Wave modelling and forecast: The present capabilities

The present situation in wave modelling is reviewed. After a short mention of the origin of wave forecast, I turn to the description of the basic phys ical processes that govern the evolution of a wind wave field and of their representation in a wave model. Then I discuss the main applications of wav e modelling, namely the hindcast of past storms and their daily forecast fo r the next few days. The basic role of the input wind fields is discussed, together with the relationship between accuracy and grid resolution. After describing the present results and accuracy achieved, I enumerate the expec ted developments in the near future.