Directional wave measurements from navigational buoys

Abstract

In-situ wave measurements are often required by marine industry standards and for verification of coastal wave forecasts. Obtaining wave measurements is costly and it would be advantageous to utilize existing platforms like navigational buoys designed for environmental monitoring. In this study, a wave sensor module (MOTUS Wave Sensor, Aanderaa Data Instruments) installed on a navigational buoy (Tideland) and a coastal buoy (EMM2.0) is validated against a dedicated wave measurement buoy (Waverider, Datawell). The validation is based upon four months of measurements off the west coast of Norway. The results show that the MOTUS sensor on-board navigational/coastal buoys provide accurate measurements of wave parameters compared to Waverider. Wave height biases were less than 0.04 m over the full wave spectra, and less than 5% for frequencies between 0.05 and 0.45 Hz (0.01 Hz bin width). Mean wave direction bias for the full spectra was 1.4 and 2.8 degrees, and less than 5 and 10 degrees in frequency bins between 0.05 and 0.45 Hz for the navigational and coastal buoy, respectively. External compass measurements were required for accurate directional measurements for the coastal buoy. The validated wave sensor provides in-situ directional wave measurements with measurement uncertainties well within recommended accuracy levels.