Directional Waverider Buoy Data

This metadata record is for Approval for Access product AfA464. The Environment Agency has many offshore wave buoys and these measure specific attributes of waves that pass through the buoys and they records data every 30 minutes. The Environment Agency currently uses a Directional Waverider buoy, as this is the national standard, however historic datasets and future outputs may come from different types of buoy instruments. The buoys float on the water surface and log data every 30 minutes. Each logged data point is a time-averaged measurement of the waves that have passed through the buoy during the preceding 30 minutes. From measurements of the buoys movement, a spectrum of different wave frequencies is recorded. The buoy also measures or calculates some additional observations or statistical wave parameters including:

• significant wave height • wave period • wave direction • directional spread • sea surface temperature.

Data are available as a real-time feed as well as download for historic records in either CSV or TXT format via the CEFAS wavenet website. You will be required to register before being able to download historic data. The CEFAS website contains hydrodynamic data from various sources, some of which is not freely available for download. This record relates specifically to Environment Agency Waverider Buoy data hosted on the CEFAS waverider website. The specific waveriders are:

• Blakney Waverider • Northwell Waverider • Chapel Point Waverider • Lowestoft Waverider • Felixstowe Waverider • Haysborough Waverider Attribution statement: © Environment Agency copyright and/or database right 2017. All rights reserved.