NOAA Wave Ensemble Reforecast: 20-Year Global Wave Model Data

A 20-year global wave reforecast generated by the WAVEWATCH III model forced by GEFSv12 winds. The dataset includes five ensemble members with a daily cycle, a 0.25-degree spatial resolution, and a 3-hour temporal resolution, providing global wave fields, point time-series, and spectral outputs. This project was funded by NOAA and involved collaboration between the Ocean Prediction Center, Environmental Modeling Center, Climate Prediction Center, AOML, and CIMAS.

Use Cases

• Validate and calibrate wave forecasting models based on the 20-year reforecast time series.
• Analyze wave climate variability and extremes using the significant wave height, period, and direction variables.
• Study ensemble forecast uncertainty for ocean conditions using the control and perturbed ensemble members.
• Develop machine learning models for wave prediction using the full 2D directional spectra available at buoy locations.

Strengths

• Covers a 20-year reforecast period, providing a substantial baseline for climate studies.
• Includes multiple data types: global gridded fields, point time-series for 658 buoy locations, and full directional spectra.
• Offers ensemble forecasting with five members (expanding to eleven weekly) to quantify prediction uncertainty.
• Has undergone quality control and analysis, as stated in the description.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count and total dataset size are unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• Last update date is unknown; freshness unverified.

Provenance

Source

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)

Collection Method

Generated by the WAVEWATCH III model forced by GEFSv12 winds on the Orion supercomputer.

Time Range

20 years (specific years not stated)

Geography

Global