EMC Global Wave Models
Left: 10 day GFS-Wave forecast of Significant Height of Combined Wind Waves
and Swell from 00z 6 July 2022
Global Forecast System - Wave
The Global Forecast System (GFS) is a global numerical weather
prediction system containing a global computer model and variational
analysis run by the U.S. National Weather Service (NWS).
The model is run four times a day: 00Z, 06Z, 12Z, and 18Z. Each
run produces forecasts of every hour from the initial time out
to 120 hours, and then forecasts at 3-hour intervals out to 384
hours (the animated image viewer only shows data out to 240 hours).
The coupled wave model consists of global and regional nested grids.
As background information, a list of selected references
and a chronological list of model changes are
available. Finally, GFS-Wave buoy validation
is available.
Links to images
(Animated Image Viewer)
(Product Table)
Links to Model Data
(FTP)
(https)
(OpenDAP)
(Grib Filter)
* GFS-Wave data is located in gfs.YYYYMMDD/CC/wave (YYYY=year, MM=month,
DD=day, CC=cycle (00,06,12,18 Z)
Global Ensemble Forecast System - Wave
The Global Ensemble Forecast System - Wave (GEFS-Wave) is a one-way
coupling of the GEFS atmospheric model with the WAVEWATCH III wave
model. This allows for an increase in frequency of the wind forcing
from 3 hours to 1 hour. This unified system has 30 members and the
wave model is initialized with the previous member's 6 hour forecast.
The wave model has a spatial resolution of 0.25 x 0.25 degrees. The
system runs four cycles per day (00, 06, 12 and 18Z). The wave
forecast has been extended from 10 to 16 days.
More information on the GEFS system is available
here.
Link to images
(Image Viewer)
Links to Model Data
(FTP)
(https)
(Grib Filter)
* GEFS-Wave data is located in gefs.YYYYMMDD/CC/wave (YYYY=year, MM=month,
DD=day, CC=cycle (00,06,12,18 Z)
Great Lakes Wave
The Great Lakes wave model consists of a single unstructured grid.
As background information, a list of selected references
and a chronological list of model changes are
available.
The model is run four times a day: 00Z, 06Z, 12Z, and 18Z. Each run starts with 9-,
6- and 3-hour hindcasts and produces forecasts of every 3 hours from the initial time
out to 84 hours.
Links to images
(Animated Image Viewer)
(Product Table)
Links to Model Data
(FTP)
(https)
(OpenDAP)
(Grib Filter)
* Great Lakes Wave data is located in glwu.YYYYMMDD/CC/wave (YYYY=year, MM=month,
DD=day, CC=cycle (00,06,12,18 Z)
NCEP/FNMOC Combined Wave Ensemble
The NCEP/FNMOC Combined Wave Ensembles (NFCENS) product consists of a combination
of wave ensemble outputs from the GEFS-Wave ensemble system, and
from the wave ensembles run by the US Navy Fleet Numerical Meteorology and
Ocenographic Center (FNMOC). The product combines outputs from a total of 51 wave
ensemble members: one control run and 30 members from the GEFS-Wave system, and 20
additional members from FNMOC.
Link to images
(Animated Image Viewer)
Nearshore Wave Prediction System
The Nearshore Wave Prediction System (NWPS) provides on-demand, high-resolution
nearshore wave model guidance to U.S. coastal WFOs, triggered in real time by forecast
wind grids prepared and submitted by the individual offices. NWPS is maintained and
developed by NCEP's Environmental Modeling Center (EMC) in collaboration with a number of
Weather Forecast Offices (WFOs), as well as partners at NOAA/NOS, USGS and USACE.
Hindcast and Reanalysis Archives
There are two classes of WAVEWATCH III®
hindcasts.
- A thirty-year hindcast generated from the
NCEP Climate Forecast System Reanalysis and Reforecast (CFSRR)
homogeneous dataset of hourly high-resolution winds. The time
period covers from 1979 through 2009. This is a true hindcast
generated with a single version of the model and a statistically
consistent forcing wind field, and is suitable for use in climate
studies.
- A data set produced by rerunning the model from the
operational wind fields to produce best-estimate nowcast
datasets for the period Feb 2005 through May 2019.
This is a statistically inhomogeneous hindcast data set, because the
underlying models are periodically updated. Therefore this data set
should not be used for climate studies.
Detailed descriptions of the hindcasts and reanalyses, with links to the datasets,
validation statistics from buoy match-ups, and visualizations of the model data
fields, can be found in the archive.
WAVEWATCH III®
Model Description and GitHub Repository
We have moved to an open development paradigm using GitHub, which
means users and developers are no longer required to submit requests
for usernames and passwords to access our software package.
The WAVEWATCH III®
project page is
here.
The latest release is available
as a compressed tarball or zipfile from the project page.
To help users and developers navigate the new repositories, we have
created two sets of guidelines in GitHub to help you navigate our
community modeling framework, one for users and the other for
developers:
- If you are a user and would like to access the code for
applications and do not plan to engage in development work, see the
User Guide.
