Directional wave buoy data measured near Campbell Island, New Zealand

Peter Mccomb,Tom Durrant,Sally Garrett,Jorge Perez

doi:10.1038/s41597-021-01025-3

Abstract

The New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) has established a permanent wave observation station near Campbell Island, south of New Zealand (52 45.71 S, 169 02.54E). The site was chosen for logistical convenience and its unique location adjacent to the highly energetic Southern Ocean; allowing instrumentation typically deployed on the continental shelf to be used in this rarely observed southern environment. From February 2017, a Triaxys Directional Wave Buoy was moored in 147 m depth, some 17 km to the south of the island, with satellite telemetry of the 2D wave spectra at 3-hourly intervals. To date there have been three deployments on locations, yielding some 784 days of data. Validation of the measured significant wave height against co-located satellite altimeter observations suggests that the predominant wave directions are not attenuated by the island. The data provide a valuable record of the detailed wave spectral characteristics from one of the least-sampled parts of the Global Ocean.

Highlights

Background & SummaryThe energetic nature of the ocean to the south of New Zealand is well known to mariners
Aside from critical ship design information, acquisition of detailed spectral data was seen as having benefit in fundamental research of the wave generation and dissipation processes in the Southern Ocean[6] as well as facilitating general improvements in numerical wave modelling for operational hindcasting and forecasting
Complete data records have been archived with Marine Data Archives (MDA)[10] in the same Triaxys file format as received from the buoy, which includes the 2D wave spectra and Fourier coefficients

Summary

Introduction

Background & SummaryThe energetic nature of the ocean to the south of New Zealand is well known to mariners. Such data do not provide the precise spectral information that can be obtained from reference wave measuring buoy. Aside from critical ship design information, acquisition of detailed spectral data was seen as having benefit in fundamental research of the wave generation and dissipation processes in the Southern Ocean[6] as well as facilitating general improvements in numerical wave modelling for operational hindcasting and forecasting.

Results

Conclusion