
&INPUT_NML
INPUT%FORCING%WINDS = ’T’
INPUT%FORCING%WATER_LEVELS = ’C’
INPUT%FORCING%CURRENTS = ’C’
/

! -------------------------------------------------------------------- !
! Define the output types point parameters via OUTPUT_TYPE_NML namelist
!
! * the point file is a space separated values per line : lon lat ’name’
!
! * the full list of field names is :
! All parameters listed below are available in output file of the types
! ASCII and NetCDF. If selected output file types are grads or grib,
! some parameters may not be available. The first two columns in the
! table below identify such cases by flags, cols 1 (GRB) and 2 (GXO)
! refer to grib (ww3_grib) and grads (gx_outf), respectively.
!
! Columns 3 and 4 provide group and parameter numbers per group.
! Columns 5, 6 and 7 provide:
! 5 - code name (internal)
G.60 WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 DRAFT

! 6 - output tags (names used is ASCII file extensions, NetCDF

! variable names and namelist-based selection
! 7 - Long parameter name/definition
!
! G G
! R X Grp Param Code Output Parameter/Group
! B O Numb Numbr Name Tag Definition
! --------------------------------------------------
! 1 Forcing Fields
! -------------------------------------------------
! T T 1 1 DW DPT Water depth.
! T T 1 2 C[X,Y] CUR Current velocity.
! T T 1 3 UA WND Wind speed.
! T T 1 4 AS AST Air-sea temperature difference.
! T T 1 5 WLV WLV Water levels.
! T T 1 6 ICE ICE Ice concentration.
! T T 1 7 IBG IBG Iceberg-induced damping.
! T T 1 8 D50 D50 Median sediment grain size.
! T T 1 9 IC1 IC1 Ice thickness.
! T T 1 10 IC5 IC5 Ice flow diameter.
! -------------------------------------------------
! 2 Standard mean wave Parameters
! -------------------------------------------------
! T T 2 1 HS HS Wave height.
! T T 2 2 WLM LM Mean wave length.
! T T 2 3 T02 T02 Mean wave period (Tm0,2).
! T T 2 4 T0M1 T0M1 Mean wave period (Tm0,-1).
! T T 2 5 T01 T01 Mean wave period (Tm0,1).
! T T 2 6 FP0 FP Peak frequency.
! T T 2 7 THM DIR Mean wave direction.
! T T 2 8 THS SPR Mean directional spread.
! T T 2 9 THP0 DP Peak direction.
! T T 2 10 HIG HIG Infragravity height
! T T 2 11 STMAXE MXE Max surface elev (STE)
! T T 2 12 STMAXD MXES St Dev of max surface elev (STE)
! T T 2 13 HMAXE MXH Max wave height (STE)
! T T 2 14 HCMAXE MXHC Max wave height from crest (STE)
! T T 2 15 HMAXD SDMH St Dev of MXC (STE)
! T T 2 16 HCMAXD SDMHC St Dev of MXHC (STE)
! F T 2 17 WBT WBT Dominant wave breaking probability b
! -------------------------------------------------
! 3 Spectral Parameters (first 5)
! -------------------------------------------------
! F F 3 1 EF EF Wave frequency spectrum
! F F 3 2 TH1M TH1M Mean wave direction from a1,b2
DRAFT WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 G.61

! F F 3 3 STH1M STH1M Directional spreading from a1,b2

! F F 3 4 TH2M TH2M Mean wave direction from a2,b2
! F F 3 5 STH2M STH2M Directional spreading from a2,b2
! F F 3 6 WN WN Wavenumber array
! -------------------------------------------------
! 4 Spectral Partition Parameters
! -------------------------------------------------
! T T 4 1 PHS PHS Partitioned wave heights.
! T T 4 2 PTP PTP Partitioned peak period.
! T T 4 3 PLP PLP Partitioned peak wave length.
! T T 4 4 PDIR PDIR Partitioned mean direction.
! T T 4 5 PSI PSPR Partitioned mean directional spread.
! T T 4 6 PWS PWS Partitioned wind sea fraction.
! T T 4 7 PDP PDP Peak wave direction of partition.
! T T 4 8 PQP PQP Goda peakdedness parameter of partit
! T T 4 9 PPE PPE JONSWAP peak enhancement factor of p
! T T 4 10 PGW PGW Gaussian frequency width of partitio
! T T 4 11 PSW PSW Spectral width of partition.
! T T 4 12 PTM1 PTM10 Mean wave period (m-1,0) of partitio
! T T 4 13 PT1 PT01 Mean wave period (m0,1) of partition
! T T 4 14 PT2 PT02 Mean wave period (m0,2) of partition
! T T 4 15 PEP PEP Peak spectral density of partition.
! T T 4 16 PWST TWS Total wind sea fraction.
! T T 4 17 PNR PNR Number of partitions.
! -------------------------------------------------
! 5 Atmosphere-waves layer
! -------------------------------------------------
! T T 5 1 UST UST Friction velocity.
! F T 5 2 CHARN CHA Charnock parameter
! F T 5 3 CGE CGE Energy flux
! F T 5 4 PHIAW FAW Air-sea energy flux
! F T 5 5 TAUWI[X,Y] TAW Net wave-supported stress
! F T 5 6 TAUWN[X,Y] TWA Negative part of the wave-supported
! F F 5 7 WHITECAP WCC Whitecap coverage
! F F 5 8 WHITECAP WCF Whitecap thickness
! F F 5 9 WHITECAP WCH Mean breaking height
! F F 5 10 WHITECAP WCM Whitecap moment
! F F 5 11 FWS FWS Wind sea mean period
! -------------------------------------------------
! 6 Wave-ocean layer
! -------------------------------------------------
! F F 6 1 S[XX,YY,XY] SXY Radiation stresses.
! F F 6 2 TAUO[X,Y] TWO Wave to ocean momentum flux
! F F 6 3 BHD BHD Bernoulli head (J term)
! F F 6 4 PHIOC FOC Wave to ocean energy flux
G.62 WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 DRAFT

! F F 6 5 TUS[X,Y] TUS Stokes transport

! F F 6 6 USS[X,Y] USS Surface Stokes drift
! F F 6 7 [PR,TP]MS P2S Second-order sum pressure
! F F 6 8 US3D USF Spectrum of surface Stokes drift
! F F 6 9 P2SMS P2L Micro seism source term
! F F 6 10 TAUICE TWI Wave to sea ice stress
! F F 6 11 PHICE FIC Wave to sea ice energy flux
! F F 6 12 USSP USP Partitioned surface Stokes drift
! -------------------------------------------------
! 7 Wave-bottom layer
! -------------------------------------------------
! F F 7 1 ABA ABR Near bottom rms amplitides.
! F F 7 2 UBA UBR Near bottom rms velocities.
! F F 7 3 BEDFORMS BED Bedforms
! F F 7 4 PHIBBL FBB Energy flux due to bottom friction
! F F 7 5 TAUBBL TBB Momentum flux due to bottom friction
! -------------------------------------------------
! 8 Spectrum parameters
! -------------------------------------------------
! F F 8 1 MSS[X,Y] MSS Mean square slopes
! F F 8 2 MSC[X,Y] MSC Spectral level at high frequency tai
! F F 8 3 WL02[X,Y] WL02 East/X North/Y mean wavelength compo
! F F 8 4 ALPXT AXT Correl sea surface gradients (x,t)
! F F 8 5 ALPYT AYT Correl sea surface gradients (y,t)
! F F 8 6 ALPXY AXY Correl sea surface gradients (x,y)
! -------------------------------------------------
! 9 Numerical diagnostics
! -------------------------------------------------
! T T 9 1 DTDYN DTD Average time step in integration.
! T T 9 2 FCUT FC Cut-off frequency.
! T T 9 3 CFLXYMAX CFX Max. CFL number for spatial advectio
! T T 9 4 CFLTHMAX CFD Max. CFL number for theta-advection.
! F F 9 5 CFLKMAX CFK Max. CFL number for k-advection.
! -------------------------------------------------
! 10 User defined
! -------------------------------------------------
! F F 10 1 U1 User defined #1. (requires coding ..
! F F 10 2 U2 User defined #1. (requires coding ..
! -------------------------------------------------
!
! Section 4 consist of a set of fields, index 0 = wind sea, index
! 1:NOSWLL are first NOSWLL swell fields.
!
!
! * output track file formatted (T) or unformated (F)
DRAFT WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 G.63

!
! * coupling fields exchanged list is :
! - Sent fields by ww3:
! - Ocean model : T0M1 OCHA OHS DIR BHD TWO UBR FOC TAW TUS USS LM
! - Atmospheric model : ACHA AHS TP (or FP) FWS
! - Ice model : IC5 TWI
! - Received fields by ww3:
! - Ocean model : SSH CUR
! - Atmospheric model : WND
! - Ice model : ICE IC1 IC5
!
! * namelist must be terminated with /
! * definitions & defaults:
! TYPE%FIELD%LIST = ’unset’
! TYPE%POINT%FILE = ’points.list’
! TYPE%TRACK%FORMAT = T
! TYPE%PARTITION%X0 = 0
! TYPE%PARTITION%XN = 0
! TYPE%PARTITION%NX = 0
! TYPE%PARTITION%Y0 = 0
! TYPE%PARTITION%YN = 0
! TYPE%PARTITION%NY = 0
! TYPE%PARTITION%FORMAT = T
! TYPE%COUPLING%SENT = ’unset’
! TYPE%COUPLING%RECEIVED = ’unset’
!
! -------------------------------------------------------------------- !
&OUTPUT_TYPE_NML
TYPE%FIELD%LIST = ’HS DIR SPR WND ICE CUR LEV’
/

! -------------------------------------------------------------------- !
! Define output dates via OUTPUT_DATE_NML namelist
!
! * start and stop times are with format ’yyyymmdd hhmmss’
! * if time stride is equal ’0’, then output is disabled
! * time stride is given in seconds
!
! * namelist must be terminated with /
! * definitions & defaults:
! DATE%FIELD%START = ’19680606 000000’
! DATE%FIELD%STRIDE = ’0’
! DATE%FIELD%STOP = ’19680607 000000’
G.64 WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 DRAFT

