Abstract
A spherical wave measurement buoy capable of detecting breaking waves has been designed and built. The buoy is 16 inches in diameter and houses a 9 degree of freedom inertial measurement unit (IMU). The orientation and acceleration of the buoy is continuously logged at frequencies up to 200 Hz providing a high fidelity description of the motion of the buoy as it is impacted by breaking waves. The buoy was deployed several times throughout the winter of 2013–2014. Both moored and free-drifting data were acquired in near-shore shoaling waves off the coast of Newport, OR. Almost 200 breaking waves of varying type and intensity were measured over the course of multiple deployments. The characteristic signature of spilling and plunging breakers was identified in the IMU data.
Highlights
Though humans have been sailing the seas for thousands of years, the oceans of the world remain the final frontier of science and engineering
Data were initially taken in the near-shore environment, as it allows the buoy to encounter a large number of breaking waves in a relatively short period of time
In order to identify breaking waves in the data produced by the inertial measurement unit (IMU), it was necessary to subject the buoy to a significant number of breaking wave impacts that could be visually verified and logged
Summary
Though humans have been sailing the seas for thousands of years, the oceans of the world remain the final frontier of science and engineering. Large breaking wave impacts impart intense loads that often lead to damage In deep water, both spilling and plunging breakers occur. The goal of this project is to determine the characteristic acceleration signature of a wave measurement buoy impacted by spilling and plunging breaking waves, so that algorithms can be developed to identify and classify breaking wave impacts in future deep water deployments of more advanced buoys For this reason, data were initially taken in the near-shore environment, as it allows the buoy to encounter a large number of breaking waves in a relatively short period of time.
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