Abstract
Wave-generated power has potential as a valuable coastal resource, but the wave climate needs to be mapped for feasibility before wave energy converters are installed. Numerical models are used for wave resource assessments to quantify the amount of available power and its seasonality. Alaska is the U.S. state with the longest coastline and has extensive wave resources, but it is affected by seasonal sea ice that dampens the wave energy and the full extent of this dampening is unknown. To accurately characterize the wave resource in regions that experience seasonal sea ice, coastal wave models must account for these effects. The aim of this study is to determine how the dampening effects of sea ice change wave energy resource assessments in the nearshore. Here, we show that by combining high-resolution sea ice imagery with a sea ice/wave dampening parameterization in an unstructured grid, the Simulating Waves Nearshore (SWAN) model improves wave height predictions and demonstrates the extent to which wave power decreases when sea ice is present. The sea ice parametrization decreases the bias and root mean square errors of wave height comparisons with two wave buoys and predicts a decrease in the wave power of up to 100 kW/m in areas around Prince William Sound, Alaska. The magnitude of the improvement of the model/buoy comparison depends on the coefficients used to parameterize the wave–ice interaction.
Highlights
Wave energy conversion is an emerging source of renewable energy that has the potential to supply one quarter of the total U.S annual electricity demand [1]
This paper aims to examine the impacts of sea ice on the local wave
Maps of wave power with and without the sea ice implementation show the areas around Prince William Sound (PWS) that were most affected by sea ice
Summary
Wave energy conversion is an emerging source of renewable energy that has the potential to supply one quarter of the total U.S annual electricity demand [1]. A 32-year numerical modeling resource characterization study confirmed the wave energy potential of the southern. Alaskan coastline [3] but did not assess the resource in areas with known seasonal sea ice. Alaskan coastline [3] but did not assess the resource in areas with known seasonal sea ice To accurately assess these regions, numerical models must include the dampening effects of sea ice on the waves that may decrease the available power. Large-scale numerical models have begun to add ice/wave parameterizations to examine the relationship between ocean waves and sea ice [7,9,10,12,13].
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