Comments on `Theory and application of calibration techniques foran NDBC directional wave measurements buoy' by K.E. Steele, et al.:nonlinear effects

For original paper see ibid., vol. OE-10, no.4, p.382-96 (1985). The authors of the above mentioned paper present an extensive set of linear calibration techniques that are applied to National Data Buoy Center wave-buoy sensor spectral output before calculating and disseminating directional wave spectra. The commentators identify and estimate the nonlinear effects that produce biases still present in the output, due both to wave nonlinearities themselves and to constraints on the buoy and mooring system to the driving forces. Simple models show that these nonlinearities can produce spectral energy biases of 5-15% at and above the spectral peak frequency, and even greater errors below it. NDBC presently records wave data from vertically stabilized and fixed accelerometers and slope sensors. Calculations show that these sensors all incur bias due to wave nonlinearities: this is greater for vertically stabilized accelerometers and least for slope sensors. Effects of the resulting inconsistencies between the different sensors are most pronounced below the spectral peak where the nonlinear terms dominate; these effects are illustrated with measured data     

Nearshore directional wave measurements by surface-following buoy and acoustic Doppler current profiler

Directional energy spectra of nearshore surface waves were measured for a 3-year period (2004–2007) at a site with mean depth 14 m and mean tidal range 2.1 m. Triaxys surface-following wave buoys reported hourly directional wave energy spectra and wave parameters near the offshore end of the Savannah River Entrance Channel, Georgia, USA. An acoustic Doppler current profiler (ADCP) was located beside the wave buoy for 3 months. Directional and non-directional surface wave energy spectra and the corresponding bulk wave parameters (height, period, and direction) are compared for the two systems. Most parameters derived from the spectra agree closely; the most significant differences were found at the upper and lower frequency measurement limits, where signal-to-noise ratios were lower. The wave buoy consistently reports a small amount of energy below 0.05 Hz that does not appear in the ADCP-derived spectra and does not appear to be related to the mooring system. This leads to larger mean and peak periods reported by the buoy. All directional spectra were computed using the Maximum Entropy Method for both instruments, but the buoy, with spectra derived from six independent time series, provides lower directional resolving power than the ADCP, which utilizes twelve time series. Both systems gave similar results defining mean and peak wave directions, with the primary difference being that the ADCP indicates energy to be more tightly concentrated around the peak direction.     

The Wavescan second generation directional wave buoy

The authors describe Wavescan, a multipurpose data buoy specially designed for directional wave measurements and meteorological data collection. Their objective was to produce a second-generation high-capability metocean data buoy, with full in situ processing, real-time telemetry, and onshore result presentation. Emphasis is on the design of a buoy hull with the wave-following capability needed to accurately measure wave slope while at the same time retaining the stability to operate and collect meteorological data under the extreme conditions the buoy is likely to meet. The authors briefly review the advantages and disadvantages of the various buoy hulls that have been employed for collection of metocean data. The stability and dynamic response of the final design are then discussed, and results from a field test intercomparison during which a prototype buoy was deployed for several weeks off the mid-Norway shore are examined. The Wavescan system functions and the directional wave analysis are summarized. It is concluded that Wavescan has reached its design goals     

Quality evaluation and calibration of the SWIM significant wave height product with buoy data

