Author(s): Chun Hin Adrian Lai; Jie Hu; Kuifeng Zhao; Yaodong Zhang

Linked Author(s): Yaodong Zhang

Keywords: Climate Change Tropical Cyclones Storm Surge Wind Waves Coastal Engineering

Abstract: In coastal engineering designs, metocean studies are crucial for determining design parameters such as storm surge and wave characteristics, often using numerical models. A key input to hydrodynamic and wave models is the wind field, typically sourced from reputable global databases like ECMWF ERA5. However, these databases can only provide coarse-resolution data, leading to under-predictions of storm surge and wave heights, especially in regions prone to tropical cyclones. To address this issue, we instead determined the cyclonic conditions using a parametric cyclone wind model. By inputting historical cyclone tracks and maximum wind speeds, the model generates a high-resolution cyclonic wind field. This refined wind field is then coupled with hydrodynamic and wave models to predict extreme storm surges and waves more accurately. We validated our approach with a case study near Salalah Port, Oman, demonstrating good agreement with observed data. This methodology has been successfully applied in recent metocean studies, providing more accurate analysis in cyclone-affected regions. This approach will be increasingly important considering the increased cyclone activity in the future due to climate change.

DOI:

Year: 2025