Wave prediction and hindcast studies are important in ocean engineering, coastal infrastructure development and management. In view of sparse and infrequent in-situ observations, model derived hindcast wave data can be used for the assessment of wave climate in offshore and coastal areas. In the present study, MIKE 21 SW Model has been used to carry out wave hindcast experiments in the Indian Ocean. Model runs have been made for the year 2005 using QuickSCAT scatterometer winds blended with ECMWF model winds. In order to study the impact of southern ocean swells, the model has been run in two different domains, with the southern boundary being shifted far south for the Domain 60S model. The model simulated wave parameters have been validated by comparing with buoy and altimeter data and various statistical yardsticks have been employed to quantify the validation. Possible reason for the poorer performance of the model in the Arabian Sea has also been pointed out.

The focus of the present study is the assessment of the impact of wind forcing on the spectral wave model MIKE 21 SW in the Indian Ocean region. Three different wind fields, namely the ECMWF analyzed winds, the ECMWF blended winds, and the NCEP blended winds have been used to drive the model. The wave model results have been compared with in-situ observations and satellite altimeter data. This study also evaluated the performance of the wind products during local phenomenon like sea breeze, since it has a significant impact on the wave prediction in the Indian coastal region. Hence we explored the possibility of studying the impact of diurnal variation of winds on coastal waves using different wind fields. An analysis of the model performance has also been made during high wind conditions with the inference that blended winds generate more realistic wave fields in the high wind conditions and are able to produce the growth and decay of waves more realistically.

Accurate wave forecast is most needed during tropical cyclones as it has adverse effects on the entire marine activities. The present work evaluates the performance of a wave forecasting system under very severe cyclonic conditions for the Indian Ocean. The wave model results are validated separately for the deep water and shallow water using in-situ observations. Satellite altimeter observations are also utilized for validation purpose. The results show that the model performance is accurate (SI < 26% and correlation > 0.9) and consistent during very severe cyclones (categories 4 and 5). The power of the cyclone waves which hit in the eastern Indian coastal region is also analysed and it reveals that the coastal region which lies on the right side of the cyclone track receives high amount wave energy throughout the cyclone period. The study also says that the abnormal waves mostly present on the right side of the track.