The significant wave height (SWH) is one of the main parameters that describe wave characteristics and is widely used in wave research fields. Wave parameters measured by radar are influenced by the offshore distance and sea state. Validation and calibration are of great significance for radar data applications. The nadir beam of surface wave investigation and monitoring (SWIM) detects the global-ocean-surface SWH. To determine the product quality of SWIM SWH, this paper carried out time-space matching between SWIM and buoy data. The data qualities were evaluated under different offshore distances and sea states. An improved calibration method was proposed based on sea state segmentation, which considered the distribution of the point collocation numbers in various sea states. The results indicate that (1) the SWIM SWH accuracy at offshore distances greater than 50 km is higher than that at distances less than 50 km, with an root mean squared error (RMSE) of 0.244 4 m, scatter index (SI) of 0.115 6 and relative error (RE) of 9.97% at distances greater than 50 km and those of 0.446 0 m, 0.223 0 and 18.66% at distances less than 50 km. (2) SWIM SWH qualities are better in moderate and rough sea states with RMSEs of 0.284 8 m and 0.316 9 m but are worse in slight and very rough sea states. (3) The effect of the improved calibration method is superior to the traditional method in each sea state and overall data, and the RMSE of SWIM SWH is reduced from the raw 0.313 5 m to 0.285 9 m by the traditional method and 0.198 2 m by the improved method. The influence of spatiotemporal window selection on data quality evaluation was analyzed in this paper. This paper provides references for SWIM SWH product applications.     

Estimation of multi-modal directional wave spectra from tri-orthogonal measurements

In this paper a technique is discussed for analyzing multi-modal directional wave spectra from tri-orthogonal measuring methods. The technique is illustrated for measurements, made with a three-dimensional acoustic current meter in the southern part of the North Sea.The examples given are discussed in the light of the meteorological situation prior to and during the time of recording. The method can be used for the separation of sea and swell, which is of importance for the calculation of wave loads on structures as will be shown finally.     

GPS浮标数据反演海浪谱的理论仿真与试验验证

GPS浮标作为一种新型的海洋测量设备,近年来在海面高度现场测量和星载高度计定标方面取得了重要应用。通过仿真试验对反演海浪谱的方法和流程进行研究,旨在探索从GPS浮标测量的海面高度序列中提取海浪谱的方法。首先,使用Longuest模型生成了海浪波面位移时间序列,并通过Pierson-Moscowitz风浪谱对波面位移的统计特性进行约束,其随机性由相位引入。结合典型潮汐和GPS浮标仪器噪声的仿真时间序列,合成了仿真时间长度1h的1Hz(每秒1次)随机海面高度序列。然后,利用自相关函数法,进行高通滤波和数据压缩,得到了仿真的海浪谱。该仿真结果和理论海浪谱非常接近,可满足海浪谱反演的需求。最后,通过山东石岛外海的GPS浮标现场试验,验证了本文提出的反演方法的适用性。本文的研究解决了GPS浮标反演海浪谱的关键问题,丰富了海浪谱反演的手段,拓展了GPS浮标的应用领域,有望为未来我国的星载波谱仪定标服务。     

Elimination of directional wave spectrum contamination from noise in elevation measurements

The Surface Contour Radar (SCR) is a 36-GHz computer-controlled airborne radar which generates a false-color-coded elevation map of the sea surface below the aircraft in real time, and can routinely produce ocean directional wave spectra with post-flight data processing which have much higher angular resolution than pitch-and-roll buoys. The SCR range measurements are not error-free and the resulting errors in the elevations corrupt the directional wave spectrum. This paper presents a technique for eliminating that contamination.     

Deterministic decomposition of pitch-and-roll buoy measurements

Wave-gauge arrays, current meters and pitch-and-roll buoys are widely used for the recording of directional properties of ocean waves. For the determination of directional spectra the traditional stochastic procedure usually includes the selection of a parameterized spreading function. The present theory, which is illustrated below for a pitch-and-roll buoy, decomposes the information into frequencies, amplitudes, directions, and also phases. Furthermore, this procedure requires no assumption of any function describing the expected form of the directional spread. The theory of this deterministic decomposition is described and compared to the traditional stochastic principles. Only for reasons of this comparison and presentation, the deterministically obtained directional distributions are fitted to normal distributions.Measurements taken by pitch-and-roll buoys and by current meter/wave gauge are presented and discussed. The remarkable tendency in the variation of the directional spread as a function of frequency is found for two quite different locations. To quantify the directional spread obtained from the deterministic method normal distributions are fitted, and the mean values and variances are plotted and discussed.     

