A New Geographic Transfer Method of Wave Data

The availability of quality, site-specific wave data is necessary for an accurate understanding of wave climate. Direct and indirect wave data often have insufficient spatial resolution to ensure the requirement for geographic representativeness of data. The proposed wave data transfer method, in two versions, transfers an entire time series of wave data from a point with data to a neighboring point. The method is based on the empirical relationships of the Shore Protection Manual method and involves estimating appropriate statistical parameters from wind data characterizing the area comprising the two points. The method has been tested and compared with De Girolamo and Contini's transfer method in three applications in the Mediterranean Sea, showing significantly better results in two applications and similar results in a third application. It is believed that the lower reliability of the new transfer method in one of the three applications results from the considerable distance, 112 km, between the data point and the transfer point. Transfer methods are more accurate in cases of modest distances between the two points, which is the classic application of the transfer method in engineering practice.