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Quality control measures for ocean waves observations are necessary to give confidence of their accuracy. It is common practice to detect anomalies or outliers in surface displacement observations by applying a standard deviation threshold. Besides being a purely statistical method, this quality control procedure is likely to flag extreme wave events erroneously, thereby impacting higher-order descriptions of the wave field. In this paper we extend the use of the statistical phase-space threshold, an established outlier detection method in the field of turbulence, to detect anomalies in a wave record. We show that a wave record in phase space (here defined as a diagram of displacement against acceleration) can be enclosed by a predictable ellipse where the major and minor axes are defined by the spectral properties of the wave field. By using the parameterized ellipse in phase space as a threshold to identify wave anomalies, this is a semiphysical filtering method. Wave buoy data obtained from a mooring deployed near King George Island, Antarctica [as part of the Antarctic Modeling Observation System (ATMOS)], and laser altimeter data obtained at the Northwest Shelf of Australia were used to demonstrate the functioning of the filtering methodology in identifying wave anomalies. Synthetic data obtained using a high-order spectral model are used to identify how extreme waves are positioned in phase space. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The nighttime ocean cool skin signal ΔT [defined as skin sea surface temperature (SSTskin) minus depth SST (SSTdepth)] is investigated using 103 days of matchups between shipborne Infrared SST Autonomous Radiometer (ISAR) SSTskin and water intake SSTdepth at ~7.1–9.9-m depths, in oceans around Australia. Before data analysis, strict quality control of ISAR SSTskin data is conducted and possible diurnal warming contamination is carefully minimized. The statistical distribution of ΔT, and its dependencies on wind speed, heat flux, etc., are consistent with previous findings. The overall average ΔT value is −0.23 K. It is observed that the magnitude of the cool skin signal increases after midnight and a coolest skin offset (with an average value of −0.36 K) is found at around dawn. The dependency of ΔT on SST conditions is observed. Direct warm skin events are discovered when the net heat flux direction is from the atmosphere to the ocean, which is more likely to occur at high latitudes when the air is very humid and warmer than the SST. In addition, several cool skin models are validated: one widely used physical model performs best and can capture most skin-effect trends and details; the empirical models only reflect the basic features of the observed ΔT values. If the user cannot apply the physical model (due to, e.g., the algorithm complexity or missing inputs), then the empirical parameterization in the form proposed in a 2002 study can be used. However, we recommend using a new set of parameters, calculated in this study, based on much more representative dataset, and with more rigorous quality control. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A combined satellite dataset consisting of nine altimeter, 12 radiometer, and two scatterometer missions of wind speed and wave height is calibrated in a consistent manner against NDBC data and independently validated against a separate buoy dataset. The data are investigated for stability as a function of time. Instances where there are discontinuities or drift in the data are identified and accounted for in the calibration. The performance of each of the instruments at extreme values is investigated using quantile-quantile comparisons with buoy data. The various instruments are cross validated at matchup locations where satellite ground tracks cross. The resulting calibrated and cross-validated dataset is believed to represent the largest global oceanographic dataset of its type, which includes multiple instrument types calibrated in a similar fashion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hai Yang-2 ( HY-2) satellite altimeter measurements of significant wave height () are analyzed over the period from 1 October 2011 to 6 December 2014. They are calibrated and validated against in situ buoys and other concurrently operating altimeters: Jason-2, CryoSat-2, and Satellite with Argos and ALtiKa ( SARAL). In general, the HY-2 altimeter measurements agree well with buoy measurements, with a bias of −0.22 m and a root-mean-square error (RMSE) of 0.30 m. When the reduced major axis (RMA) regression procedure was applied to the entire period, the RMSE was reduced by 33% to 0.2 m. A further comparison with other satellite altimeters, however, revealed two additional features of HY-2 estimates over this period. First, a noticeable mismatch is present between HY-2 and the other satellite altimeters for high seas ( > 6 m). Second, a jump increase in HY-2 values was detected starting in April 2013, which was associated with the switch to backup status of the HY-2 sensors and the subsequent update of its data processing software. Although reported by previous studies, these two deficiencies had not been accounted for in calibrations. Therefore, the HY-2 wave height records are now subdivided into two phases (time periods pre- and post-April 2013) and a two-branched calibration is proposed for each phase. These revised calibrations, validated throughout the range of significant wave heights of 1-9 m, are expected to improve the practical applicability of HY-2 measurements significantly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new wind-input and wind-breaking dissipation for phase-averaged spectral models of wind-generated surface waves is presented. Both are based on recent field observations in Lake George, New South Wales, Australia, at moderate-to-strong wind-wave conditions. The respective parameterizations are built on quantitative measurements and incorporate new observed physical features, which until very recently were missing in source terms employed in operational models. Two novel features of the wind-input source function are those that account for the effects of full airflow separation (and therefore relative reduction of the input at strong wind forcing) and for nonlinear behavior of this term. The breaking term also incorporates two new