Maximum entropy estimation of directional wave spectra from an array of wave probes

A procedure for estimating directional wave spectra from an array of wave probes based on the Maximum Entropy Method (MEM) is developed in the present paper. The MEM approach yields an angular spreading function at each frequency band consistent with the input cross-spectral density matrix. The method is evaluated using numerical simulations of directional sea states. The MEM is also used to analyze data obtained from the three-dimensional wave basin of the Hydraulics Laboratory, National Research Council of Canada. Finally, the MEM is compared with the Maximum Likelihood Method (MLM) and is shown to be a powerful tool for directional wave analysis.     

一种利用浮标站资料改进海浪模式有效波高预报的方法

基于浮标站海浪历史数据,利用回归分析方法建立了海浪数值模式有效波高预报产品的一元二次回归方程订正统计模型。通过2017年7月1日-2018年10月10日期间业务试运行结果发现:订正方程能有效改善有效波高数值预报产品的预报精度,且预报时效越短订正效果越显著。其中,第6~11 h预报时效内的订正前后平均绝对误差值减小0.17~0. 241 m,第6~18 h预报时效内订正前后均方根误差减小幅度为0.103~0. 28 m。这说明应用订正统计模型对海浪模式输出产品进行订正,也是改进海浪模式预报准确率的一种有效途径。     

A low-cost, expendable, helicopter-deployed buoy for ocean surfacemeteorological measurements

A low-cost, expendable, helicopter-deployed, wave-riding buoy is described that has been developed to measure meteorological properties at sea. The buoy weighs 8.2 kg and is 1.3-m long and 8.9 cm in diameter in its stored configuration. After deployment, the buoy extends a 2.5-m sensor mast above the water and a 3.8-m ballasted keel below the water. Buoyancy is provided by an inflated air bladder. An airsonde electronics package that measures relative humidity, barometric pressure, and air temperature transmits the data via a UHF transmitter to a receiver on a helicopter. The received data are displayed and recorded in the helicopter. The buoy is considered simple to construct, uses off-the-shelf hardware, and requires very few, easily machined components     

Performance of the CCIW wave direction buoy at ARSLOE

The performance at the Atlantic Remote Sensing Land Ocean Experiment (ARSLOE) of the Canada Centre for Inland Waters (CCIW) wave direction buoy is examined. The waveheight and period data show good agreement with data from neighboring buoys. Nondimensional energy and fetch for wind sea cases agree well with data collected from fixed sensors in Lake Ontario. Direction measurements for a particularly well-defined swell agree well with the Experimental Environmental Research Buoy (XERB) measurements. Meteorological data are compared with that collected at the XERB. Windspeed estimates are reasonably well-correlated and much of the scatter is due to the 24-kin separation between the buoys. There is some systematic bias in the wind direction estimates.     

Modelling of multipeaked directional wave spectra

An approach for modelling of multipeaked directional wave spectra is proposed. For model identification, a numerical optimization technique that uses the random linear search algorithm is applied. This technique allows the fitting of spectral models to measured or hindcast data. The HIPOCAS hindcast data for North Atlantic are used for an application study.     

Methods for intercomparison of wave measurements

The paper reviews methods for quality assessment and intercomparison of ocean wave data. The sampling variability for conventional time series recordings is summarized and compared to less common area measuring measurements. The sampling variability affects the scatter seen in simultaneous observations, and variability in excess of the sampling variability signifies real differences between the instruments. Various means of intercomparing wave parameters and spectra are discussed and two somewhat unconventional ways of deriving regression and calibration relationships are also shown. The methods are illustrated using data from SCAWVEX, focusing mainly on wave data from the HF radars and Directional Waveriders.     

