EVALUATION OF ERA5 REANALYSIS SURFACE WIND DATASET USING SATELLITE MEASUREMENTS IN THE SOUTHERN PART OF THE CASPIAN SEA

Wind forcing plays an important role in various oceanic processes such as wind-waves, ocean circulation, surface currents and etc. [3]. Since the field-measured wind dataare limited in spatial-temporal resolution, therefore it is unavoidable necessary to use reanalysis data in numerical models, especially ocean models, to forecast local weatherconditions. Various applicabilities, such as wide usage in different models, motivated many scientists to improve reanalysis datasets. To evaluate them as an input for the oceanmodels, the first step is to check these datasets in peripheral seas. For example, Mazaheri et al (2016) modified ECMWF (European Centre for Medium-RangeWeather Forecasts) wind data by using QuikSCAT data for wave hindcasting in Iranian peripheral Sea [4]. ERA5 is the latest reanalysis dataset of atmospheric, oceanic and land parameters that produced by ECMWF on a global grid [1]. In this research, sea-surface wind data from ERA5 reanalysis dataset have been evaluated to illustrate theiraccuracy as an input for ocean models. This test has been done over the Caspian Sea. For this aim, sea-surface wind data measured by scattrometer satellite and also in-situmeasurements have been used. The results can be used in ocean models for coastal applications and offshore operations.2. Materi