! DATE%POINT%START = ’19680606 000000’

! DATE%POINT%STRIDE = ’0’
! DATE%POINT%STOP = ’19680607 000000’
! DATE%TRACK%START = ’19680606 000000’
! DATE%TRACK%STRIDE = ’0’
! DATE%TRACK%STOP = ’19680607 000000’
! DATE%RESTART%START = ’19680606 000000’
! DATE%RESTART%STRIDE = ’0’
! DATE%RESTART%STOP = ’19680607 000000’
! DATE%BOUNDARY%START = ’19680606 000000’
! DATE%BOUNDARY%STRIDE = ’0’
! DATE%BOUNDARY%STOP = ’19680607 000000’
! DATE%PARTITION%START = ’19680606 000000’
! DATE%PARTITION%STRIDE = ’0’
! DATE%PARTITION%STOP = ’19680607 000000’
! DATE%COUPLING%START = ’19680606 000000’
! DATE%COUPLING%STRIDE = ’0’
! DATE%COUPLING%STOP = ’19680607 000000’
!
! DATE%RESTART = ’19680606 000000’ ’0’ ’19680607 000000
! -------------------------------------------------------------------- !
&OUTPUT_DATE_NML
DATE%FIELD%START = ’20100101 000000’
DATE%FIELD%STRIDE = ’3600’
DATE%FIELD%STOP = ’20101231 000000’
DATE%POINT%START = ’20100101 000000’
DATE%POINT%STRIDE = ’3600’
DATE%POINT%STOP = ’20101231 000000’

DATE%RESTART = ’20101231 000000’ ’43200’ ’20501231 000000’

/

! -------------------------------------------------------------------- !
! Define homogeneous input via HOMOG_COUNT_NML and HOMOG_INPUT_NML namel
!
! * the number of each homogeneous input is defined by HOMOG_COUNT
! * the total number of homogeneous input is automatically calculated
! * the homogeneous input must start from index 1 to N
! * if VALUE1 is equal 0, then the homogeneous input is desactivated
! * NAME can be IC1, IC2, IC3, IC4, IC5, MDN, MTH, MVS, LEV, CUR, WND, I
! * each homogeneous input is defined over a maximum of 3 values detaill
! - IC1 is defined by thickness
DRAFT WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 G.65

! - IC2 is defined by viscosity

! - IC3 is defined by density
! - IC4 is defined by modulus
! - IC5 is defined by floe diameter
! - MDN is defined by density
! - MTH is defined by thickness
! - MVS is defined by viscosity
! - LEV is defined by height
! - CUR is defined by speed and direction
! - WND is defined by speed, direction and airseatemp
! - ICE is defined by concentration
! - MOV is defined by speed and direction
!
! * namelist must be terminated with /
! * definitions & defaults:
! HOMOG_COUNT%N_IC1 = 0
! HOMOG_COUNT%N_IC2 = 0
! HOMOG_COUNT%N_IC3 = 0
! HOMOG_COUNT%N_IC4 = 0
! HOMOG_COUNT%N_IC5 = 0
! HOMOG_COUNT%N_MDN = 0
! HOMOG_COUNT%N_MTH = 0
! HOMOG_COUNT%N_MVS = 0
! HOMOG_COUNT%N_LEV = 0
! HOMOG_COUNT%N_CUR = 0
! HOMOG_COUNT%N_WND = 0
! HOMOG_COUNT%N_ICE = 0
! HOMOG_COUNT%N_MOV = 0
!
! HOMOG_INPUT(I)%NAME = ’unset’
! HOMOG_INPUT(I)%DATE = ’19680606 000000’
! HOMOG_INPUT(I)%VALUE1 = 0
! HOMOG_INPUT(I)%VALUE2 = 0
! HOMOG_INPUT(I)%VALUE3 = 0
! -------------------------------------------------------------------- !
&HOMOG_COUNT_NML
HOMOG_COUNT%N_WND = 2
HOMOG_COUNT%N_LEV = 1
/

&HOMOG_INPUT_NML
HOMOG_INPUT(1)%NAME = ’WND’
HOMOG_INPUT(1)%DATE =’20100610 000000’
HOMOG_INPUT(1)%VALUE1 = 5.
HOMOG_INPUT(1)%VALUE2 = 90.
G.66 WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 DRAFT

HOMOG_INPUT(2)%NAME = ’WND’
HOMOG_INPUT(2)%DATE = ’20100610 060000’
HOMOG_INPUT(2)%VALUE1 = 25.
HOMOG_INPUT(2)%VALUE2 = 120.

HOMOG_INPUT(3)%NAME = ’LEV’
HOMOG_INPUT(3)%DATE = ’20100610 060000’
HOMOG_INPUT(3)%VALUE1 = 5.
/

! -------------------------------------------------------------------- !
! WAVEWATCH III - end of namelist !
! -------------------------------------------------------------------- !

end of example input file (namelist form)

G.9 ww3 gspl

G.9.1 ww3 gspl.inp

start of example input file (traditional form)

$ -------------------------------------------------------------------- $
$ WAVEWATCH III Grid splitting input file $
$ -------------------------------------------------------------------- $
$ Grid identifier (file extension for mod_def file of grid to be split)
$
’glo_2d’
$
$ Number of sub-grids to be created, maximum number of iterations,
DRAFT WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 G.67

$ target grid point count std in percent. user defined halo extension
$ (default should be 2, used because of inconsistencies between halo
$ computation in this code and in the main wave model code). Increase
$ the latter number if ww3_multi fails on halo overlaps between
$ equally ranked grids.
$
12 250 0.75 2
$
$ IDLA, IDFM, scale and RFORM for bottom, obstruction and mask files.
$ Note that the third file is integers. Suggest IDFM = 1 and IDLA = 1
$
3 2 1.0 ’(12F11.3)’
3 2 1.0 ’(26F5.2)’
3 2 1 ’(66I2)’
$
$ lowest and highest fraction of communicator to be used for grid.
$ and flag for running grids side-by-side inside fraction
$ F: for test purposes only, defeats most reasons for splitting
$ T: normal operations
$
0.4 1. F
$ -------------------------------------------------------------------- $
$ End of input file $
$ -------------------------------------------------------------------- $

end of example input file (traditional form)

G.10 ww3 multi

G.10.1 ww3 multi.inp

start of example input file (traditional form)

$ -------------------------------------------------------------------- $
$ WAVEWATCH III multi-grid model driver input file $
$ -------------------------------------------------------------------- $
$
$ *******************************************************************
G.68 WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 DRAFT

$ *** NOTE : This is an example file from the mww3_test_05 script ***
$ *** Unlike other input example files this one CANNOT ***
$ *** be run as an independent interactive run ***
$ *******************************************************************
$
$ The first input line sets up the general multi-grid model definition
$ by defining the following six parameters :
$
$ 1) Number of wave model grids. ( NRGRD )
$ 2) Number of grids defining input fields. ( NRINP )
$ 3) Flag for using unified point output file. ( UNIPTS )
$ 4) Output server type as in ww3_shel.inp
$ 5) Flag for dedicated process for unified point output.
$ 6) Flag for grids sharing dedicated output processes.
$
3 1 T 1 T T
$
$ -------------------------------------------------------------------- $
$ If there are input data grids defined ( NRINP > 0 ), then these
$ grids are defined first. These grids are defined as if they are wave
$ model grids using the file mod_def.MODID. Each grid is defined on
$ a separate input line with MODID, and eight input flags identifying
$ the presence of 1) water levels 2) currents 3) winds 4) ice and
$ 5-7) assimilation data as in the file ww3_shel.inp.
$
’input’ F F T F F F F
$
$ In this example, we need the file mod_def.input to define the grid
$ and the file wind.input to provide the corresponding wind data.
$
$ -------------------------------------------------------------------- $
$ If all point output is gathered in a unified point output file
$ ( UNIPTS = .TRUE. ), then the output spectral grid needs to be
$ defined. This information is taken from a wave model grid, and only
$ the spectral definitions from this grid are relevant. Define the
$ name of this grid here
$
’points’
$
$ In this example, we need the file mod_def.points to define the
$ spectral output grid, and the point output will be written to the
$ file out_pnt.points
$
$ -------------------------------------------------------------------- $
$ Now each actual wave model grid is defined using 13 parameters to be
DRAFT WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 G.69

$ read from a single line in the file. Each line contains the following
$ parameters
$ 1) Define the grid with the extension of the mod_def file.
$ 2-8) Define the inputs used by the grids with 8 keywords
$ corresponding to the 8 flags defining the input in the
$ input files. Valid keywords are:
$ ’no’ : This input is not used.
$ ’native’ : This grid has its own input files, e.g. grid
$ grdX (mod_def.grdX) uses ice.grdX.
$ ’MODID’ : Take input from the grid identified by
$ MODID. In the example below, all grids get
$ their wind from wind.input (mod_def.input).
$ 9) Rank number of grid (internally sorted and reassigned).
$ 10) Group number (internally reassigned so that different
$ ranks result in different group numbers.
$ 11-12) Define fraction of communicator (processes) used for this
$ grid. ’0.00 1.00’ is appropriate in many cases. Partial
$ fractions, i.e. settings other than ’0.00 1.00’, are
$ intended for equal rank grids, to improve scaling. The
$ commented example provided here (partial fractions with
$ non-equal rank) is not generally recommended.
$ 13) Flag identifying dumping of boundary data used by this
$ grid. If true, the file nest.MODID is generated.
$
’grd1’ ’no’ ’no’ ’input’ ’no’ ’no’ ’no’ ’no’ 1 1 0.00 1.00 F
’grd2’ ’no’ ’no’ ’input’ ’no’ ’no’ ’no’ ’no’ 2 1 0.00 1.00 F
’grd3’ ’no’ ’no’ ’input’ ’no’ ’no’ ’no’ ’no’ 3 1 0.00 1.00 F
$ ’grd1’ ’no’ ’no’ ’input’ ’no’ ’no’ ’no’ ’no’ 1 1 0.00 0.50 F
$ ’grd2’ ’no’ ’no’ ’input’ ’no’ ’no’ ’no’ ’no’ 2 1 0.25 0.75 F
$ ’grd3’ ’no’ ’no’ ’input’ ’no’ ’no’ ’no’ ’no’ 3 1 0.50 1.00 F
$
$ In this example three grids are used requiring the files
$ mod_def.grdN. All files get their winds from the grid ’input’
$ defined by mod_def.input, and no other inputs are used. In the lines
$ that are commented out, each grid runs on a part of the pool of
$ processes assigned to the computation.
$
$ Limitations relevant to irregular (curvilinear) grids:
$ 1) Equal rank is not supported when one or more is an irregular
$ grid. Use non-equal rank instead. (see wmgridmd.ftn)
$ 2) Non-native input grids: feature is not supported when either
$ an input grid or computational grids is irregular.
$ (see wmupdtmd.ftn)
$ 3) Irregular grids with unified point output: This is supported
$ but the feature has not been verified for accuracy.
G.70 WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 DRAFT

