Measuring waves and currents with au upward-looking ADCP

摘要

Routine monitoring of waves and currents in the nearshore region is of great interest both scientifically and to the general public because of their role in coastline erosion and their impact on recreational activities. Historically, thetechnology for measuring these quantitites has been distinct, requiring separate instrumentation for each. In this contribution we show that it is possible in shallow water to estimate both wave height and direction from a conventional bottom-mounted,upward-looking Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler. Height and direction spectra compare well with a co-located array of pressure gages.