Directional Wave Data
The next part of the study is the collection and analysis of relatively nearshore directional wave data for the summer of 2008. To provide this data 2 Teledyne RDI ADCPs (Acoustic Doppler Current Profilers) have been deployed in about 12m depth near the KDH study area from early June until mid-September.
Google Earth Image showing the location of the 2 ADCPs deployed near the KDH study location
Picture of the ADCP and pod being deployed
The data collected from the ADCPs will be processed and analyzed with DPWavesProc, a Doppler Profiler Waves Processing Toolbox created by Greg Dusek. The toolbox is freely available here and is in its beta stage. It uses a combination of Python and Matlab to processes the raw binary data and create and analyze directional wave spectra. To generate the spectra the toolbox uses a modified version of David Johnson's DIWASP v1.1. DPWavesProc will enable us to easily compare the data between the 2 ADCPs for an hourly sample or over long time intervals.
An example of a directional wave spectrum output from DPWavesProc for a single hour sample.
An example of a time series plot of the significant wave height from DPWavesProc.
In addition to the data collected collected by the ADCPs, we are collecting directional wave data output from the SWAN (Simulating WAves Nearshore) wave model through the Army Corps of Engineers Field Research Facility. We have established 2 data nodes to collect data throughout the summer, one for the northern ADCP and one for the ADCP to the south. This data is extremely helpful as it provides a good estimation of the wave field in real time and in the near future and will be used as supplemental and backup directional wave information for the ADCPs. Another positive of this aspect of the study is that this simultaneous data collection at these 2 points will provide a means to test and validate the SWAN model. A link to the FRF SWAN page can be found here.
An example of the SWAN output of Significant Wave Height estimates. Courtesy of USACE FRF.