On the use of directional

wave spectra to identify

distant swells approaching
a Pacific atoll
Laura Cagigal a, b, Ana Rueda b, Alba Ricondo b, Giovanni Coco a, Fernando Méndez b
a. University of Auckland, b. Universidad de Cantabria
 MOTIVATION

STUDY SITE

METHODOLOGY

RESULTS

CONCLUSIONS
MOTIVATION: Inundation in the Pacific Islands

Atoll Islands are low-lying, with

much of the land area < 3 m above
mean sea level

Atoll Islands are vulnerable to a range of

inundation hazards generated by
atmospheric and oceanographic
processes, including typhoons and
tropical storms and far-field generated
swell

Source: Hoeke et al 2013

MOTIVATION STUDY SITE METHODOLOGY RESULTS CONCLUSIONS

MAJURO ATOLL: Marshall Islands

64 ISLANDS
Area: 9.7 km2
Mean elevation: 3m
Population: 28000

MOTIVATION STUDY SITE METHODOLOGY RESULTS CONCLUSIONS

FLOODING EVENTS

MOTIVATION STUDY SITE METHODOLOGY RESULTS CONCLUSIONS

IMPORTANCE DIRECTIONAL SPECTRUM

MOTIVATION STUDY SITE METHODOLOGY RESULTS CONCLUSIONS

 MOTIVATION: Probabilistic assessment of coastal flooding

ATMOSPHERIC MULTIVARIATE
CIRCULATION WAVE CLIMATE
(SLP)
(H, T, Dir)

MOTIVATION STUDY SITE METHODOLOGY RESULTS CONCLUSIONS

OBJECTIVE
Hs

Objective Point

duration Time

Tp

duration Time
duration
duration
duration

MOTIVATION STUDY SITE METHODOLOGY RESULTS CONCLUSIONS

STEPS

1. CREATE A SUPER SPECTRA WITH ALL THE

ENERGY APPROACHING THE ATOLL

2. OBTAIN THE SPECTRAL PARTITINONS

3. DEVELOP AN ALGORITHM TO AGREGATE

SWELLS

4. PARAMETERIZE SWELLS

5. LINK SWELLS WITH WEATHER CONDITIONS

MOTIVATION STUDY SITE METHODOLOGY RESULTS CONCLUSIONS

1) SUPER-POINT

STATION STATION STATION

2913 2914 2915 CSIRO – SPECTRAL
INFORMATION

2914
2913 2915

2856 2858
2857
STATION STATION STATION
2856 2857 2858

MOTIVATION STUDY SITE METHODOLOGY RESULTS CONCLUSIONS

IMPORTANCE DIRECTIONAL SPECTRUM
26 June 2013

AIRPORT

MOTIVATION STUDY SITE METHODOLOGY RESULTS CONCLUSIONS

IMPORTANCE SUPER POINT

MOTIVATION STUDY SITE METHODOLOGY RESULTS CONCLUSIONS

2) SPECTRAL PARTITIONING

WAVESPECTRA
OPEN SOURCE LIBRARY FOR PROCESSING
OCEAN WAVE SPECTRA ON PYTHON
FROM METOCEAN SOLUTIONS (NZ)

https://github.com/metocean/wavespectra/

MOTIVATION STUDY SITE METHODOLOGY RESULTS CONCLUSIONS

2) SPECTRAL PARTITIONING

WW3 Watershed Algorithm,

Hanson and Philips 2009

MOTIVATION STUDY SITE METHODOLOGY RESULTS CONCLUSIONS

 2) SPECTRAL PARTITIONING: Sea + Swells

HS

TP

DIR

DSPR

GAMMA

MOTIVATION STUDY SITE METHODOLOGY RESULTS CONCLUSIONS

 2) SPECTRAL PARTITIONING: Swells

HS

TP

DIR

DSPR

GAMMA

MOTIVATION STUDY SITE METHODOLOGY RESULTS CONCLUSIONS

 3) SWELL IDENTIFICATION

𝑺𝒏𝒂𝒌𝒆𝒔 𝒔𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒄𝒉 𝒂𝒍𝒈𝒐𝒓𝒊𝒕𝒉𝒎

𝑫𝑰𝑺𝑻𝑨𝑵𝑪𝑬 = 𝒇(∆𝑯𝒔, ∆𝑻𝒑, ∆𝑫𝒊𝒓, ∆𝑫𝒔𝒑𝒓, ∆𝑮𝒂𝒎𝒎𝒂)

D= 𝑎 ∗ 𝐻𝑡 − 𝐻𝑡−1 2 + 𝑏 ∗ 𝑇𝑝𝑡 − 𝑇𝑝𝑡−1 2 + 𝑐 ∗ 𝐷𝑖𝑟𝑡 − 𝐷𝑖𝑟𝑡−1 2 + 𝑑 ∗ 𝛿𝑡 − 𝛿𝑠𝑝𝑟𝑡−1 2 + 𝑒 ∗ 𝛾𝑡 − 𝛾𝑡−1 2

MOTIVATION STUDY SITE METHODOLOGY RESULTS CONCLUSIONS

3) SNAKES

MOTIVATION STUDY SITE METHODOLOGY RESULTS CONCLUSIONS

3) SNAKES
HS

TP

DIR

HS

TP

DIR

MOTIVATION STUDY SITE METHODOLOGY RESULTS CONCLUSIONS

4) SNAKES PARAMETERIZATION

𝑃𝑎𝑟𝑎𝑚𝑒𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑠
𝐷𝑢𝑟
𝜏
𝐻𝑠 ∗ , 𝑠𝐻𝑠
𝑇𝑝 ∗ , 𝑠𝑇𝑝

𝐷𝑖𝑟 ∗ , 𝑠𝐷𝑖𝑟
𝜎 ∗ , 𝑠𝜎
𝛾 ∗ , 𝑠𝛾
𝜏
𝐷𝑢𝑟

MOTIVATION STUDY SITE METHODOLOGY RESULTS CONCLUSIONS

4) SNAKES PARAMETERIZATION

MOTIVATION STUDY SITE METHODOLOGY RESULTS CONCLUSIONS

 5) LINK TO WEATHER CONDITIONS
FINDING THE LINK BETWEEN PRESSURE CONDITIONS AND THE
SWELL PARAMETERS FOR EACH WAVE FAMILY

Algorithm from Portilla 2012

Storm-Source-Locating Algorithm Based on the
PCs 12 Swell Parameters
Dispersive Nature of Ocean Swells

MOTIVATION STUDY SITE METHODOLOGY RESULTS CONCLUSIONS

CONCLUSIONS

• IMPORTANCE OF AGGREGATING SPECTRAL

INFORMATION AROUND THE STUDY ATOLL TO INCLUDE
ALL SOURCES OF WAVE ENERGY

• NECESSITY TO CORRECTLY SIMULATE THE TIME

EVOLUTION OF EVERY SWELL

• NEED OF EMULATE THE SWELL CHARACTERISTICS

BASED ON THE ATMOSPHERIC SYSTEM THAT
GENERATES THEM

MOTIVATION STUDY SITE METHODOLOGY RESULTS CONCLUSIONS

Thanks
Laura Cagigal, Ana Rueda, Alba Ricondo, Giovanni Coco, Fernando Mendez