Wave Models
ENTRY DATE: 21.04.2015 | LAST UPDATE: 21.04.2015
CATEGORIES:
- Coastal Regions
- Planning processes
TECHNOLOGIES MATURITY:
Continuous research/Applicable immediately
Technology Owners:
- Australian Bureau of Meteorology, funded by AusAID via the Pacific and Australia Climate Change Science and Adaptation Planning (PACCSAP) Project
- ACP – Caribbean & Pacific Research Programme for Sustainable Development – funded by the European Union
Needs Address
Improved information on wave climate, stability of the coast and sediment transfer
Adaptation effects
- Enables effective coastal adaptation planning
- Provides communities with a prediction tool (i.e. numerical model) for coastal management needs and coastal hazards forecasting
Overview and Features
Wave models use technological instruments and computer modelling to assess historical wave climate information to predict shoreline changes. The results from the models also help to plan adaptation measure.
Cost
- Equipment costs to access data/system
- Human resources
- Training
Energy source
Electricity needed for technologies employed
Ease of maintenance
Model data needs continuous updates to account for changing climate an anthropogenic processes on land, such as infrastructural development
Technology performance
Models are not perfect but are a more cost-effective way of filling in information gaps
Considerations
- Requires scientific and technological know how and equipment
- Requires collaboration between stakeholders
- Training is required for stakeholder involved e.g. oceanographers and marine science experts
Co-benefit, suitability for developing countries
- Increased scientific knowledge of coastal processes
- Freely available and accessible data provides communities with a sophisticated prediction tool to inform their adaptation decisions
Information Resources
ACP Secretariat. 2014. ACP Caribbean & Pacific Research Programme for Sustainable Development Changing waves and coasts in the Pacific (WACOP project). Available at: http://acp-st.eu/sites/all/files/projects-factsheet/ACP-281-131_PRINT.pdf [19 March 2015]
SPC, 2013. Pacific wave models assist in coastal adaptation planning. Available at: http://www.spc.int/en/information-technology/about-it-section/1407-pacific-wave-models-assist-in-coastal-adaptation-planning.html [19 March 2015]
Trenham, C.E. Hemer, M.A., Durrant, T.H. and Greenslade, D.J.M. 2013. PACCSAP Wind-wave Climate: High resolution wind-wave climate and projections of change in the Pacific region for coastal hazard assessments. CAWCR Technical Report No. 068. Available at: http://www.cawcr.gov.au/publications/technicalreports/CTR_068.pdf [03 December 2014]