Validation and intercomparisons of wave measurements and models during the EuroROSE experiments

Abstract

The objective of the EuroROSE (European Radar Ocean Sensing) project was to combine area covering ground-based remote-sensed wave and current data with high-resolution numerical forecast models to provide nowcasts and forecasts for coastal marine operators. Two experiments to test and to demonstrate the system took place: one on the coast of Norway, north of Bergen in March 2000 and the second on the north coast of Spain at Gijon in October -November 2000. Qualitative and quantitative intercomparisons of the wave measurements and wave model products from these experiments are presented. These include measurements using the Wellen Radar (WERA) high-frequency (HF) radar, the WaMoS (Wave Monitoring System) Xband radar, a directional Waverider and output from the WAM wave model. Comparisons are made of the full directional spectra and of various derived parameters. This is the first-ever intercomparison between HF and X-band radar wave measurements and between either of these and WAM. It has provided a data set covering a much wider range of storm and swell conditions than had been available previously for radar wave-measurement validation purposes and has clarified a number of limitations of the radars as well as providing a lot of very useful radar wave data for future model-validation applications. The intercomparison has led to improvements in the data quality control procedures of both WaMoS and WERA. The two radar sytems measured significant wave height with mean biases of 3% and 6%, respectively, and mean direction differences of less than 2j in both cases. Limitations in the WAM model implementation are also discussed. D

HF Radar Activity in European Coastal Seas: Next Steps toward a Pan-European HF Radar Network

“…In practice, the antenna pattern can also impact on the solution for linear array systems since high side lobes can be misidentified as large low frequency waves (Wyatt et al, 2005). However, where this is not a problem and the radar data is otherwise good, good quality wave measurements have been obtained (Wyatt et al, 2003. There is no one figure for the accuracy of wave measurements since many different parameters are being measured.…”

“…There is no one figure for the accuracy of wave measurements since many different parameters are being measured. Many published comparisons between radar and buoy wave measurements are limited to significant waveheight for which correlations are usually > 0.9 with RMS of 20-30% (Wyatt et al, 2003. The reader is referred to those papers for an assessment of the accuracy of other parameters, e.g., mean period, peak direction.…”

A two year comparison between HF radar and ADCP current measurements in Liverpool Bay

“…Most advances in HF over the past 15 years have been in the development of wave parameter estimations. 5,9,10,26 Physical system set-up is incredibly important. Radar measurement range and the extent of the radar footprint are determined by a combination of factors yet can be limited due to physical set-up in the radar siting and orientation.…”

“…The second-order backscatter measures wave parameters, the theoretical formulation for which was set out in the 1970s. 7,8 Vigorous testing of HF radar wave measurement techniques has recently included the European Radar Ocean Sensing project (EuroROSE) 9 and testing of the Pisces HF radar. 10 The ADCPs operate by emitting mono-frequency sonar pulses in known directions from a transducer into the water column.…”

On Validation of Directional Wave Predictions: Review and Discussion

“…25. Wyatt et al (2003) made extensive directional comparisons of sub-regional WAM simulations to wave observations by buoy and radar instruments for a duration greater than one month. The methods they use are 1) time series of one-dimensional directional wave spectra (i.e.…”