Field evaluation of Sea Data directional wave gage : (Model 635-9)

Abstract

A directional wave gage consisting of a two-axis electromagnetic current meter and a pressure sensor, developed by Sea Data Corporation, with modifications specified by the author, was successfully deployed during the joint NOAA/U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Coastal Engineering Research Center's Atlantic Remote Sensing Land/Ocean Experiment (ARSLOE) during November, 1980. Data recovery rate was 100%, and instrument function was verified through comparison with a four-element pressure sensor array at the same location, an X-band imaging radar, and with surface meteorological observations charting developing local wave fields. The instrument was proven to be a viable alternative for point measurements of directional wave fields and for estimating the first five fourier coefficients in a directional wave model.