Clarence O. Collins

In situ measurements of an energetic wave event in the Arctic marginal ice zone

R/V Lance serendipitously encountered an energetic wave event around 77°N, 26°E on 2 May 2010. Onboard GPS records, interpreted as the surface wave signal, show the largest waves recorded in the Arctic region with ice cover. Comparing the measurements with a spectral wave model indicated three phases of interaction: (1) wave blocking by ice, (2) strong attenuation of wave energy and fracturing of ice by wave forcing, and (3) uninhibited propagation of the peak waves and an extension of allowed waves to higher frequencies (above the peak). Wave properties during fracturing of ice cover indicated increased groupiness. Wave-ice interaction presented binary behavior: there was zero transmission in unbroken ice and total transmission in fractured ice. The fractured ice front traveled at some fraction of the wave group speed. Findings do not motivate new dissipation schemes for wave models, though they do indicate the need for two-way, wave-ice coupling.

In situ Measurements of Momentum Fluxes in Typhoons

AbstractOne of the scientific objectives of the U.S. Office of Naval Research–sponsored Impact of Typhoons on the Ocean in the Pacific (ITOP) campaign was improved understanding of air–sea fluxes at high wind speeds. Here the authors present the first-ever direct measurements of momentum fluxes recorded in typhoons near the surface. Data were collected from a moored buoy over 3 months during the 2010 Pacific typhoon season. During this period, three typhoons and a tropical storm were encountered. Maximum 30-min sustained wind speeds above 26 m s−1 were recorded. Data are presented for 1245 h of direct flux measurements. The drag coefficient shows evidence of a rolloff at wind speeds greater than 22 m s−1, which occurred during the passage of a single typhoon. This result is in agreement with other studies but occurs at a lower wind speed than previously measured. The authors conclude that this rolloff was caused by a reduction in the turbulent momentum flux at the frequency of the peak waves during strong...

Marine radar ocean wave retrieval’s dependency on range and azimuth

The strength of the surface wave signal in marine X-band radar (MR) images strongly depends on range and azimuth (i.e., the angle between antenna look and peak wave direction). Traditionally, MR wave analysis is carried out in a set of rectangular windows covering the radar field of view (FOV). The FOV is typically partially obstructed, e.g., due to the coastline or ship superstructures. Especially for ships that are subject to regular course changes, this results in an increased variability or error associated with wave parameters. Using MR measurements from R/P FLIP, acquired off California during the 2010 US Office of Naval Research (ONR) high resolution air–sea interaction (Hi-Res) experiment, this study quantifies the dependency of the radar-based 2D wave spectrum and parameters on range and azimuth. With the help of reference data from a nearby Datawell Waverider buoy, we propose empirical methods to remove the dependency and we illustrate their efficacy.

EASI: An Air–Sea Interaction Buoy for High Winds

AbstractThis paper describes the new Extreme Air–Sea Interaction (EASI) buoy designed to measure direct air–sea fluxes, as well as mean properties of the lower atmosphere, upper ocean, and surface waves in high wind and wave conditions. The design of the buoy and its associated deep-water mooring are discussed. The performance of EASI during its 2010 deployment off Taiwan, where three typhoons were encountered, is summarized.

Wave Measurement Intercomparison and Platform Evaluation during the ITOP (2010) Experiment

AbstractSpectral wave parameters from 11 platforms, measured during the recent Impact of Typhoons on the Ocean in the Pacific (ITOP) experiment, are intercompared. Two moorings, separated by ~180 km, were deployed in a section of “typhoon alley” off the coast of Taiwan for 4 months. Each mooring consisted of an Air–Sea Interaction Spar (ASIS) buoy that was tethered to a moored Extreme Air–Sea Interaction (EASI) buoy. EASI, the design of which is based on the hull of a 6-m Navy Oceanographic Meteorological Automatic Device (NOMAD) buoy, is validated as a 1D wave sensor against the established ASIS. Also, during this time three drifting miniature wave buoys, a wave-measuring marine radar on the Research Vessel Roger Revelle, and several overpasses of Jason-1 (C and Ku bands) and Jason-2 (Ku band) satellite altimeters were within 100 km of either the northern or southern mooring site. These additional measurements were compared against both EASI buoys. Findings are in-line with previous wave parameter interc...

On recording sea surface elevation with accelerometer buoys: lessons from ITOP (2010)

Measurements of significant wave height are made routinely throughout the world’s oceans, but a record of the sea surface elevation (η) is rarely kept. This is mostly due to memory limitations on data, but also, it is thought that buoy measurements of sea surface elevation are not as accurate as wave gauges mounted on stationary platforms. Accurate records of η which contain rogue waves (defined here as an individual wave at least twice the significant wave height) are of great interest to scientists and engineers. Using field data, procedures for tilt correcting and double integrating accelerometer data to produce a consistent record of η are given in this study. The data in this study are from experimental buoys deployed in the recent Impact of Typhoons on the Ocean in the Pacific (ITOP) field experiment which occurred in 2010. The statistics from the ITOP buoys is under that predicted by Rayleigh theory, but matches the distributions of Boccotti and others (Tayfun and Fedele) (Ocean Eng 34:1631-1649, 2007). Rogue waves were recorded throughout the experiment under various sea state conditions. Recommendations, as a result of lessons learned during ITOP, are made for the routine recording of η which may not add significantly to the existing data burden. The hope is that we might one day collect a worldwide database of rogue waves from the existing buoy network, which would progress our understanding of the rogue wave phenomenon and make work at sea safer.

