Abstract
Surface gravity waves retrieved by a network of HF (High Frequency) radars and measured in situ by an ADCP (Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler) current meter connected to an elastic beacon were used to carry out a multiple-year characterization of the wave field of the Gulf of Naples (south-eastern Tyrrhenian Sea, western Mediterranean). The aim of the work was to create a climatology of the study area and to demonstrate the potential of an integrated platform for coastal studies. The patterns recorded by the different instruments were in agreement with the wave climatology of the southern Tyrrhenian Sea as well as with previous scores for the same area. The results presented in this work also highlight seasonal and interannual consistency in the wave patterns for each site. In a wider context, this study demonstrates the potential of HF radars as long-term monitoring tools of the wave field in coastal basins, and supports the development of integrated observatories to address large-scale scientific challenges such as coastal ocean dynamics and the impact of global change on the local dynamics.
Highlights
The monitoring of the wave field over several years is a fundamental prerequisite for the knowledge and definition of the wave climate of a given basin
The HF radar network installed in the Gulf of Naples (GoN), operated by the Department of Science and Technology at the ‘Parthenope’ University of Naples, is a system composed of three SeaSonde 25 MHz transceiving stations (CODAR Ocean Sensors, Mountain View, CA, USA) located in Portici (PORT), Castellammare di Stabia (CAST), and Massa Lubrense (SORR) (Figure 1; for its characteristics, data validation, and use in numerical models see [58,63,68])
The multiple year analysis of the wave dataset recorded by the HF radar network (2008–2012) and by in situ measurements gathered by the ADCP (2015–2018) suggest that the wave field is predominantly locally wind-driven and, for each site, the wave data are coherent among the years, with specific patterns depending on the sub-basin of the GoN under analysis
Summary
The monitoring of the wave field over several years is a fundamental prerequisite for the knowledge and definition of the wave climate of a given basin. The availability of long-term satellite altimetry data and the implementation of third-generation wave models have paved the way to wave climate studies from global [8] to regional scales [9], allowing for the recreation of the wave field not directly covered by in situ buoys. Satellite altimetry data allow for the estimation of wave climate statistics with a resolution of 1◦ to 2◦, depending on the satellite spatial and time coverage [10,11]. Instead, have enabled the development of wave climatology based on more extensive wind data (i.e., wind reanalysis), permitting the creation of global to regional scale retesting [12,13]
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