$ (see wmiopomd.ftn)
$
$ -------------------------------------------------------------------- $
$ Starting and ending times for the entire model run
$
19680606 000000 19680607 000000
$
$ -------------------------------------------------------------------- $
$ Specific multi-scale model settings (single line).
$ Flag for masking computation in two-way nesting (except at
$ output times).
$ Flag for masking at printout time.
$
F F
$
$ -------------------------------------------------------------------- $
$ Conventional output requests as in ww3_shel.inp. Will be applied
$ to all grids.
$
19680606 000000 3600 19680607 000000
$----------------------------------------------------------------
$
$ Output request flags identifying fields as in ww3_shel.inp. See that
$ file for a full documentation of field output options. Namelist type
$ selection is used here (for alternative F/T flags, see ww3_shel.inp).
$
N
DPT CUR WND HS T0M1 FP DP PHS PTP PDIR
$
$----------------------------------------------------------------
$
$ NOTE: If UNIPTS = .TRUE. then the point output needs to be defined
$ here and cannot be redefined below.
$
19680606 000000 3600 19680608 000000
0.E3 0.E3 ’eye ’
0.E3 50.E3 ’mN ’
-35.E3 35.E3 ’mNW ’
-50.E3 0.E3 ’mW ’
-35.E3 -35.E3 ’mSW ’
0.E3 -50.E3 ’mS ’
35.E3 -35.E3 ’mSE ’
50.E3 0.E3 ’mE ’
35.E3 35.E3 ’mNE ’
0.E3 100.E3 ’aN ’
DRAFT WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 G.71

-70.E3 70.E3 ’aNW ’

-100.E3 0.E3 ’aW ’
-70.E3 -70.E3 ’aSW ’
0.E3 -100.E3 ’aS ’
70.E3 -70.E3 ’aSE ’
100.E3 0.E3 ’aE ’
70.E3 70.E3 ’aNE ’
0.E3 210.E3 ’bN ’
-150.E3 150.E3 ’bNW ’
-210.E3 0.E3 ’bW ’
-150.E3 -150.E3 ’bSW ’
0.E3 -210.E3 ’bS ’
150.E3 -150.E3 ’bSE ’
210.E3 0.E3 ’bE ’
150.E3 150.E3 ’bNE ’
0.E3 800.E3 ’cN ’
-550.E3 550.E3 ’cNW ’
-800.E3 0.E3 ’cW ’
-550.E3 -550.E3 ’cSW ’
0.E3 -800.E3 ’cS ’
550.E3 -550.E3 ’cSE ’
800.E3 0.E3 ’cE ’
550.E3 550.E3 ’cNE ’
0.E3 0.E3 ’STOPSTRING’
$
$ Four additional output types: see ww3_shel.inp for documentation.
$
$ track output
19680606 000000 0 19680608 000000
$
$ restart files
19680606 000000 0 19680608 000000
$
$ boundary output
19680606 000000 0 19680608 000000
$
$ separated wave field data
19680606 000000 0 19680608 000000
$
$ -------------------------------------------------------------------- $
$ Output requests per grid and type to overwrite general setup
$ as defined above. First record per set is the grid name MODID
$ and the output type number. Then follows the standard time string,
$ and conventional data as per output type. In mww3_test_05 this is
$ not used. Below, one example generating partitioning output for
G.72 WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 DRAFT

$ the inner grid is included but commented out.

$
$ ’grd3’ 6
$ 19680606 000000 900 19680608 000000
$ 0 999 1 0 999 1 T
$
$ -------------------------------------------------------------------- $
$ Mandatory end of output requests per grid, identified by output
$ type set to 0.
$
’the_end’ 0
$
$ -------------------------------------------------------------------- $
$ Moving grid data as in ww3_shel.inp. All grids will use same data.
$
’MOV’ 19680606 000000 5. 90.
’STP’
$
$ -------------------------------------------------------------------- $
$ End of input file $
$ -------------------------------------------------------------------- $

end of example input file (traditional form)

G.10.2 ww3 multi.nml

start of example input file (namelist form)

! -------------------------------------------------------------------- !
! WAVEWATCH III - ww3_multi.nml - multi-grid model !
! -------------------------------------------------------------------- !

! -------------------------------------------------------------------- !
! Define top-level model parameters via DOMAIN_NML namelist
!
! * IOSTYP defines the output server mode for parallel implementation.
! 0 : No data server processes, direct access output from
! each process (requires true parallel file system).
! 1 : No data server process. All output for each type
! performed by process that performs computations too.
DRAFT WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 G.73

! 2 : Last process is reserved for all output, and does no

! computing.
! 3 : Multiple dedicated output processes.
!
! * namelist must be terminated with /
! * definitions & defaults:
! DOMAIN%NRINP = 0 ! Number of grids defining input fields.
! DOMAIN%NRGRD = 1 ! Number of wave model grids.
! DOMAIN%UNIPTS = F ! Flag for using unified point output file.
! DOMAIN%IOSTYP = 1 ! Output server type
! DOMAIN%UPPROC = F ! Flag for dedicated process for unified point
! DOMAIN%PSHARE = F ! Flag for grids sharing dedicated output proc
! DOMAIN%FLGHG1 = F ! Flag for masking computation in two-way nest
! DOMAIN%FLGHG2 = F ! Flag for masking at printout time
! DOMAIN%START = ’19680606 000000’ ! Start date for the entire mod
! DOMAIN%STOP = ’19680607 000000’ ! Stop date for the entire mode
! -------------------------------------------------------------------- !
&DOMAIN_NML
DOMAIN%NRINP = 3
DOMAIN%NRGRD = 5
DOMAIN%UNIPTS = T
DOMAIN%START = ’20100101 120000’
DOMAIN%STOP = ’20101231 000000’
/

! -------------------------------------------------------------------- !
! Define each input grid via the INPUT_GRID_NML namelist
!
! * index I must match indexes from 1 to DOMAIN%NRINP
! * INPUT(I)%NAME must be set for each active input grid I
!
! * namelist must be terminated with /
! * definitions & defaults:
! INPUT(I)%NAME = ’unset’
! INPUT(I)%FORCING%WATER_LEVELS = F
! INPUT(I)%FORCING%CURRENTS = F
! INPUT(I)%FORCING%WINDS = F
! INPUT(I)%FORCING%ICE_CONC = F
! INPUT(I)%FORCING%ICE_PARAM1 = F
! INPUT(I)%FORCING%ICE_PARAM2 = F
! INPUT(I)%FORCING%ICE_PARAM3 = F
! INPUT(I)%FORCING%ICE_PARAM4 = F
! INPUT(I)%FORCING%ICE_PARAM5 = F
G.74 WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 DRAFT

! INPUT(I)%FORCING%MUD_DENSITY = F
! INPUT(I)%FORCING%MUD_THICKNESS = F
! INPUT(I)%FORCING%MUD_VISCOSITY = F
! INPUT(I)%ASSIM%MEAN = F
! INPUT(I)%ASSIM%SPEC1D = F
! INPUT(I)%ASSIM%SPEC2D = F
! -------------------------------------------------------------------- !
&INPUT_GRID_NML

INPUT(1)%NAME = ’atm’
INPUT(1)%FORCING%WINDS = T
INPUT(1)%FORCING%MUD_VISCOSITY = T
INPUT(1)%ASSIM%MEAN = T

INPUT(2)%NAME = ’ocn’
INPUT(2)%FORCING%WATER_LEVELS = T
INPUT(2)%FORCING%CURRENTS = T

INPUT(3)%NAME = ’ice’
INPUT(3)%FORCING%ICE_CONC = T
INPUT(3)%FORCING%ICE_PARAM1 = T
INPUT(3)%FORCING%ICE_PARAM2 = T

! -------------------------------------------------------------------- !
! Define each model grid via the MODEL_GRID_NML namelist
!
! * index I must match indexes from 1 to DOMAIN%NRGRD
! * MODEL(I)%NAME must be set for each active model grid I
! * FORCING can be set as :
! - ’no’ : This input is not used.
! - ’native’ : This grid has its own input files, e.g. grid
! grdX (mod_def.grdX) uses ice.grdX.
! - ’INPUT%NAME’ : Take input from the grid identified by
! INPUT%NAME.
! * RESOURCE%RANK_ID : Rank number of grid (internally sorted and reassi
! * RESOURCE%GROUP_ID : Group number (internally reassigned so that diff
! ranks result in different group nu
! * RESOURCE%COMM_FRAC : Fraction of communicator (processes) used for t
! * RESOURCE%BOUND_FLAG : Flag identifying dumping of boundary data used
! grid. If true, the file nest.MODID is generate
!
DRAFT WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 G.75

! * Limitations relevant to irregular (curvilinear) grids:

