- University of Latvia, Institute of Numerical Modelling, Faculty of Science and Technology, Riga, Latvia (andrejs.timuhins@lu.lv)
Latvia’s Baltic Sea coast, with its network of ports, requires precise and timely sea state information to ensure safe and efficient navigation. The HywasPort service, operational since 2020, addresses this need by providing high-resolution hydrodynamic and wave forecasts within port aquatories. However, challenges persisted in port approaches, where open sea models lack the spatial detail necessary, and inner port models fall short.
The recent upgrade of the HywasPort service bridges this critical gap. It ensures a seamless transition between inner port and coastal marine models. Covering eight Latvian harbors, the system provides forecasts for waves, currents, sea level, temperature, salinity, and wind, alongside user and third-party observations.
The system is driven by HBM oceanographic model in an operational setup by the University of Latvia. It uses Copernicus Marine products as boundary conditions. The advanced seven-level nesting structure offers resolutions as fine as 36 meters, supporting accurate modeling of harbor entrances and outer coastal regions.
End users, including port authorities, dredging businesses, fishermen, and leisure sailors, benefit from a unified visualization platform that integrates data of various origin. This tool enhances decision-making and safety in areas prone to dynamic physical changes like waves, cross-currents, and siltation.
The reliability of the system is being continuously validated against observations from buoys, current meters, and gauges. On the other hand system provides spatial and temporal context for these limited observations.
In addition to navigation support, the service provides model support for coastal management and conservation efforts. Namely, it includes (1) operational sediment flux field in open seas and (2) seasonal and annual longshore transport along the Latvia’s coast.
The development of HywasPort system was funded under the Copernicus Marine National Collaboration Program.
How to cite: Timuhins, A., Bethers, U., Seņņikovs, J., Frišfelds, V., and Cepīte-Frišfelde, D.: HywasPort: Bridging Latvia’s Ports and Open Seas with Seamless Forecasting, EGU General Assembly 2025, Vienna, Austria, 27 Apr–2 May 2025, EGU25-8643, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu25-8643, 2025.
