Spatiotemporal disorder is studied in traveling-wave convection in an
ethanol-water mixture. A technique for calculating the complex order p
arameter of the pattern is described, and the identification of phase
defects is demonstrated. Point defects, domain boundaries, and standin
g wave patterns are shown to produce unique defect structures. The tra
nsition from a disordered state to a more ordered pattern is described
in terms of the dynamics of defects and their statistics.