Peculiarities of the Approach to Calculation of Wind Waves in the Caspian Sea

Abstract

A high-precision digital elevation model of the Caspian Sea with the spatial resolution of 0.001° x 0.001° is constructed and used as a basis for computation grids of various scales. A three-level scheme for calculating wind waves with the sequence of nested grids (Caspian Sea-Northern Caspian, Absheron Peninsula, Turkmenbashy city-the Northern Caspian key areas) is developed. A scenario designer is implemented which considers in calculations the ice edge position and the coastline dynamics. The SWAN spectral wave model is adapted to the Caspian Sea conditions. The series of calculations and the comparison of the obtained results with observational data are provided. It is found that the best result is obtained when corrected reanalysis data are used for calculations.