WEMo (Wave Exposure Model) : formulation, procedures and validation

This report describes the working of National Centers for Coastal Ocean Service (NCCOS) Wave Exposure Model (WEMo) capable of predicting the exposure of a site in estuarine and closed water to local wind generated waves. WEMo works in two different modes: the Representative Wave Energy (RWE) mode calculates the exposure using physical parameters like wave energy and wave height, while the Relative Exposure Index (REI) empirically calculates exposure as a unitless index. Detailed working of the model in both modes and their procedures are described along with a few sample runs. WEMo model output in RWE mode (wave height and wave energy) is compared against data collected from wave sensors near Harkers Island, North Carolina for validation purposes. Computed results agreed well with the wave sensors data indicating that WEMo can be an effective tool in predicting local wave energy in closed estuarine environments. Amit Malhotra, Mark S. Fonseca. "October 2007." System requirements: Adobe Acrobat Reader. Includes bibliographical references (pages 25-26). Malhotra, A., and M. S. Fonseca. 2007. WEMo (Wave Exposure Model): Formulation, Procedures and Validation. NOAA Technical Memorandum NOS NCCOS #65. 28p. 2007 NOS (National Ocean Service) NCCOS (National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science) Library Public Domain 1935