Comparison of Wave Spectra from Nautical Radar Images and Scalar Buoy Data

Abstract

This work compares the spectral analysis of ocean wave fields performed from nautical radar and waverider buoy measurements. The data were taken by a radar station located in the northern coast of Spain and by a buoy that was moored close to the area covered by the radar for its calibration. In this area the sea states are mainly dominated by the presence of northwest swells coming from storms originating in the North Atlantic Ocean. In this order, the radar calibration and the comparisons of different spectral parameters and scalar spectra from both sensors are presented.