- If you are a developer and would like to add a new feature to the
code, see the
Developer
Guide.
The
WW3 GitHub wiki hosts a description
of the model, its main features, output options, user
and developer guides, technical documentation and latest news.
WAVEWATCH III® Tutorials
Two COMET
modules are available regarding WAVEWATCH III® and analysis of ocean swell:
Registration is required, but there is no cost for the courses.
The Global Forecast System (GFS) is a global numerical weather
prediction system containing a global computer model and variational
analysis run by the U.S. National Weather Service (NWS).
The model is run four times a day: 00Z, 06Z, 12Z, and 18Z. Each
run produces forecasts of every hour from the initial time out
to 120 hours, and then forecasts at 3-hour intervals out to 384
hours (the animated image viewer only shows data out to 240 hours).
The coupled wave model consists of global and regional nested grids.
As background information, a list of selected references
and a chronological list of model changes are
available. Finally, GFS-Wave buoy validation
is available.
Links to images
(Animated Image Viewer)
(Product Table)
* GFS-Wave data is located in gfs.YYYYMMDD/CC/wave (YYYY=year, MM=month,
DD=day, CC=cycle (00,06,12,18 Z)
The Global Ensemble Forecast System - Wave (GEFS-Wave) is a one-way
coupling of the GEFS atmospheric model with the WAVEWATCH III wave
model. This allows for an increase in frequency of the wind forcing
from 3 hours to 1 hour. This unified system has 30 members and the
wave model is initialized with the previous member's 6 hour forecast.
The wave model has a spatial resolution of 0.25 x 0.25 degrees. The
system runs four cycles per day (00, 06, 12 and 18Z). The wave
forecast has been extended from 10 to 16 days.
More information on the GEFS system is available
here.
Link to images
(Image Viewer)
* GEFS-Wave data is located in gefs.YYYYMMDD/CC/wave (YYYY=year, MM=month,
DD=day, CC=cycle (00,06,12,18 Z)
The Great Lakes wave model consists of a single unstructured grid.
As background information, a list of selected references
and a chronological list of model changes are
available.
The model is run four times a day: 00Z, 06Z, 12Z, and 18Z. Each run starts with 9-,
6- and 3-hour hindcasts and produces forecasts of every 3 hours from the initial time
out to 84 hours.
Links to images
(Animated Image Viewer)
(Product Table)
* Great Lakes Wave data is located in glwu.YYYYMMDD/CC/wave (YYYY=year, MM=month,
DD=day, CC=cycle (00,06,12,18 Z)
The NCEP/FNMOC Combined Wave Ensembles (NFCENS) product consists of a combination
of wave ensemble outputs from the GEFS-Wave ensemble system, and
from the wave ensembles run by the US Navy Fleet Numerical Meteorology and
Ocenographic Center (FNMOC). The product combines outputs from a total of 51 wave
ensemble members: one control run and 30 members from the GEFS-Wave system, and 20
additional members from FNMOC.
Link to images
(Animated Image Viewer)
The Nearshore Wave Prediction System (NWPS) provides on-demand, high-resolution
nearshore wave model guidance to U.S. coastal WFOs, triggered in real time by forecast
wind grids prepared and submitted by the individual offices. NWPS is maintained and
developed by NCEP's Environmental Modeling Center (EMC) in collaboration with a number of
Weather Forecast Offices (WFOs), as well as partners at NOAA/NOS, USGS and USACE.
There are two classes of WAVEWATCH III®
hindcasts.
Detailed descriptions of the hindcasts and reanalyses, with links to the datasets,
validation statistics from buoy match-ups, and visualizations of the model data
fields, can be found in the archive.
We have moved to an open development paradigm using GitHub, which
means users and developers are no longer required to submit requests
for usernames and passwords to access our software package.
The WAVEWATCH III®
project page is
here.
The latest release is available
as a compressed tarball or zipfile from the project page.
To help users and developers navigate the new repositories, we have
created two sets of guidelines in GitHub to help you navigate our
community modeling framework, one for users and the other for
developers:
The
WW3 GitHub wiki hosts a description
of the model, its main features, output options, user
and developer guides, technical documentation and latest news.
Two COMET
modules are available regarding WAVEWATCH III® and analysis of ocean swell:
Registration is required, but there is no cost for the courses.
Left: 10 day GFS-Wave forecast of Significant Height of Combined Wind Waves
and Swell from 00z 6 July 2022
Global Forecast System - Wave
Links to Model Data
(FTP)
(https)
(OpenDAP)
(Grib Filter)
Global Ensemble Forecast System - Wave
Links to Model Data
(FTP)
(https)
(Grib Filter)
Great Lakes Wave
Links to Model Data
(FTP)
(https)
(OpenDAP)
(Grib Filter)
NCEP/FNMOC Combined Wave Ensemble
Nearshore Wave Prediction System
Hindcast and Reanalysis Archives
WAVEWATCH III®
Model Description and GitHub Repository
WAVEWATCH III® Tutorials