A Method for the Routine Analysis of Pitch-and-Roll Buoy Wave Data

TLDR

The paper proposes a simple, computationally efficient method as a standard procedure for routine analysis of pitch‑and‑roll buoy wave data. The method computes four directional model‑free parameters per frequency—mean direction, directional width, skewness, and kurtosis—using an estimation procedure whose error characteristics are illustrated with simulated data, and it also offers an optional interpretation of skewness and kurtosis as an indicator of uni‑modality based on field observations. The four parameters provide sufficient directional information for most applications, and the combination of skewness and kurtosis can serve as an indicator of uni‑modality of the directional energy distribution.

Abstract

Abstract A simple, computationally efficient method is proposed as a standard procedure for the routine analysis of pitch-and-roll buoy wave data. The method yields four directional model-free parameters per frequency: the mean direction, the directional width, the skewness, and the kurtosis of the directional energy distribution. For most applications these parameters provide sufficient directional information. The estimation procedure and error characteristics of the parameter estimates are discussed and illustrated with computer simulated data. An optional interpretation of the combination of skewness and kurtosis as an indicator of uni-modality of the directional energy distribution is suggested and illustrated with field observations.