The wave model is used to simulate the evolution of the wave field generated by a model cyclone. See Popinet et al, 2009, Ocean Modelling for a detailed description.
The simulation domain is 3328× 3328 km and the evolution is simulated for 48 hours, during which the maximum wind velocity increases from 0 to 50 m/s.
The evolution of the significant wave height and corresponding adaptive mesh is illustrated in Figure 54. The maximum significant wave height and wind speed evolutions are illustrated in Figure 55.
Interestingly the extrema of significant wave height are shifted compared to the wind speed extrema (Figure 56). This shift has also been observed in real cyclone-generated wave fields.
t=12 hours t=24 hours t=36 hours t=48 hours