Open AccessS band Doppler radar measurements of bathymetry, wave energy fluxes, and dissipation across an offshore bar
Author(s) -
McGregor John A.,
Poulter E. Murray,
Smith Murray J.
Publication year - 1998
Publication title -
journal of geophysical research: oceans
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.67
H-Index - 298
eISSN - 2156-2202
pISSN - 0148-0227
DOI - 10.1029/98jc00447
Subject(s) - bathymetry , dissipation , geology , radar , doppler effect , wave propagation , remote sensing , wave height , wind wave , bar (unit) , geophysics , physics , optics , oceanography , telecommunications , astronomy , computer science , thermodynamics
The use of a shore‐based microwave Doppler radar for the remote sensing of ocean wave propagation over an offshore sand bar was investigated. The radar yielded high spatial resolution measurements of several quantities of importance in the study of bar dynamics. The spatial variation in wave phase with distance along the radar beam direction was used to calculate bathymetry with sufficient accuracy and resolution to clearly reveal the presence of the bar and the tidal cycle variation of water depth. This real‐time bathymetry enabled the calculation of ocean wave energy fluxes from the radar velocity data. These energy fluxes showed good agreement with predictions from a numerical wave propagation model, except in regions of significant wave breaking, where the discrepancy between measured and modeled fluxes was found to be closely related to the modeled wave dissipation rate.