Evaluation of wave model performance in the South Atlantic Ocean: a study about physical parameterization and wind forcing calibration.

This paper evaluates the performance of the spectral wave model WAVEWATCH III for the South Atlantic Ocean forced by wind inputs from the most recent reanalyses, NCEP/CFSR and ECMWF/ERA5, combined with two different source terms: ST4 and ST6. A calibration is performed considering 1 year (2012) and 31 simulations, evaluated against altimeter and buoy data through six error metrics and Q-Q plots. Assessment results suggest that both ST4 and ST6 provide good results when WAVEWATCH III is properly adjusted for the wind input. Nevertheless, the wave model presents a positive bias of significant wave height when forced by CFSR winds that requires attention. The investigation in the spectral domain indicates a better performance of wave simulations forced by ERA5 winds, especially for wave periods below 10 s. For wave periods above 10 s, the choice of source term package becomes more important. In this regard, ST4 parameterization combined with ERA5 winds presents the best results for the region. The optimal range of calibration parameters for each wind input and source term package is reported and discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]