! 1) Equal rank is not supported when one or more is an irregular
! grid. Use non-equal rank instead. (see wmgridmd.ftn)
! 2) Non-native input grids: feature is not supported when either
! an input grid or computational grids is irregular.
! (see wmupdtmd.ftn)
! 3) Irregular grids with unified point output: This is supported
! but the feature has not been verified for accuracy.
! (see wmiopomd.ftn)
!
! * namelist must be terminated with /
! * definitions & defaults:
! MODEL(I)%NAME = ’unset’
! MODEL(I)%FORCING%WATER_LEVELS = ’no’
! MODEL(I)%FORCING%CURRENTS = ’no’
! MODEL(I)%FORCING%WINDS = ’no’
! MODEL(I)%FORCING%ICE_CONC = ’no’
! MODEL(I)%FORCING%ICE_PARAM1 = ’no’
! MODEL(I)%FORCING%ICE_PARAM2 = ’no’
! MODEL(I)%FORCING%ICE_PARAM3 = ’no’
! MODEL(I)%FORCING%ICE_PARAM4 = ’no’
! MODEL(I)%FORCING%ICE_PARAM5 = ’no’
! MODEL(I)%FORCING%MUD_DENSITY = ’no’
! MODEL(I)%FORCING%MUD_THICKNESS = ’no’
! MODEL(I)%FORCING%MUD_VISCOSITY = ’no’
! MODEL(I)%ASSIM%MEAN = ’no’
! MODEL(I)%ASSIM%SPEC1d = ’no’
! MODEL(I)%ASSIM%SPEC2d = ’no’
! MODEL(I)%RESOURCE%RANK_ID = I
! MODEL(I)%RESOURCE%GROUP_ID = 1
! MODEL(I)%RESOURCE%COMM_FRAC = 0.00,1.00
! MODEL(I)%RESOURCE%BOUND_FLAG = F
!
! MODEL(4)%FORCING = ’no’ ’no’ ’no’ ’no’ ’no’ ’no’
!
! MODEL(2)%RESOURCE = 1 1 0.00 1.00 F
! -------------------------------------------------------------------- !
&MODEL_GRID_NML

MODEL(1)%NAME = ’grd1’
MODEL(1)%FORCING%WINDS = ’atm’
MODEL(1)%FORCING%CURRENTS = ’ocn’
MODEL(1)%FORCING%WATER_LEVELS = ’ocn’

MODEL(2)%NAME = ’grd2’
G.76 WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 DRAFT

MODEL(2)%FORCING%WINDS = ’atm’
MODEL(2)%FORCING%CURRENTS = ’ocn’
MODEL(2)%FORCING%WATER_LEVELS = ’ocn’
MODEL(2)%FORCING%ICE_CONC = ’ice’

MODEL(3)%NAME = ’grd3’
MODEL(3)%FORCING%WINDS = ’atm’
MODEL(3)%FORCING%CURRENTS = ’ocn’
MODEL(3)%FORCING%WATER_LEVELS = ’ocn’
MODEL(3)%FORCING%ICE_CONC = ’ice’

MODEL(4)%NAME = ’grd4’
MODEL(5)%NAME = ’grd5’

MODEL(4)%FORCING = ’ocn’ ’ocn’ ’atm’ ’ice’ ’ice’ ’ice’

MODEL(5)%FORCING = ’ocn’ ’ocn’ ’atm’ ’ice’ ’ice’ ’ice’

MODEL(1)%RESOURCE = 1 1 0.00 0.50 T

MODEL(2)%RESOURCE = 2 1 0.25 0.75 F
MODEL(3)%RESOURCE = 3 1 0.50 1.00 F
MODEL(4)%RESOURCE = 4 1 0.00 1.00 F
MODEL(5)%RESOURCE = 4 1 0.00 1.00 F

MODEL(5)%RESOURCE%BOUND_FLAG = T

! -------------------------------------------------------------------- !
! Define the output types point parameters via OUTPUT_TYPE_NML namelist
!
! * index I must match indexes from 1 to DOMAIN%NRGRD
!
! * ALLTYPE will apply the output types for all the model grids
!
! * ITYPE(I) will apply the output types for the model grid number I
!
! * need DOMAIN%UNIPTS equal true to use a unified point output file
!
! * the point file is a space separated values per line : lon lat ’name’
!
! * the detailed list of field names is given in model/nml/ww3_shel.nml
! DPT CUR WND AST WLV ICE IBG D50 IC1 IC5
! HS LM T02 T0M1 T01 FP DIR SPR DP HIG
DRAFT WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 G.77

! EF TH1M STH1M TH2M STH2M WN

! PHS PTP PLP PDIR PSPR PWS PDP PQP PPE PGW PSW PTM10 PT01 PT02 PEP TWS
! UST CHA CGE FAW TAW TWA WCC WCF WCH WCM FWS
! SXY TWO BHD FOC TUS USS P2S USF P2L TWI FIC
! ABR UBR BED FBB TBB
! MSS MSC WL02 AXT AYT AXY
! DTD FC CFX CFD CFK
! U1 U2
!
! * output track file formatted (T) or unformated (F)
!
! * namelist must be terminated with /
! * definitions & defaults:
! ALLTYPE%FIELD%LIST = ’unset’
! ALLTYPE%POINT%NAME = ’unset’
! ALLTYPE%POINT%FILE = ’points.list’
! ALLTYPE%TRACK%FORMAT = T
! ALLTYPE%PARTITION%X0 = 0
! ALLTYPE%PARTITION%XN = 0
! ALLTYPE%PARTITION%NX = 0
! ALLTYPE%PARTITION%Y0 = 0
! ALLTYPE%PARTITION%YN = 0
! ALLTYPE%PARTITION%NY = 0
! ALLTYPE%PARTITION%FORMAT = T
!
! ITYPE(3)%TRACK%FORMAT = F
! -------------------------------------------------------------------- !
&OUTPUT_TYPE_NML
ALLTYPE%POINT%NAME = ’points’
ALLTYPE%FIELD%LIST = ’HS DIR SPR’

ITYPE(1)%FIELD%LIST = ’HS DIR SPR WND ICE CUR LEV’

/

! -------------------------------------------------------------------- !
! Define output dates via OUTPUT_DATE_NML namelist
!
! * index I must match indexes from 1 to DOMAIN%NRGRD
! * ALLDATE will apply the output dates for all the model grids
! * IDATE(I) will apply the output dates for the model grid number i
! * start and stop times are with format ’yyyymmdd hhmmss’
! * if time stride is equal ’0’, then output is disabled
! * time stride is given in seconds
G.78 WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 DRAFT

! * it is possible to overwrite a global output date for a given grid

!
! * namelist must be terminated with /
! * definitions & defaults:
! ALLDATE%FIELD%START = ’19680606 000000’
! ALLDATE%FIELD%STRIDE = ’0’
! ALLDATE%FIELD%STOP = ’19680607 000000’
! ALLDATE%POINT%START = ’19680606 000000’
! ALLDATE%POINT%STRIDE = ’0’
! ALLDATE%POINT%STOP = ’19680607 000000’
! ALLDATE%TRACK%START = ’19680606 000000’
! ALLDATE%TRACK%STRIDE = ’0’
! ALLDATE%TRACK%STOP = ’19680607 000000’
! ALLDATE%RESTART%START = ’19680606 000000’
! ALLDATE%RESTART%STRIDE = ’0’
! ALLDATE%RESTART%STOP = ’19680607 000000’
! ALLDATE%BOUNDARY%START = ’19680606 000000’
! ALLDATE%BOUNDARY%STRIDE = ’0’
! ALLDATE%BOUNDARY%STOP = ’19680607 000000’
! ALLDATE%PARTITION%START = ’19680606 000000’
! ALLDATE%PARTITION%STRIDE = ’0’
! ALLDATE%PARTITION%STOP = ’19680607 000000’
!
! ALLDATE%RESTART = ’19680606 000000’ ’0’ ’19680607 000
!
! IDATE(3)%PARTITION%START = ’19680606 000000’
! -------------------------------------------------------------------- !
&OUTPUT_DATE_NML
ALLDATE%FIELD%START = ’20100101 000000’
ALLDATE%FIELD%STRIDE = ’3600’
ALLDATE%FIELD%STOP = ’20101231 000000’
ALLDATE%POINT%START = ’20100101 000000’
ALLDATE%POINT%STRIDE = ’3600’
ALLDATE%POINT%STOP = ’20101231 000000’

ALLDATE%RESTART = ’20101231 000000’ ’43200’ ’20501231 0000

IDATE(5)%PARTITION%START = ’20100601 000000’

IDATE(5)%PARTITION%STRIDE = ’3600’
IDATE(5)%PARTITION%START = ’20101201 000000’
/

! -------------------------------------------------------------------- !
DRAFT WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 G.79

! Define homogeneous input via HOMOG_COUNT_NML and HOMOG_INPUT_NML namel

!
! * the number of each homogeneous input is defined by HOMOG_COUNT
! * the total number of homogeneous input is automatically calculated
! * the homogeneous input must start from index 1 to N
! * if VALUE1 is equal 0, then the homogeneous input is desactivated
! * NAME can only be MOV
! * each homogeneous input is defined over a maximum of 3 values detaill
! - MOV is defined by speed and direction
!
! * namelist must be terminated with /
! * definitions & defaults:
! HOMOG_COUNT%N_MOV = 0
!
! HOMOG_INPUT(I)%NAME = ’unset’
! HOMOG_INPUT(I)%DATE = ’19680606 000000’
! HOMOG_INPUT(I)%VALUE1 = 0
! HOMOG_INPUT(I)%VALUE2 = 0
! HOMOG_INPUT(I)%VALUE3 = 0
! -------------------------------------------------------------------- !
&HOMOG_COUNT_NML
HOMOG_COUNT%N_MOV = 1
/

&HOMOG_INPUT_NML
HOMOG_INPUT(1)%NAME = ’MOV’
HOMOG_INPUT(1)%DATE =’20100610 000000’
HOMOG_INPUT(1)%VALUE1 = 5.
HOMOG_INPUT(1)%VALUE2 = 90.
/

! -------------------------------------------------------------------- !
! WAVEWATCH III - end of namelist !
! -------------------------------------------------------------------- !

