Coupled ocean-atmosphere numericalsimulation for the Adriatic Sea: ocean outcomes

Although some authors have shown that wave–current interactions are not negligible, wave setup on
sea level is often not considered in modeling the Adriatic Sea. Other studies have demonstrated that
using a coupled ocean-atmosphere-wave model can improve the simulation of extreme events,
particularly when high-resolution sea surface temperature (SST), consistently updated with ocean
circulation, is essential for determining heat fluxes. Thus, modeling efforts are increasingly moving
towards two-way current–wave, current–atmosphere, and current–wave–atmosphere coupled systems.
In this study, we present a high-resolution ocean-atmosphere numerical simulation for the Adriatic Sea,
where the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model is two-way coupled within the COAWST
(Coupled Ocean–Atmosphere–Wave and Sediment Transport) modeling system. The system integrates
ROMS (Regional Ocean Modeling System) for ocean circulation and SWAN (Simulating Waves
Nearshore) as wave driver. The long-term high-resolution simulation has multiple purposes: to
represent Adriatic Sea circulation from the basin scale to the coastal dynamics, to study extreme events
where atmosphere-ocean interactions are crucial, and to provide the starting framework (initial and
boundary conditions) for very high-resolution simulations needed for nearshore applications such as
coastal flooding and erosion.

In conclusion, the assessment of the ASA model’s thermohaline properties demonstrates that the model generally performs well in simulating
temperature, accurately reproducing both surface variability and the overall vertical temperature distribution throughout the water column.
However, the model’s performance in simulating salinity is less accurate, particularly in terms of correlation, although long-term trends
show acceptable agreement. Furthermore, the model effectively reproduces the general surface circulation of the Adriatic, capturing key features such as the South Adriatic and Middle Adriatic gyres.