Comparison of ERA-Interim waves with buoy data in the eastern Arabian Sea during high waves

Abstract

Wave data during extreme conditions is required for planning structures and shipping routes Since the measured wave data is still sparse in the eastern Arabian Sea wave information is mainly derived from wave model dataset and satellite derived data Hence it is important to know the performance of these dataset during high wave conditions A study is carried out to compare the wave height and wave period during high waves obtained from wave model dataset: ERA-Interim and that measured by the buoy at two locations in eastern Arabian Sea One location is a deep water location and another one is a shallow water location The comparison of significant wave height (SWH) between ERA dataset and buoy data at both the locations shows good correlation (correlation coefficient=0.85) with root mean square error of 0.87 and 0.53 m But the maximum SWH based on ERA dataset in deep water is 15% less than that measured by the buoy whereas in shallow water ERA datasets over predicts the maximum SWH by 9% The comparison of wave period and direction at both locations shows significant scattering.