Spatial Variability in the Nearshore Wavefield.
Abstract
The Coastal Engineering Research Center, under sponsorship from the Naval Civil Engineering Laboratory, collected wave data for 25 days from a closely spaced array of five wave gages moored in 17 m of water offshore of the North Carolina coast. The objective of the collection was to determine the spatial variability of the wave field under a variety of incident wave conditions to aid the NCEL in planning ship mooring tests. The spatial variability of the wave field was examined in terms of the coherence function measured between pairs of wave gages. The primary factor affecting the coherence function is the spatial separation between the gages. Coherence was found to rapidly decrease as spatial separation increased, particularly in the along-crest direction (right-angle to the direction of wave travel). The effect of spatial separation was quantified as nondimensional coherence contours which provide a first rough estimate of the wave coherence which would be expected between two gages.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jul 01, 1984
- Accession Number
- ADA146907
Entities
People
- S. A. Hughes
Organizations
- Coastal Engineering Research Center