Mouth of the Columbia River Buoy System

Julie ThomasProgram Manager, CDIP

Executive Director, SCCOOSIlwaco, WA

June 18, 2009

CDIP Mission

• Based at SIO

• 39 Wave Stations

• 14 People

• $2.5M+ / year budget

• Funded by:

CDBW USACE

(SCCOOS BEACON

ONR SD Foundation…)

• Develop US nearshore wave climatology for more rational

design decisions

CCOASTALOASTAL DDATAATA IINFORMATIONNFORMATION PPROGRAMROGRAM

OUTLINE

1. Overview of the Coastal Data Information Program (CDIP)

2. Overview of the Datawell Wave Buoys, moorings and deployment vessels.

3. Examples of existing customized Port products: - Los Angeles/Long Beach – San Pedro Channel

- San Francisco

4. Mouth of the Columbia River – location

5. Funding6. Examples of CDIP Products

7. Reliability Statistics

CDIP Wave Buoys Near Ports and Harbors

Port/Harbor buoys

Other CDIP wave buoys

Each port has its own unique Set of challenges…no one Template fits all!

How important is consistency forThe inter and intra-state maritime community?

Integrated Ocean Observing System (IOOS)

• Supports Science, Engineering, and Marine Safety

• Sponsored by NOAA and USACE

• Plan Approved by IOOS Program Office, March 2009

•Strategic placement of wave buoys for integration with global and local wave models.•High wave data quality standards

-Constructed in the Netherlands, robust, reliable. Considered as the base systemfor wave buoy comparisons in the International Community (JCOMM)

-Centimeter accuracy in the wave height, 5 degrees resolution for wave direction.

-Data are transmitted via iridium satellite. (full xyz and spectra are transmitted) . All raw data are stored on board.

-- All data are disseminated on the CDIP Website in near real-time. The data update @ 30 minutes.

-The parameter (Hs, Tp, Dp, SST ) and spectral data are transmitted to NDBC @ hour. Via AWIPS, data are transmitted to the NWS Office.

- Alert system if buoy breaks loose.

DATAWELL Directional Wave Buoy

MOORING SYSTEM

- 30 m bungee that allows for surface following buoy. Bungee stretches to 4 x its length

- Polypropolene line

- 1400 lbs of large anchor chain

Compliant mooring System designed to

maximize the frequency response

of the buoy Instrumentation.

Gray’s Harbor Installation1981 – present

Max Hs = 12m (2/06)

Umpqua (1/06)Max Hs = 10.3m (1/07)

Cape Mendocino (3/99)Max Hs = 9.98m (12/08)

The Coastal Wave Network Template

• Regional waves are monitored by a pair of Outer & Inner Shelf Buoys.

outer inner

SHELF CROSS-SECTION PLAN VIEW

Harbor

ShelfBreak

The Coastal Wave Network Template• Outer/Inner wave buoys are placed at wave model

boundaries for assimilation and validation.

PLAN VIEW

Harbor

ShelfBreak

GlobalModel

Shelf Model

LocalModel Shelf Model

CROSS SECTION

Local

Model

Waves and Currents in the San Pedro Channel

SCCOOS providing currents

CDIP providing wave observations,Nowcasts and forecasts.

http://sccoos.ucsd.edu/themes/harbors

Ports of Los Angeles/Long Beach

Catalina

Website allows you to click on your area of interest for

further details.

Capability to send automated notification when thresholds are exceeded!

3 day wave forecast

7 DAY FORECAST, WWW/CDIP

PEAK WAVE PERIOD 12-13 sec

Geo-referenced NOAA charts to Google

CDIP Point Reyes Buoy

CDIP Bar Buoy

Short Period Seas

Swell + Sea Prediction

Long Period Swell

NOAA 46026

Buoy-driven wave model predictionsSAN FRANCISCO BAR BUOY

Step 1. Validate Buoy-driven Regional Wave Transformation Hindcast at Bar Buoy.

February 2008 HINDCAST VALIDATION

Red=Model Blue=Bar Buoy

Breaking Waves on the San Francisco Bar

3 m, 10 sec

Feb 23, 2008, 9pm. PST

Breaking Waves on the San Francisco Bar

6 m, 14 sec

Feb 24, 2008, 3p.m. PST

Fiscal Year (FY)

Surf Cases

IVO of SF Bar

Total

FY03 32 98 130

FY04 28 75 103FY05 29 81 110FY06 18 51 69

FY07 20 39 59FY08 19 30 49FY09 11 14 25

TOTAL: 116 203 319

Marine Incidents near

SF Bar

Incidents in the Vicinity of SF Bar

PROPOSED LOCATIONS OF WAVE BUOYS AT THE MCR

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS (BILL O’REILLLY)MCR

The buoys can be used to both drive coastal wave models at the offshore and nested nearshore boundaries (hindcasts and

nowcast) as well as validate basin- and regional-scale ww3 model forecasts at these critical hi res coastal model "handoff" locations.

You can use them in a more regional way. eg. to make wave predictions for Willapa Bay as well, especially if you cheat the inner shelf buoy slightly north of the Columbia River mouth.

Additional Comments (by BOR)

Nominal Ebb tides Max Ebb Tides

USGS/USACE

1. The MCR is a complex region. In order to obtain a good wave model/bar forecast, you need high resolution directional wave data.

2. The Inner/Outer Buoy concept has worked well.

Summary

Budget Buoy, mooring, shipping, painting $85,000

Salary (Admin, Tech, Programmer, BOR, JOT) $10,000

Travel (5 days SD/Portland) $1300________________

Sub Total $96,300Overhead 27,700

__________________

TOTAL $120,000

What does the $120K cover?

1.Order, shipment, paint, calibration, 2.Integration into CDIP system

3.Iridium configuration and costs, 4.Travel to Portland for installation,

5. Alert notification, 6.Data analysis, quality control, archive and

dissemination7.Bill O’Reilly – wave model collaboration

Does not include 1.Vessel costs2.Anchor chain

3.Local field team

Umpqua Buoy

Annual Maintenance

$20,000-6,600

------------$13,400 (CDIP)

Spectral data coverage: 2008

% Deployed: Percentage of the year during which the buoy was deployed and on-site;% Coverage: Percentage of the deployed period for which good spectral data was obtained;Total spectra: The number of spectra generated for the year.

Stn Name % Deployed % Coverage Total Spectra

36 GRAYS HARBOR, WA 100 99.81 17534

94 CAPE MENDOCINO, CA 99.92 96.74 16982

139 UMPQUA OFFSHORE, OR 99.91 100 17552

% Deployed: Percentage of the year during which the buoy was deployedand on site.% Coverage: Percentage of the deployed period for which good spectral data were obtained. Total spectra: The number of spectra files generated for the year.

Reliability Statistics2008

SAMPLE PRODUCTS

http://cdip.ucsd.edu

Hs(ft) Tp Dp SSt

California Swell Nowcast and Forecast Models

Gray’s Harbor Station Info Page

Min, Max, Mean

Customized Wave Model Nowcast and Forecast for the Navy

Directional Spectrum plot

shows Bi-modal wave

direction