Waves at Holderness from X-band radar

During the Holderness Experiment of 1994-1995 and 1995-1996, data were coll ected by a coastal deployment of an X-band radar with simultaneous deployme nts of various moored and bottom-mounted wave measurement devices. The rada r data consist of sequences of images of the sea surface at intervals of 1. 5 h over several months. Three-dimensional wave number-frequency spectra we re derived from the sequences of captured images using an analysis method d eveloped by Young et al. [J. Geophys. Res. 90(C1) (1985) 1049]. Some aspect s of this analysis were refined. An empirical transfer function was derived relating the radar image spectra to the wave spectra measured by other ins truments. A new calibration procedure for obtaining wave height from the ra dar spectra was also derived. The radar spectra were compared with directio nal spectra collected by a bottom-mounted InterOcean S4DW directional wave- current meter and with Datawell Waverider data. The capabilities of X-band radar in a coastal situation are discussed including the derivation of wate r depth required to optimise the analysis. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. A ll rights reserved.