三锚式浮标综合观测平台的研究和应用

在我国近海海域渔业活动频繁的情况下,为实现具有实时、连续、长期和稳定特征的近海海洋水体剖面观测,满足海洋科学研究对剖面水体数据的需求,通过借鉴目前我国近海广泛使用的10 m大型综合观测浮标的优点,在结构和稳性方面进一步优化,设计完成直径15 m的三锚式浮标综合观测平台,该平台通过在浮标中间预留中央透水井,使用绞车上下驱动多参数观测设备实现水体剖面的实时、连续、长期和稳定观测,并通过三锚式锚泊方式有效避免了剖面观测设备与固定锚系的缠绕问题,同时还具有智能判断、远程监控等功能,是一种新型的近海水体剖面观测平台。经过在我国东海海域一年的试验性观测表明,三锚式浮标综合观测平台整体运行效果良好,取得大量的水体剖面观测数据,在我国近海具有广泛的适用性。     

Measurement of directional spectrum of wind waves using an array of wave detectors

A method is proposed to estimate the true directional spectrum of wind waves by making use of more than four wave detectors. The true spectrum of wind waves whose wave lengths lie between about 1.1 and 2.6 times the largest span between the wave gauges can be recovered with an error less than 0.5 %. An additional wave gauge with fixed maximum span extends its effectivity to shorter wave lengths, but does not effect the upper limit of wave length.The method is based on the fact that the spectrum estimated byBarber (1961) is connected with true directional spectrum by the Fredholm integral equation of the first kind if the wave component satisfies the dispersion relation. Solving the equation by using the Fourier series method, we can get true spectrum.     

On the determination of directional wave spectra for practical applications

The performance of various directional instruments for practical oceanographic and coastal engineering applications is examined. The emphasis is put on the application of conventional current meters equipped with high resolution pressure sensors and three element arrays. Two simulation techniques have been used to produce input data with known frequency spectrum and known directional spreading. The directional spreading is determined by the maximum likelihood method and the resulting spreading is compared with the input spreading. The performance of a conventional current meter equipped with a high resolution pressure sensor depends on the width of the directional spreading of surface waves and on the frequencies under consideration. Even for very narrow directional spreading, the current meter response is acceptable for practical applications and for shallow water deployment. In general, the current meter directional response does not depend on the direction of the incident waves. The spatial array of three wave staffs deployed in shallow water shows a similar performance to that of the current meters when the dimension of the spatial array is of the order of 1 m. This performance also does not depend on the direction of the incident waves.     

Field intercomparison of nearshore directional wave sensors

Five measurement strategies (four in situ, one remote) for estimating directional wave spectra were intercompared in a 1980 experiment at the Coastal Engineering Research Center's Field Research Facility in Duck, NC. The systems included two pressure sensor/biaxial current meter combinations (different manufacturers), a triaxial acoustic current meter, an SXY gauge (square array of four pressure sensors), and a shore-based imaging radar. A detailed error analysis suggests sources for differences in estimated wave spectra from the different instruments; in general, they intercompare favorably. The major deviation among in situ gauges was associated with the triaxial acoustic current meter. Reliance on a vertical velocity measurement (instead of a direct pressure or sea-surface elevation measurement) can contribute additional uncertainty in directional spectral estimates. The imaging radar was successful in distinguishing multiple wave trains at the same frequency, which was not possible with the simple spectral estimation analysis applied to in situ data. However, the radar is not useful in providing accurate estimates of spectral density, nor in distinguishing multiple wave trains of different frequencies coming from the same direction. Selection of a measurement strategy for a particular need depends on the precise data requirements for that application. Although the five tested intercompared well, in practice not all are equally suitable for every application.     

Development of frequency-dependent ocean wave directional distributions

The paper discusses the development of a frequency dependent directional spread from an initial condition of frequency-independence. The study applies basin directional measurements from the Maritime Research Institute Netherlands (MARIN), simulated data from a nonlinear wave equation, and field measurements from the Ekofisk field. The basin experiments and numerical simulations are initialized with a JONSWAP spectrum with frequency-independent directional distributions. In both cases we observe the development of a strong frequency-dependence of the directional spread. The numerical simulations suggest that static nonlinear contributions to the surface elevation partially explain the behavior below the spectral peak in accordance with [1]. There are also dynamic nonlinear contributions on both sides of the spectral peak.