features evident from observational studies; the dissipation consists of two parts--a strictly local dissipation term and a cumulative term--and there is a threshold for wave breaking, below which no breaking occurs. Four variants of the dissipation term are selected for evaluation, with minimal calibration to each. These four models are evaluated using simple calculations herein. Results are generally favorable. Evaluation for more complex situations will be addressed in a forthcoming paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Down-looking laser altimeters are commonly used to measure the sea surface elevation. However, because the laser radiation is attenuated by spray droplets suspended along the transmission path, it is presumed that altimeters may also provide an indirect measure of the sea spray volume. Here, this conjecture is discussed by means of laboratory experiments, which have been conducted in a wind-wave flume. A large number of wind conditions were considered between equivalent 10-m wind speeds of 20 and 60 m s−1 in order to generate different spray volumes above the water surface. The facility was equipped with a laser and side-looking camera system to estimate the spray volume as well as a nearby down-looking laser altimeter. Results confirm that there is a robust degradation of the laser intensity for increasing wind speed and hence the amount of spray droplets above the water surface. A simple regression model to extract spray volume from the average intensity of the laser radiation is presented, demonstrating the promise of laser altimeters for making in situ spray observations. Additional observations will be required to calibrate the altimeters for applications in the open ocean marine environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A passive acoustic method of detecting breaking waves of different scales has been developed. The method also showed promise for measuring breaking severity. Sounds were measured by a subsurface hydrophone in various wind and wave states. A video record of the surface was made simultaneously. Individual sound pulses corresponding to the many individual bubble formations during wave-breaking events typically last only a few tens of milliseconds. Each time a sound-level threshold was exceeded, the acoustic signal was captured over a brief window typical of a bubble formation pulse, registering one count. Each pulse was also analyzed to determine the likely bubble size generating the pulse. Using the time series of counts and visual observations of the video record, the sound-level threshold that detected bubble formations at a rate optimally discriminating between breaking and nonbreaking waves was determined by a classification-accuracy analysis. This diagnosis of breaking waves was found to be approximately 70%–75% accurate once the optimum threshold had been determined. The method was then used for detailed analysis of wave-breaking properties across the spectrum. When applied to real field data, a breaking probability distribution could be obtained. This is the rate of occurrence of wave-breaking events at different wave scales. With support from a separate, laboratory experiment, the estimated bubble size is argued to be dependent on the severity of wave breaking and thus to provide information on the energy loss due to the breaking at the measured spectral frequencies. A combination of the breaking probability distribution and the bubble size could lead to direct estimates of spectral distribution of wave dissipation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An experimental study of wind energy and momentum input into finite-depth wind waves was undertaken at Lake George, New South Wales, Australia. To measure microscale oscillations of induced pressure above surface waves, a high-precision wave-follower system was developed at the University of Miami, Florida. The principal sensing hardware included Elliott pressure probes, hot-film anemometers, and Pitot tubes. The wave-follower recordings were supplemented by a complete set of relevant measurements in the atmospheric boundary layer, on the surface, and in the water body. This paper is dedicated to technical aspects of the measurement procedure and data analysis. The precision of the feedback wave-following mechanism did not impose any restrictions on the measurement accuracy in the range of wave heights and frequencies relevant to the problem. Thorough calibrations of the pressure transducers and moving Elliott probes were conducted. It is shown that the response of the air column in the connecting tubes provides a frequency-dependent phase shift, which must be accounted for to recover the low-level induced pressure signal. In the finite-depth environment of Lake George, breaking waves play an important role in the momentum exchange between wind and waves, as will be shown in a subsequent paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A field experiment to study the spectral balance of the source terms for wind-generated waves in finite water depth was carried out in Lake George, Australia. The measurements were made from a shore-connected platform at varying water depths from 1.2 m down to 20 cm. Wind conditions and the geometry of the lake were such that fetch-limited conditions with fetches ranging from approximately 10 km down to 1 km prevailed. The resulting waves were intermediate-depth wind waves with inverse wave ages in the range 1 < U10/Cp < 8. The atmospheric input, bottom friction, and whitecap dissipation were measured directly and synchronously by an integrated measurement system, described in the paper. In addition, simultaneous data defining the directional wave spectrum, atmospheric boundary layer profile, and atmospheric turbulence were available. The contribution to the spectral evolution due to nonlinear interactions of various orders is investigated by a combination of bispectral analysis of the data and numerical modeling. The relatively small scale of the lake enabled experimental conditions such as the wind field and bathymetry to be well defined. The observations were conducted over a 3-yr period, from September 1997 to August 2000, with a designated intensive measurement period [the Australian Shallow Water Experiment (AUSWEX)] carried out in August–September 1999. High data return was achieved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]