High-Fidelity Numerical Modeling and Experimental Measurement of Wave Fields in the Azores

Abstract

Wave modeling for reconstruction and hind
casting is essential for a wide range of engineering and
 oceanographic applications. However, this process becomes
 significantly more complex within island archipelagos com
pared to the open sea, as it involves intricate physical
 phenomena that are challenging to capture accurately. In
 this study, a coupling between REEF3D::FNPF and SWAN,
 a well-known large-scale phase-averaged numerical model,
 is implemented to model wave patterns in the Azores
 archipelago. Time-domain SWAN simulations are con
ducted using a nested grid approach to refine results within
 the region of interest. Wind and open-boundary wave data
 are sourced from the ERA5 reanalysis dataset, available
 through the Climate Data Store (CDS), while bathymet
ric data for the study area is obtained from EMODNet.
 Results from the coarse-resolution SWAN non-stationary
 simulations are used as input for both REEF3D::FNPF,
 and localized stationary SWAN simulations. The simulated
 wave fields are then compared against statistical wave data
 acquired from Spotter platforms operated by blueOASIS,
 deployed in the Faial-Pico channel, and from the CLIMAAT
 project wave buoys, managed by Universidade dos A¸ cores,
 positioned 1 NM SWawayfromthecoastofPontaDelgada,
 S˜ ao Miguel. This approach demonstrates the ability to
 assess localized spatiotemporal scales of wave dynamics
 and complex physical phenomena typically occurring in
 island archipelagos, such as diffraction, reflection, and
 refraction. Moreover, this work serves as the foundation
 for developing a Digital Twin (DT) solution that integrates
 real-time in-situ data from sensors with versatile numerical
 representations of metocean environmental conditions.