The Use of CODAR High Frequency
Radar to Attain Wave Height Measurements
Abstract
A CODAR Ocean
Systems SeaSonde HF-Radar system is used to measure significant wave height
at Rutgers Long-Term Ecosystem Observatory (LEO-15). The CODAR
system was installed in 1998 and has been used to collect surface current
data since then. The surface current data obtained by the system
has been validated, and the ability of the system to measure surface currents
has been demonstrated. Rutgers' CODAR system was recently configured
to measure wave spectra and sea state. The goal of this project is
to test the ability of the system to measure significant waveheight.
Data was collected from the CODAR system at LEO-15, as well as from bouys
maintained by the National Weather Service, National Data Buoy Center (NDBC).
The NDBC buoys are located 33 nautical miles south of Islip, Long Island
and in Delaware Bay 26 nautical miles south of Cape May, NJ. The
data sets were used to plot several time series for March and April, 2000,
and for a period in September, 2000 which included the occurence of Hurricane
Floyd. The plots indicate that the CODAR system estimates significant
wave height reasonably well, but is limited by a maximum sea state in which
data can be collected.
