Improvement in the Post-Processing of Wave Buoy Data Driven by the Needs of a National Coast and Sea Monitoring Agency

Abstract

Technological development in terms of the power requirement for data acquisition and processing opens new perspectives in the field of environmental monitoring. Near real-time data flow about the sea condition and a possible direct interface with applications and services devoted to marine weather networks would have a significant impact on several aspects, such as, for example, safety and efficiency. In this scenario, the needs of buoy networks have been analyzed, and the estimation of directional wave spectra from buoys’ data has been deeply investigated. Two methods have been implemented, namely the truncated Fourier series and the weighted truncated Fourier series, and they have been tested by both simulated and real experimental data, representative of typical Mediterranean Sea conditions. From simulation, the second method proved to be more efficient. From the application to real case studies, it emerged that it works effectively in real conditions, as confirmed by parallel meteorological observations. The estimation of the main propagation direction was possible with a small uncertainty of a few degrees, yet the method exhibits a limited directional resolution, which suggests the need for undertaking further studies, briefly addressed in the conclusions.