Evans, Colin W.

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    HF radar wave measurements in the US Caribbean in complex sea states: Hurricane Matthew case study
    (2019-09-26) Evans, Colin W.; Canals Silander, Miguel F.; College of Arts and Sciences - Sciences; Chardón Maldonado, Patricia; Rodríguez Abudo, Sylvia B.; Morell, Julio M.; Department of Marine Sciences; Baigés Valentin, Iván
    Methods for resolving wave information from 2nd order backscatter with SeaSonde high-frequency radars (HFR) were assessed for the west (Mona Passage) and southeast coasts of Puerto Rico during Hurricane Matthew in 2016. A series of complex interactions between distant swells and local wind-wave components inhabited the HFR coverage areas during three separate wave events that occurred during Matthew’s lifespan and were analyzed individually for each region. Wave parameter estimations from two 13 MHz systems located in the Mona Passage and a 5 MHz system in the southeast were compared with oceanographic in situ buoy data and a high-resolution Nearshore Wave Model averaged within the HFR range-ring polygons, or range cells. Good agreement and lower root mean square (RMS) differences were shown during onshore swell conditions during wave event 1 with a maximum r2 of 0.98 in significant wave height comparisons in the southeast. Bimodal conditions depicted within the HFR Doppler spectrum induced by the combination of wind-waves and swell reduced agreement in dominant wave periods in the comparisons, specifically in the southeast coast during wave event 2. The statistical differences in wave events 2 and 3 in the wave parameter comparisons between the 13 MHz sites in the Mona Passage suggest the dependence on direction of swell propagation and wind velocities. Results show a potential use of HFR-derived wave parameters in an operational setting, but there is a directional dependency on the wave conditions for better accuracy in wave parameter estimations as well as signal-to-noise ratio thresholds in the sideband continuum.