end of example input file (namelist form)

G.80 WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 DRAFT

G.11 ww3 gint

G.11.1 ww3 gint.inp

start of example input file (traditional form)

$ -------------------------------------------------------------------- $
$ WAVEWATCH III Grid integration input file $
$ -------------------------------------------------------------------- $
$ Time, time increment and number of outputs
$
19680606 060000 10800. 1
$
$ Total number of grids (NGR). The code assumes that the first NGR-1
$ grids are the input grids and the last grid is the target grid in
$ which the output fields are to be interpolated. It also assumes
$ that all the grids have the same output fields switched on
$
$ NGR
$
4
$
$ Grid Ids
$
’grd1’
’grd2’
’grd3’
’grd4’
$
$ In this example grd1, grd2 and grd3 are the input grids. For each
$ of these grids a mod_def.grdN and an out_grd.grdN are available.
$ The target grid is grd4, and a mod_def.grd4 is also made available.
$ Upon execution of the code an out_grd.grd4 is generated via
$ interpolation of output fields from the various out_grd.grdN
$ (N varying from 1 to 3) files.
$
$ Choice of no extrapolation [0] or to extrapolate [1] with wet points [
0
$
$ -------------------------------------------------------------------- $
$ End of input file $
$ -------------------------------------------------------------------- $

end of example input file (traditional form)

DRAFT WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 G.81

G.12 ww3 outf

G.12.1 ww3 outf.inp

start of example input file (traditional form)

$ -------------------------------------------------------------------- $
$ WAVEWATCH III Grid output post-processing $
$--------------------------------------------------------------------- $
$ Time, time increment and number of outputs
$
19680606 060000 10800. 1
$
$ Output request flags identifying fields as in ww3_shel.inp. See this
$ file for a full documentation of the field output options.
$
N
DPT HS FP T01 WL02 ALPXT ALPYT ALPXY
$
$ Output type ITYPE [0,1,2,3], and IPART [ 0,...,NOSWLL ]
$
1 0
$ -------------------------------------------------------------------- $
$ ITYPE = 0, inventory of file.
$ No additional input, the above time range is ignored.
$
$ -------------------------------------------------------------------- $
$ ITYPE = 1, print plots.
$ IX,IY range and stride, flag for automatic scaling to
$ maximum value (otherwise fixed scaling),
$ vector component flag (dummy for scalar quantities),
$
1 12 1 1 12 1 F T
$
$ -------------------------------------------------------------------- $
$ ITYPE = 2, field statistics.
$ IX,IY range.
$
G.82 WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 DRAFT

$ 1 12 1 12
$
$ -------------------------------------------------------------------- $
$ ITYPE = 3, transfer files.
$ IX, IY range, IDLA and IDFM as in ww3_grid.inp.
$ The additional option IDLA=5 gives longitude, latitude
$ and parameter value(s) per record (defined points only),
$
$ 2 11 2 11 1 2
$
$ For each field and time a new file is generated with the file name
$ ww3.yymmddhh.xxx, where yymmddhh is a conventional time indicator,
$ and xxx is a field identifier. The first record of the file contains
$ a file ID (C*13), the time in yyyymmdd hhmmss format, the lowest,
$ highest and number of longitudes (2R,I), id. latitudes, the file
$ extension name (C*$), a scale factor (R), a unit identifier (C*10),
$ IDLA, IDFM, a format (C*11) and a number identifying undefined or
$ missing values (land, ice, etc.). The field follows as defined by
$ IDFM and IDLA, defined as in the grid preprocessor. IDLA=5 is added
$ and gives a set of records containing the longitude, latitude and
$ parameter value. Note that the actual data is written as an integers.
$
$ -------------------------------------------------------------------- $
$ End of input file $
$ -------------------------------------------------------------------- $

end of example input file (traditional form)

G.13 ww3 ounf

G.13.1 ww3 ounf.inp

start of example input file (traditional form)

$ -------------------------------------------------------------------- $
$ WAVEWATCH III Grid output post-processing $
$--------------------------------------------------------------------- $
$ First output time (yyyymmdd hhmmss), increment of output (s),
DRAFT WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 G.83

$ and number of output times.

$
19850101 000000 3600. 1000
$
$ Fields requested --------------------------------------------------- $
$
$ Output request flags identifying fields as in ww3_shel.inp. See that
$ file for a full documentation of field output options. Namelist type
$ selection is used here (for alternative F/T flags, see ww3_shel.inp).
$
$ DPT CUR WND AST WLV ICE IBG D50 IC1 IC5 HS LM T02 T0M1 T01 FP DIR SPR
$ DP HIG EF TH1M STH1M TH2M STH2M WN PHS PTP PLP PDIR PSPR PWS PDP
$ PQP PPE PGW PSW PTM10 PT01 PT02 PEP TWS PNR UST CHA CGE FAW TAW TWA WC
$ WCF WCH WCM SXY TWO BHD FOC TUS USS P2S USF P2L TWI FIC ABR UBR BED
$ FBB TBB MSS MSC DTD FC CFX CFD CFK U1 U2
$
N
DPT HS FP T01
$
$--------------------------------------------------------------------- $
$ netCDF version [3,4]
$ and variable type 4 [2 = SHORT, 3 = it depends , 4 = REAL]
$ swell partitions [0 1 2 3 4 5]
$ variables in same file [T] or not [F]
$
3 4
0 1 2
T
$
$ -------------------------------------------------------------------- $
$ File prefix
$ number of characters in date [4(yearly),6(monthly),8(daily),10(hourly)
$ IX and IY ranges [regular:IX NX IY NY, unstructured:IP NP 1 1]
$
ww3.
6
$
$ ----------------- FOR SMC GRID ONLY ---------------------------------$
$ SMC output type:
$ 1 = Flat points file (1D sea point array)
$ 2 = Regular gridded (2D lat/lon array over region)
$
$ 1
$
$ For SMC output, the IX/IY range line is replaced with a domain
G.84 WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 DRAFT

$ lat/lon range and ‘cellfac‘ parameter for SMC type 2 output.

$ First/Last lat/lon can be set to -999.9 to use edge of SMC grid.
$
$ For SMC type 1 output, only those points within the specified
$ lat/lon ranges will be extracted:
$
$ first_lon, first_lat, last_lon, last_lat
$
$ For type 2 output, the range is used in conjunction with a fifth
$ integer ‘cellfac‘ parameter to specify the regular output grid
$ to area average the SMC grid to. In this case, the output grid will
$ be aligned to nearest largest SMC grid points within the selected
$ region. Therefore, the output grid start and end lat/lons may differ
$ slightly from what is requested. In order to obtain a fully populated
$ regular grid the extents specified should encompass the SW corner of
$ the bottom left cell, and NE corner of the top right cell required.
$ ‘cellfac‘ is an integer value that selects the target grid cell size
$ as multiple of the smallest SMC grid cell. It must be a power of 2.
$ e.g. 1 = highest resolution, 2 = half resolution of smallest cell,
$ 4 = 1/4 res of smallest cell, etc.
$
$ first_lon, first_lat, last_lon, last_lat, cellfac
$
$ Example: Extract high resolution data for U.K.:
$
$ -13.50 46.85 5.50 61.0 1
$
$
$ ---------------- FOR NON-SMC GRIDS --------------------------------- $
$ IX, IY range:
$ 1 1000000 1 1000000
$
$ For each field and time a new file is generated with the file name
$ ww3.date_xxx.nc , where date is a conventional time indicator with S3
$ characters, and xxx is a field identifier.
$
$ -------------------------------------------------------------------- $
$ End of input file $
$ -------------------------------------------------------------------- $

end of example input file (traditional form)

DRAFT WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 G.85

G.13.2 ww3 ounf.nml

start of example input file (namelist form)

! -------------------------------------------------------------------- !
! WAVEWATCH III - ww3_ounf.nml - Grid output post-processing !
! -------------------------------------------------------------------- !

! -------------------------------------------------------------------- !
! Define the output fields to postprocess via FIELD_NML namelist
!
! * the detailed list of field names FIELD%LIST is given in ww3_shel.nml
! DPT CUR WND AST WLV ICE IBG D50 IC1 IC5
! HS LM T02 T0M1 T01 FP DIR SPR DP HIG
! EF TH1M STH1M TH2M STH2M WN
! PHS PTP PLP PDIR PSPR PWS PDP PQP PPE PGW PSW PTM10 PT01 PT02 PEP TWS
! UST CHA CGE FAW TAW TWA WCC WCF WCH WCM FWS
! SXY TWO BHD FOC TUS USS P2S USF P2L TWI FIC
! ABR UBR BED FBB TBB
! MSS MSC WL02 AXT AYT AXY
! DTD FC CFX CFD CFK
! U1 U2
!
! * namelist must be terminated with /
! * definitions & defaults:
! FIELD%TIMESTART = ’19000101 000000’ ! Stop date for th
! FIELD%TIMESTRIDE = ’0’ ! Time stride for
! FIELD%TIMECOUNT = ’1000000000’ ! Number of time s
! FIELD%TIMESPLIT = 6 ! [4(yearly),6(mon
! FIELD%LIST = ’unset’ ! List of output f
! FIELD%PARTITION = ’0 1 2 3’ ! List of wave par
! FIELD%SAMEFILE = T ! All the variable
! FIELD%TYPE = 3 ! [2 = SHORT, 3 =
! -------------------------------------------------------------------- !
&FIELD_NML
FIELD%TIMESTART = ’20100101 000000’
FIELD%TIMESTRIDE = ’3600’
FIELD%LIST = ’DPT WND HS FP DIR SPR MSS’
FIELD%SAMEFILE = F
FIELD%TYPE = 4
/
G.86 WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 DRAFT

