Swell Source Analysis of East China Sea Under the Influence of Typical Typhoon Scenarios

The characteristics of swells within the East China Sea have been reported by Tao et al. (2017), while the question of where the swells come from remains unanswered. By using the wave model WAVEWATCH III and the swell tracking method proposed by Hanson (2001), the spatial sources of the swells are investigated during four typical typhoon scenarios, which usually affect the wave environment in the East China Sea, including the Recurving type, the Northward type, the Westward type (striking the East China Sea) and the Westward type (over the South China Sea). The numerical results show that parts of the swells are from the North West Pacific with a long-distance travelling. The moving paths of the swells are affected by the typhoon tracks, which result in various fetches. The Westward type (over the South China Sea) makes one peak in the evolution process. The landing process of the Westward type (striking the East China Sea) could result in swells with low energy. The swell energy depends on swell propagation distance, existence time and wind intensity of generation fetch. The consistent fetch and forceful wind intensity make swell carry more energy.