An investigation into the dispersion of ocean surface waves in sea ice

This investigation considers theoretical models and empirical studies related to the dispersion of ocean surface gravity waves propagating in ice covered seas. In theory, wave dispersion is related to the mechanical nature of the ice. The change of normalized wavenumber is shown for four different dispersion models: the mass-loading model, an elastic plate model, an elastic plate model extended to include dissipation, and a viscous-layer model. For each dispersion model, model parameters are varied showing the dependence of deviation from open water dispersion on ice thickness, elasticity, and viscosity. In all cases, the deviation of wavenumber from the open water relation is more pronounced for higher frequencies. The effect of mass loading, a component of all dispersion models, tends to shorten the wavelength. The Voigt model of dissipation in an elastic plate model does not change the wavelength. Elasticity in the elastic plate model and viscosity in the viscous-layer model tend to increase the wavelength. The net effect, lengthening or shortening, is a function of the particular combination of ice parameters and wave frequency. Empirical results were compiled and interpreted in the context of these theoretical models of dispersion. A synopsis of previous measurements is as follows: observations in a loose pancake ice in the marginal ice zone, often, though not always, showed shortened wavelengths. Both lengthening and shortening have been observed in compact pancakes and pancakes in brash ice. Quantitative matches to the flexural-gravity model have been found in Arctic interior pack ice and sheets of fast ice.

Multi-directional wave spectra from marine X-band radar

The signal measured by heave–pitch–roll directional wave buoys yields the first four coefficients of a Fourier series. Data adaptive methods must be employed to estimate a directional wave spectrum. Marine X-band radars (MRs) have the advantage over buoys that they can measure “model-free” two-dimensional (2D) wave spectra. This study presents the first comprehensive validation of MR-derived multi-directional wave characteristics. It is based on wave data from the 2010 Impact of Typhoons on the Ocean in the Pacific (ITOP) experiment in the Philippine Sea, namely MR measurements from R/V Roger Revelle, Extreme Air–Sea Interaction (EASI) buoy measurements, as well as WAVEWATCH-III (WW3) modeling results. Buoy measurements of mean direction and spreading as function of frequency, which do not require data adaptive methods, are used to validate the WW3 wave spectra. An advanced MR wave retrieval technique is introduced that addresses various shortcomings of existing methods. Spectral partitioning techniques, applied to MR and WW3 results, reveal that multimodal seas are frequently present. Both data sets are in excellent agreement, tracking the evolution of up to 4 simultaneous wave systems over extended time periods. This study demonstrates MR’s and WW3’s strength at measuring and predicting 2D wave spectra in swell-dominated seas.

Doppler Correction of Wave Frequency Spectra Measured by Underway Vessels

Abstract“Sea State and Boundary Layer Physics of the Emerging Arctic Ocean” is an ongoing Departmental Research Initiative sponsored by the Office of Naval Research (http://www.apl.washington.edu/project/project.php?id=arctic_sea_state). The field component took place in the fall of 2015 within the Beaufort and Chukchi Seas and involved the deployment of a number of wave instruments, including a downward-looking Riegl laser rangefinder mounted on the foremast of the R/V Sikuliaq. Although time series measurements on a stationary vessel are thought to be accurate, an underway vessel introduces a Doppler shift to the observed wave spectrum. This Doppler shift is a function of the wavenumber vector and the velocity vector of the vessel. Of all the possible relative angles between wave direction and vessel heading, there are two main scenarios: 1) vessel steaming into waves and 2) vessel steaming with waves. Previous studies have considered only a subset of cases, and all were in scenario 1. This was likely t...

A Statistical Method for Correlating Paired Wave Spectra

AbstractOcean wave spectra are complex. Because of this complexity, no widely accepted method has been developed for the comparison between two sets of paired wave spectra. A method for intercomparing wave spectra is developed based on an example paradigm of the comparison of model spectra to observed spectra. Canonical correlation analysis (CCA) is used to investigate the correlation structure of the matrix of spectral correlations. The set of N ranked canonical correlations developed through CCA (here termed the r-sequence) is shown to be an effective method for understanding the degree of correlation between sets of paired spectral observation. A standard method for intercomparing sets of wave spectra based on CCA is then described. The method is elucidated through analyses of synthetic and real spectra that span a range of correlation from random to almost equal.