! -------------------------------------------------------------------- !
! Define the content of the output file via FILE_NML namelist
!
! * namelist must be terminated with /
! * definitions & defaults:
! FILE%PREFIX = ’ww3.’ ! Prefix for output file na
! FILE%NETCDF = 3 ! Netcdf version [3|4]
! FILE%IX0 = 1 ! First X-axis or node inde
! FILE%IXN = 1000000000 ! Last X-axis or node index
! FILE%IY0 = 1 ! First Y-axis index
! FILE%IYN = 1000000000 ! Last Y-axis index
! -------------------------------------------------------------------- !
&FILE_NML
FILE%NETCDF = 4
/

! -------------------------------------------------------------------- !
! Define the content of the output file via SMC_NML namelist
!
! * For SMC grids, IX0, IXN, IY0 and IYN from FILE_NML are not used.
! Two types of output are available:
! * TYPE=1: Flat 1D "seapoint" array of grid cells.
! * TYPE=2: Re-gridded regular grid with cell sizes being an integer
! * multiple of the smallest SMC grid cells size.
!
! * Note that the first/last longitudes and latitudes will be adjusted
! to snap to the underlying SMC grid edges. CELFAC is only used for
! type 2 output and defines the output cell sizes as an integer
! multiple of the smallest SMC Grid cell size. CELFAC should be a
! power of 2, e.g: 1,2,4,8,16, etc...
!
! * namelist must be terminated with /
! * definitions & defaults:
! SMC%TYPE = 1 ! SMC Grid type (1 or 2)
! SMC%SXO = -999.9 ! First longitude
! SMC%EXO = -999.9 ! Last longitude
! SMC%SYO = -999.9 ! First latitude
! SMC%EYO = -999.9 ! Last latitude
! SMC%CELFAC = 1 ! Cell size factor (SMCTYPE=2 o
! SMC%NOVAL = UNDEF ! Fill value for wet cells with
! -------------------------------------------------------------------- !
&SMC_NML
/
DRAFT WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 G.87

! -------------------------------------------------------------------- !
! WAVEWATCH III - end of namelist !
! -------------------------------------------------------------------- !

end of example input file (namelist form)

G.14 gx outf

G.14.1 gx outf.inp

start of example input file (traditional form)

$ -------------------------------------------------------------------- $
$ WAVEWATCH III Grid output post-processing ( GrADS ) $
$--------------------------------------------------------------------- $
$ Time, time increment and number of outputs.
$
19680606 000000 3600. 25
$
$ Output request flags identifying fields as in ww3_shel.inp. See that
$ file for a full documentation of field output options. Namelist type
$ selection is used here (for alternative F/T flags, see ww3_shel.inp).
$
N
DPT HS FP T01
$
$----------------------------------------------------------------
$ Grid range in discrete counters IXmin,max, IYmin,max, flags for
$ including sea and boundary points in map
$
0 999 0 999 T T
$
$ NOTE : In the Cartesian grid version of the code, X and Y are
$ converted to longitude and latitude assuming that 1 degree
$ equals 100 km if the maximum of X or Y is larger than 1000km.
$ For maxima between 100 and 1000km 1 degree is assumed to be
$ 10km etc. Adjust labels in GrADS scripts accordingly.
G.88 WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 DRAFT

$
$ -------------------------------------------------------------------- $
$ End of input file $
$ -------------------------------------------------------------------- $

end of example input file (traditional form)

G.15 ww3 grib

G.15.1 ww3 grib.inp

start of example input file (traditional form)

$ -------------------------------------------------------------------- $
$ WAVEWATCH III Grid output post-processing ( GRIB ) $
$--------------------------------------------------------------------- $
$ Time, time increment and number of outputs.
$
19680606 000000 3600. 3
$
$ Output request flags identifying fields as in ww3_shel.inp. See that
$ file for a full documentation of field output options. Namelist type
$ selection is used here (for alternative F/T flags, see ww3_shel.inp).
$
N
DPT HS FP T01
$
$ Additional info needed for grib file
$ Forecast time, center ID, generating process ID, grid definition,
$ GDS/BMS flag and grid definition template number GDTN (0 = regular;
$ 30 = Lambert Conformal, only these two types available now)
$
19680606 010000 7 10 255 192 0
$
$ if GDTN is 30 (lambert conformal) read next line with proj parms
$ LATAN1, LONV, DSX, DSY, SCNMOD, LATIN1, LATIN2, LATSP, LONSP
$ Example for the GLW grid at NCEP
$ 25 265 2.539703 2.539703 64 25 25 -90 0
DRAFT WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 G.89

$ Other curvilinear grids not yet implemented

$
$ -------------------------------------------------------------------- $
$ End of input file $
$ -------------------------------------------------------------------- $

end of example input file (traditional form)

G.16 ww3 outp

G.16.1 ww3 outp.inp

start of example input file (traditional form)

$ -------------------------------------------------------------------- $
$ WAVEWATCH III Point output post-processing $
$--------------------------------------------------------------------- $
$ First output time (yyyymmdd hhmmss), increment of output (s),
$ and number of output times.
$
19680606 060000 3600. 7
$
$ Points requested --------------------------------------------------- $
$ Define points for which output is to be generated.
$
$ 1
$ 2
3
$ 4
$
$ mandatory end of list
-1
$
$ Output type ITYPE [0,1,2,3,4]
$
1
$ -------------------------------------------------------------------- $
$ ITYPE = 0, inventory of file.
G.90 WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 DRAFT

$ No additional input, the above time range is ignored.

$
$ -------------------------------------------------------------------- $
$ ITYPE = 1, Spectra.
$ - Sub-type OTYPE : 1 : Print plots.
$ 2 : Table of 1-D spectra
$ 3 : Transfer file.
$ - Scaling factors for 1-D and 2-D spectra Negative factor
$ disables, output, factor = 0. gives normalized spectrum.
$ - Unit number for transfer file, also used in table file
$ name.
$ - Flag for unformatted transfer file.
$
1 0. 0. 33 F
$
$ The transfer file contains records with the following contents.
$
$ - File ID in quotes, number of frequencies, directions and points.
$ grid name in quotes (for unformatted file C*21,3I,C*30).
$ - Bin frequencies in Hz for all bins.
$ - Bin directions in radians for all bins (Oceanographic conv.).
$ -+
$ - Time in yyyymmdd hhmmss format | loop
$ -+ |
$ - Point name (C*10), lat, lon, d, U10 and | loop | over
$ direction, current speed and direction | over |
$ - E(f,theta) | points | times
$ -+ -+
$
$ The formatted file is readable using free format throughout.
$ This data set can be used as input for the bulletin generator
$ w3split.
$
$ -------------------------------------------------------------------- $
$ ITYPE = 2, Tables of (mean) parameter
$ - Sub-type OTYPE : 1 : Depth, current, wind
$ 2 : Mean wave pars.
$ 3 : Nondimensional pars. (U*)
$ 4 : Nondimensional pars. (U10)
$ 5 : ’Validation table’
$ 6 : WMO standard output
$ - Unit number for file, also used in file name.
$
$ 6 66
$
DRAFT WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 G.91

$ If output for one point is requested, a time series table is made,

$ otherwise the file contains a separate tables for each output time.
$
$ -------------------------------------------------------------------- $
$ ITYPE = 3, Source terms
$ - Sub-type OTYPE : 1 : Print plots.
$ 2 : Table of 1-D S(f).
$ 3 : Table of 1-D inverse time scales
$ (1/T = S/F).
$ 4 : Transfer file
$ - Scaling factors for 1-D and 2-D source terms. Negative
$ factor disables print plots, factor = 0. gives normalized
$ print plots.
$ - Unit number for transfer file, also used in table file
$ name.
$ - Flags for spectrum, input, interactions, dissipation,
$ bottom, ice and total source term.
$ - scale ISCALE for OTYPE=2,3
$ 0 : Dimensional.
$ 1 : Nondimensional in terms of U10
$ 2 : Nondimensional in terms of U*
$ 3-5: like 0-2 with f normalized with fp.
$ - Flag for unformatted transfer file.
$
$ 1 0. 0. 50 T T T T T T T 0 F
$
$ The transfer file contains records with the following contents.
$
$ - File ID in quotes, number of frequencies, directions and points,
$ flags for spectrum and source terms (C*21, 3I, 6L)
$ - Bin frequencies in Hz for all bins.
$ - Bin directions in radians for all bins (Oceanographic conv.).
$ -+
$ - Time in yyyymmdd hhmmss format | loop
$ -+ |
$ - Point name (C*10), depth, wind speed and | loop | over
$ direction, current speed and direction | over |
$ - E(f,theta) if requested | points | times
$ - Sin(f,theta) if requested | |
$ - Snl(f,theta) if requested | |
$ - Sds(f,theta) if requested | |
$ - Sbt(f,theta) if requested | |
$ - Sice(f,theta) if requested | |
$ - Stot(f,theta) if requested | |
$ -+ -+
G.92 WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 DRAFT

$ -------------------------------------------------------------------- $
$ ITYPE = 4, Spectral partitions and bulletins
$ - Sub-type OTYPE : 1 : Spectral partitions
$ 2 : Bulletins ASCII format
$ 3 : Bulletins CSV format
$ 4 : Bulletins ASCII and CSV formats
$ - Unit number for transfer file, also used in table file
$ name.
$ - Reference date/time in YYYYMMDD HHMMSS format, used for
$ including in bulletin legend, and computing forecast time
$ in CSV type output (if the first field is negative, the
$ reference time becomes the first simulation time slice)
$ - Three-character code indicating time zone (UTC, EST etc)
$
$ 4 2 19680606 060000 ’UTC’
$
$ The transfer file contains records with the following contents.
$
$ - File ID in quotes, number of frequencies, directions and points.
$ grid name in quotes (for unformatted file C*21,3I,C*30).
$ - Bin frequencies in Hz for all bins.
$ - Bin directions in radians for all bins (Oceanographic conv.).
$ -+
$ - Time in yyyymmdd hhmmss format | loop
$ -+ |
$ - Point name (C*10), lat, lon, d, U10 and | loop | over
$ direction, current speed and direction | over |
$ - E(f,theta) | points | times
$ -+ -+
$
$ -------------------------------------------------------------------- $
$ End of input file $
$ -------------------------------------------------------------------- $

end of example input file (traditional form)

DRAFT WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 G.93

G.17 ww3 ounp

G.17.1 ww3 ounp.inp

start of example input file (traditional form)

$ -------------------------------------------------------------------- $
$ WAVEWATCH III NETCDF Point output post-processing $
$--------------------------------------------------------------------- $
$ First output time (yyyymmdd hhmmss), increment of output (s),
$ and number of output times.
$
19850101 000000 3600. 1000
$
$ Points requested --------------------------------------------------- $
$
$ Define points index for which output is to be generated.
$ If no one defined, all points are selected
$ One index number per line, negative number identifies end of list.
$ 1
$ 2
$ mandatory end of list
-1
$
$--------------------------------------------------------------------- $
$ file prefix
$ number of characters in date [4(yearly),6(monthly),8(daily),10(hourly)
$ netCDF version [3,4]
$ points in same file [T] or not [F]
$ and max number of points to be processed in one pas
$ output type ITYPE [0,1,2,3]
$ flag for global attributes WW3 [0] or variable version [1-2-3-4]
$ flag for dimensions order time,station [T] or station,time [F]
$
ww3.
6
4
T 150
1
0
T
$
$ -------------------------------------------------------------------- $
G.94 WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 DRAFT

$ ITYPE = 0, inventory of file.

