Stochastic Time‐Series Representation of Wave Data

Abstract

This paper describes a procedure for generating simulated time sequences of wave height, period, and direction data at specific locations. The technique uses a finite length wave record to compute a matrix of coefficient multipliers, which are used to generate arbitrarily long time sequences of simulated wave data, preserving the primary statistical properties of the finite data set. The procedure was developed for simulating time series from the Wave Information Study (WIS) data base, a 20‐year hindcast of wave height, period, and direction provided at three‐hour intervals for locations along United States coasts and the Great Lakes. Application of the methodology is demonstrated in this paper through comparisons of simulated data with hindcast data corresponding to a Gulf of Mexico WIS station near the entrance to Mobile Bay, Alabama. Analysis of the results indicate that the simulated time series does exhibit the primary statistical properties of the WIS data, including winter and summer seasonal patterns and wave sequencing.