Applying local model approach for tidal prediction in a deterministic model

In recent years, a practice of tidal prediction based on a deterministic model or by a time series forecasting model has been established. A deterministic model can predict tidal movement and capture the dynamics of the flow pattern over the entire domain. However, due to the simplification of model settings and near shore effects, the accuracy of the numerical model can diminish. Time series forecasting is capable of capturing the underlying mechanism that may not be revealed in the deterministic model simulation. However, such data‐driven forecast fails to maintain accuracy with the progress of forecast horizon. In this paper, a scheme that combines the advantages of these two methods is introduced. The model errors are forecasted to different time horizons using a data‐driven approach, and are then superimposed on the simulation results in order to correct the model output. Based on the proposed method, it is found that the accuracy is significantly improved with more than 50% of the errors removed on the average. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.