$ No additional input, the above time range is ignored.
$
$ -------------------------------------------------------------------- $
$ ITYPE = 1, netCDF Spectra.
$ - Sub-type OTYPE : 1 : Print plots.
$ 2 : Table of 1-D spectra
$ 3 : Transfer file.
$ 4 : Spectral partitioning.
$ - Scaling factors for 1-D and 2-D spectra Negative factor
$ disables, output, factor = 0. gives normalized spectrum.
$
3 1 0
$
$ The transfer file contains records with the following contents.
$
$ - File ID in quotes, number of frequencies, directions and points.
$ grid name in quotes (for unformatted file C*21,3I,C*30).
$ - Bin frequencies in Hz for all bins.
$ - Bin directions in radians for all bins (Oceanographic conv.).
$ -+
$ - Time in yyyymmdd hhmmss format | loop
$ -+ |
$ - Point name (C*10), lat, lon, d, U10 and | loop | over
$ direction, current speed and direction | over |
$ - E(f,theta) | points | times
$ -+ -+
$
$ -------------------------------------------------------------------- $
$ ITYPE = 2, netCDF Tables of (mean) parameter
$ - Sub-type OTYPE : 1 : Depth, current, wind
$ 2 : Mean wave pars.
$ 3 : Nondimensional pars. (U*)
$ 4 : Nondimensional pars. (U10)
$ 5 : ’Validation table’
$ 6 : WMO standard output
$ 4
$
$ -------------------------------------------------------------------- $
$ ITYPE = 3, netCDF Source terms
$ - Sub-type OTYPE : 1 : Print plots.
$ 2 : Table of 1-D S(f).
$ 3 : Table of 1-D inverse time scales
$ (1/T = S/F).
$ 4 : Transfer file
DRAFT WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 G.95

$ - Scaling factors for 1-D and 2-D source terms. Negative

$ factor disables print plots, factor = 0. gives normalized
$ print plots.
$ - Flags for spectrum, input, interactions, dissipation,
$ bottom, ice and total source term.
$ - scale ISCALE for OTYPE=2,3
$ 0 : Dimensional.
$ 1 : Nondimensional in terms of U10
$ 2 : Nondimensional in terms of U*
$ 3-5: like 0-2 with f normalized with fp.
$
$ 4 0 0 T T T T T T T 0
$
$ The transfer file contains records with the following contents.
$
$ - File ID in quotes, number of frequencies, directions and points,
$ flags for spectrum and source terms (C*21, 3I, 6L)
$ - Bin frequencies in Hz for all bins.
$ - Bin directions in radians for all bins (Oceanographic conv.).
$ -+
$ - Time in yyyymmdd hhmmss format | loop
$ -+ |
$ - Point name (C*10), depth, wind speed and | loop | over
$ direction, current speed and direction | over |
$ - E(f,theta) if requested | points | times
$ - Sin(f,theta) if requested | |
$ - Snl(f,theta) if requested | |
$ - Sds(f,theta) if requested | |
$ - Sbt(f,theta) if requested | |
$ - Sice(f,theta) if requested | |
$ - Stot(f,theta) if requested | |
$ -+ -+
$
$ -------------------------------------------------------------------- $
$ End of input file $
$ -------------------------------------------------------------------- $

end of example input file (traditional form)

G.96 WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 DRAFT

G.17.2 ww3 ounp.nml

start of example input file (namelist form)

! -------------------------------------------------------------------- !
! WAVEWATCH III - ww3_ounp.nml - Point output post-processing !
! -------------------------------------------------------------------- !

! -------------------------------------------------------------------- !
! Define the output fields to postprocess via POINT_NML namelist
!
!
! * namelist must be terminated with /
! * definitions & defaults:
! POINT%TIMESTART = ’19000101 000000’ ! Stop date for th
! POINT%TIMESTRIDE = ’0’ ! Time stride for
! POINT%TIMECOUNT = ’1000000000’ ! Number of time s
! POINT%TIMESPLIT = 6 ! [4(yearly),6(mon
! POINT%LIST = ’all’ ! List of points i
! POINT%SAMEFILE = T ! All the points i
! POINT%BUFFER = 150 ! Number of points
! POINT%TYPE = 1 ! [0=inventory | 1
! POINT%DIMORDER = T ! [time,station=T
! -------------------------------------------------------------------- !
&POINT_NML
POINT%TIMESTART = ’20100101 000000’
POINT%TIMESTRIDE = ’3600’
/

! -------------------------------------------------------------------- !
! Define the content of the output file via FILE_NML namelist
!
! * namelist must be terminated with /
! * definitions & defaults:
! FILE%PREFIX = ’ww3.’ ! Prefix for output file na
! FILE%NETCDF = 3 ! Netcdf version [3|4]
! -------------------------------------------------------------------- !
&FILE_NML
FILE%NETCDF = 4
/
DRAFT WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 G.97

! -------------------------------------------------------------------- !
! Define the type 0, inventory of file
!
! * namelist must be terminated with /
! * definitions & defaults:
! No additional input, the above time range is ignored.
! -------------------------------------------------------------------- !

! -------------------------------------------------------------------- !
! Define the type 1, spectra via SPECTRA_NML namelist
!
! Table of 1-D spectra content :
! - time, station id, station name, longitude, latitude
! - frequency : unit Hz, center band frequency - linear log scale (XFR
! - ffp, f, th1m, sth1m, alpha : 1D spectral parameters
! - dpt, ust, wnd, wnddir : mean parameters
!
! Transfert file content :
! - time, station id, station name, longitude, latitude
! - frequency : unit Hz, center band frequency - linear log scale (XFR
! - frequency1 : unit Hz, lower band frequency
! - frequency2 : unit Hz, upper band frequency
! - direction : unit degree, convention to, origin East, trigonometric
! - efth(time,station,frequency,direction) : 2D spectral density
! - dpt, wnd, wnddir, cur, curdir : mean parameters
!
! Spectral partitioning content :
! - time, station id, station name, longitude, latitude
! - npart : number of partitions
! - hs, tp, lm, th1m, sth1m, ws, tm10, t01, t02 : partitioned paramete
! - dpt, wnd, wnddir, cur, curdir : mean parameters
!
!
! * namelist must be terminated with /
! * definitions & defaults:
! SPECTRA%OUTPUT = 3 ! 1: Print plots
! ! 2: Table of 1-D spectra
! ! 3: Transfer file
! ! 4: Spectral partitioning
! SPECTRA%SCALE_FAC = 1 ! Scale factor (-1=disabled)
! SPECTRA%OUTPUT_FAC = 0 ! Output factor (0=normalized
! -------------------------------------------------------------------- !
&SPECTRA_NML
G.98 WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 DRAFT

! -------------------------------------------------------------------- !
! Define the type 2, mean parameter via PARAM_NML namelist
!
! Forcing parameters content :
! - dpt, wnd, wnddir, cur, curdir
!
! Mean wave parameters content :
! - hs, lm, tr, th1p, sth1p, fp, th1m, sth1m
!
! Nondimensional parameters (U*) content :
! - ust, efst, fpst, cd, alpha
!
! Nondimensional parameters (U10) content :
! - wnd, efst, fpst, cd, alpha
!
! Validation table content :
! - wnd, wnddir, hs, hsst, cpu, cmu, ast
!
! WMO stantdard output content :
! - wnd, wnddir, hs, tp
!
! * namelist must be terminated with /
! * definitions & defaults:
! PARAM%OUTPUT = 4 ! 1: Forcing parameters
! ! 2: Mean wave parameters
! ! 3: Nondimensional pars. (U*
! ! 4: Nondimensional pars. (U1
! ! 5: Validation table
! ! 6: WMO standard output
! -------------------------------------------------------------------- !
&PARAM_NML
/

! -------------------------------------------------------------------- !
! Define the type 3, source terms via SOURCE_NML namelist
!
! Table of 1-D S(f) content :
! - time, station id, station name, longitude, latitude
! - frequency : unit Hz, center band frequency
! - ef(frequency) : 1D spectral density
! - Sin(frequency) : input source term
DRAFT WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 G.99

