STWAVE is a steady-state, finite difference, spectral model based on the wave action balance equation. STWAVE simulates depth-induced wave refraction and shoaling, current-induced refraction and shoaling, depth- and steepness-induced wave breaking, diffraction, wave growth because of wind input, and wave-wave interaction and white capping that redistribute and dissipate energy in a growing wave field. The purpose of STWAVE is to provide an easy-to-apply, flexible, and robust model for nearshore wind-wave growth and propagation. Recent upgrades to the model include wave-current interaction and steepness-induced wave breaking. STWAVE is written by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Waterways Experiment Station (USACE-WES). The method of analysis used by the STWAVE code along with the file formats and input parameters are described in the STWAVE documentation. SMS supports both pre- and post-processing for STWAVE.
A grid for use with STWAVE is created and edited in SMS using the Map Module. The modeling parameters required by STWAVE are generated and applied to the mesh using commands grouped in the STWAVE menu. Post processing of solution data generated by STWAVE is done using the generic visualization tools of SMS.