Using ASCAT Wind and Other Data in Marine Forecasting

3.0 System Identification and Model Evaluation Using Observational Data » 3.4 Jason-2 Significant Wave Height » 3.4.2 Compare SWH from Jason-2 and WWIII Model

Click the tabs to compare significant wave height from the Jason-2 altimeter with the WAVEWATCH III model output, then answer the questions below.

Question

How well do the significant wave height values from the Jason altimeter and WAVEWATCH III model compare at 06 UTC on 23 November? Select the option that best completes each sentence, then click Done.

The Jason altimeter shows SWH of over to the east-northeast of the ship. WAVEWATCH III shows a broad region northeast of the ship with forecast SWHs of . The measurements from both sources correlate .

The Jason altimeter shows 7 to 8 m SWH to the east-northeast of the Polarstern, while WAVEWATCH III shows a broad region to the northeast of the ship’s position with forecast SWH of over 7.5 m. This modelled SWH compares well to the altimeter SWH value of 7 m.

Note that the Polarstern reported a swell height of 4.5 m at 53.1°S, 12.6°E (at the 06 UTC synop) and a wind wave height of 1 m, for a total wave height of 5.5 m (18 ft). According to the figure above, the ship (indicated by the red dot) was at the western edge of a region of very heavy seas that were propagating eastward.