! - Snl(frequency) : non linear interactions source term

! - Sds(frequency) : dissipation source term
! - Sbt(frequency) : bottom source term
! - Sice(frequency) : ice source term
! - Stot(frequency) : total source term
! - dpt, ust, wnd : mean parameters
!
! Table of 1-D inverse time scales (1/T = S/F) content :
! - time, station id, station name, longitude, latitude
! - frequency : unit Hz, center band frequency
! - ef(frequency) : 1D spectral density
! - tini(frequency) : input inverse time scales source term
! - tnli(frequency) : non linear interactions inverse time scales sou
! - tdsi(frequency) : dissipation inverse time scales source term
! - tbti(frequency) : bottom inverse time scales source term
! - ticei(frequency) : ice inverse time scales source term
! - ttoti(frequency) : total inverse time scales source term
! - dpt, ust, wnd : mean parameters
!
! Transfert file content :
! - time, station id, station name, longitude, latitude
! - frequency : unit Hz, center band frequency - linear log scale (XFR
! - frequency1 : unit Hz, lower band frequency
! - frequency2 : unit Hz, upper band frequency
! - direction : unit degree, convention to, origin East, trigonometric
! - efth(frequency,direction) : 2D spectral density
! - Sin(frequency,direction) : input source term
! - Snl(frequency,direction) : non linear interactions source term
! - Sds(frequency,direction) : dissipation source term
! - Sbt(frequency,direction) : bottom source term
! - Sice(frequency,direction) : ice source term
! - Stot(frequency,direction) : total source term
! - dpt, wnd, wnddir, cur, curdir, ust : mean parameters
!
!
! * namelist must be terminated with /
! * definitions & defaults:
! SOURCE%OUTPUT = 4 ! 1: Print plots
! ! 2: Table of 1-D S(f)
! ! 3: Table of 1-D inverse tim
! ! 4: Transfer file
! SOURCE%SCALE_FAC = 0 ! Scale factor (-1=disabled)
! SOURCE%OUTPUT_FAC = 0 ! Output factor (0=normalized
! SOURCE%TABLE_FAC = 0 ! Table factor
! 0 : Dimension
G.100 WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 DRAFT

! 1 : Nondimens
! 2 : Nondimens
! 3-5: like 0-2
! SOURCE%SPECTRUM = T ! [T|F]
! SOURCE%INPUT = T ! [T|F]
! SOURCE%INTERACTIONS = T ! [T|F]
! SOURCE%DISSIPATION = T ! [T|F]
! SOURCE%BOTTOM = T ! [T|F]
! SOURCE%ICE = T ! [T|F]
! SOURCE%TOTAL = T ! [T|F]
! -------------------------------------------------------------------- !
&SOURCE_NML
/

! -------------------------------------------------------------------- !
! WAVEWATCH III - end of namelist !
! -------------------------------------------------------------------- !

end of example input file (namelist form)

G.18 gx outp

G.18.1 gx outp.inp

start of example input file (traditional form)

$ -------------------------------------------------------------------- $
$ WAVEWATCH III Point output post-processing ( GrADS ) $
$--------------------------------------------------------------------- $
$ First output time (yyyymmdd hhmmss), increment of output (s),
$ and number of output times.
$
19680606 000000 3600. 7
$
$ Points requested --------------------------------------------------- $
$ Define points for which output is to be generated.
$
DRAFT WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 G.101

$ 1
$ 2
3
$ 4
$ mandatory end of list
-1
$
$ -------------------------------------------------------------------- $
$ Flags for plotting F, Sin, Snl, Sds, Sbt, Sice, Stot
$
T T T T T T T
$
$ NOTE : In the Cartesian grid version of the code, X and Y are
$ converted to km. Use source_xy.gs instead of source.gs
$
$ -------------------------------------------------------------------- $
$ End of input file $
$ -------------------------------------------------------------------- $

end of example input file (traditional form)

G.19 ww3 trck

G.19.1 ww3 trck.inp

start of example input file (traditional form)

$ -------------------------------------------------------------------- $
$ WAVEWATCH III Track output post-processing $
$--------------------------------------------------------------------- $
$ The number of wavenumbers and directions need to be read in as they
$ determine the record length of the data file ...
$
25 24
$
$ -------------------------------------------------------------------- $
$ End of input file $
$ -------------------------------------------------------------------- $
G.102 WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 DRAFT

end of example input file (traditional form)

G.20 ww3 trnc

G.20.1 ww3 trnc.inp

start of example input file (traditional form)

$ -------------------------------------------------------------------- $
$ WAVEWATCH III Track output post-processing $
$--------------------------------------------------------------------- $
$ First output time (yyyymmdd hhmmss), increment of output (s),
$ and number of output times.
$
19680606 000000 3600. 100000
$
$ Output type -------------------------------------------------------- $
$ netCDF version [3,4]
$ file prefix
$ number of characters in date [4(yearly),6(monthly),8(daily),10(hourly)
$
3
ww3.
6
$
$ -------------------------------------------------------------------- $
$ End of input file $
$ -------------------------------------------------------------------- $

end of example input file (traditional form)

G.20.2 ww3 trnc.nml

start of example input file (namelist form)

DRAFT WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 G.103

! -------------------------------------------------------------------- !
! WAVEWATCH III - ww3_trnc.nml - Track output post-processing !
! -------------------------------------------------------------------- !

! -------------------------------------------------------------------- !
! Define the output fields to postprocess via TRACK_NML namelist
!
! * namelist must be terminated with /
! * definitions & defaults:
! TRACK%TIMESTART = ’19000101 000000’ ! Stop date for th
! TRACK%TIMESTRIDE = ’0’ ! Time stride for
! TRACK%TIMECOUNT = ’1000000000’ ! Number of time s
! TRACK%TIMESPLIT = 6 ! [4(yearly),6(mon
! -------------------------------------------------------------------- !
&TRACK_NML
TRACK%TIMESTART = ’20100101 000000’
TRACK%TIMESTRIDE = ’3600’
/

! -------------------------------------------------------------------- !
! Define the content of the output file via FILE_NML namelist
!
! * namelist must be terminated with /
! * definitions & defaults:
! FILE%PREFIX = ’ww3.’ ! Prefix for output file na
! FILE%NETCDF = 3 ! Netcdf version [3|4]
! -------------------------------------------------------------------- !
&FILE_NML
FILE%NETCDF = 4
/

! -------------------------------------------------------------------- !
! WAVEWATCH III - end of namelist !
! -------------------------------------------------------------------- !

end of example input file (namelist form)

G.104 WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 DRAFT

G.21 ww3 systrk

G.21.1 ww3 systrk.inp

start of example input file (traditional form)

$ -------------------------------------------------------------------- $
$ WAVEWATCH III Spatial and temporal tracking of wave systems $
$--------------------------------------------------------------------- $
$ File name for raw partition data
$
’partition.ww3’
$
$ First time level (yyyymmdd hhmmss), time increment and number of
$ time levels to process.
$
20091122 000000 3600 4
$
$ Output type [1,3,4] [text file, netCDF version 3, netCDF version 4]
$ Note for NetCDF version 3 the TRKNC switch is needed and
$ for NetCDF version 4 the TRKNC and NC4 switches are needed.
1
$
$ Wave tracking domain. First line: longitude limits, longitude interval
$ (NX-1); second line: latitude limits, latitude intervals (NY-1).
$
100. 275. 175
0. 55. 55
$
$ Parameters of tracking algorithm ----------------------------------- $
$ - dirKnob (deg), perKnob (s), hsKnob (m), wetPts (frac),
$ dirTimeKnob (deg), tpTimeKnob (s)
$ - seedLat, seedLon
$
10. 1. 0.25 0.1 10. 1.
0. 0.
$
$ Output points ------------------------------------------------------ $
$ Longitude, latitude. End with 0. 0. string on last line.
$
222.54 40.75
199.42 19.02
205.94 23.55
DRAFT WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 G.105

290.35 31.98
347.60 48.70
337.00 21.00
197.94 24.32
206.10 23.56
0. 0.
$ -------------------------------------------------------------------- $
$ End of input file $
$ -------------------------------------------------------------------- $

end of example input file (traditional form)

G.22 ww3 uprstr

G.22.1 ww3 uprstr.inp

start of example input file (traditional form)

$ -------------------------------------------------------------------- $
$ WAVEWATCH III Update Restart input file $
$ -------------------------------------------------------------------- $
$ $
$ Time of Assimilation ----------------------------------------------- $
$ - Starting time in yyyymmdd hhmmss format. $
$ $
$ This is the assimilation starting time and has to be the same with $
$ the time at the restart.ww3. $
$ $
19680607 120000 $
$ $
$ Choose algorithm to update restart file $
$ UPDN for the Nth approach $
$ The UPDN*, with N<2 the same correction factor is applied at all $
$ the grid points $
$ UPD0C:: ELIMINATED $
$ UPDOF:: Option 0F All the spectra are updated with a constant $
$ fac=HsAnl/HsBckg. $
G.106 WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 DRAFT

$ Expected input: PRCNTG, as defined at fac $

$ UPD1 :: ELIMINATED $
$ UPDN, with N>1 each gridpoint has its own update factor. $
$ UPD2 :: Option 2 The fac(x,y,frq,theta), is calculated at each $
$ grid point according to HsBckg and HsAnl $
$ Expected input the Analysis field, grbtxt format $
$ UPD3 :: Option 3 The update factor is a surface with the shape $
$ of the background spectrum. $
$ Expected input: the Analysis field, grbtxt format and cap $
$ for the last gross check. $
$ UPD4 :: [NOT INCLUDED in this Version, Just keeping the spot] $
$ Option 4 The generalization of the UPD3. The update $
$ factor is the sum of surfaces which are applied on the $
$ background spectrum. $
$ The algorithm requires the mapping of each partition on the $
$ individual spectra; the map is used to determine the $
$ weighting surfaces. $
$ Expected input: the Analysis field, grbtxt format and the $
$ functions(frq,theta) of the update to be applied. $
UPD3
$ $
$ PRCNTG is input for option 1 and it is the percentage of correction $
$ applied to all the gridpoints (e.g. 1.) $
$ $
0.6754
$ $
$ PRCNTG_CAP is global input for option UPD2 and UPD3 and it is a cap $
$ on the maximum correction applied to all the gridpoints (e.g. 0.5) $
$ $
10.
$ $
$ Name of the file with the SWH analysis from the DA system $
$ suffix .grbtxt for text out of grib2 file. $
$ $
anl.grbtxt
$ $
$ -------------------------------------------------------------------- $
$ WAVEWATCH III EoF ww3_uprstr.inp $
$ -------------------------------------------------------------------- $

end of example input file (traditional form)

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