Why Monitor Waves along the Texas Coast?

Post-Tropical Storm Fay, September 2002, Bolivar Peninsula: Caplan, Bluestein Courtesy of: Galveston County Office of Emergency Management

Coastal erosion is both an economic and resource management problem, particularly for the communities of Galveston, Corpus Christi, and South Padre Island. The successful management of beaches and other natural resources bordering the Gulf of Mexico are dependent upon the understanding of the coastal processes acting along the Texas coast. Accurate wave measurements are the root of that understanding.

Contaminant spills such as oil spills endanger habitat in coastal regions. Real time wave observations can assist spill responders in tracking the path of such spills and determining the best methods to contain them.

Navigation at entrances to ship channels can be dangerous in the best of weather conditions. Ship pilates will have access to wave measurements to assist them in safely navigating these channels.

Who Needs and Uses Wave Data?

Many sectors of the community including Ports/Navigation, Engineers, Resource Agencies, Civic planners and recreational interests all benefit from easily accessible wave information. Only a few continuously functioning monitoring stations are located in the Gulf of Mexico near to the Texas coast. Furthermore, there are no monitoring stations collecting wave data within 20 miles of the coast.

Scientists are particularly interested in acquiring wave data that will be applied to characterize the energy that forces erosion along the Barrier Islands of Texas. The Texas General Land Office sponsors this project in an effort to provide the most up-to-the-minute wave data to scientists. This will enhance research efforts focused on understanding how the wave climate drives erosion of the Texas shoreline. In addition, this information will provide a valuable tool assisting resource agencies and coastal communities in determining the best methods of protecting and preserving our beaches for future generations.

Resource Agencies utilize the information generated from archived wave data to determine effect environmental management practices. This includes the management of natural resources such as barrier island beaches and the management of environmental offenders such as contimate spills.

Navigation interests in the Gulf of Mexico and in particular those utilizing the Port Aransas Ship Channel will benefit from continuously updated wave information provided on the internet.

Recreational users such as surfers, beach visitors, fishermen, boaters, windsurfers and kite sailers can all benefit from the wave observations provided for the Texas Coast.

What does it Mean When Forecasters Say "Seas 4-6 ft"?

Waves are typically described by terminology such as, " It's 4-6 ft @ 10-15 seconds". This means that the average height of the largest 33% of the waves is 4-6 ft and that the average period (time between wave crests) of the most prevalent waves is 10-15 seconds. This type of description provides an idea of the average size of the waves, but there are often two types of waves reports available dependent on the coastal region of interest: Seas and Swell.

Two types of analysis are applied to produce descriptions of wave climate over time: Statistical and spectral analysis.