Development of an Extratropical Storm Wind, Wave, and Water Level Climatology for the Offshore Mid-Atlantic

• Main Authors: Forte, Michael F, Hanson, Jeffrey L
• Other Authors: ARMY ENGINEER RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT CENTER KITTY HAWK NC
• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Published: 2015
• Subjects: Meteorology; Physical and Dynamic Oceanography; *CLIMATOLOGY; *OFFSHORE; *SEA LEVEL; *STORMS; *WAVES; *WIND; ESTIMATES; FORECASTING; METEOROLOGICAL DATA; NORTH ATLANTIC OCEAN; OCEANOGRAPHIC DATA; SIMULATION; STANDARDS; WIND VELOCITY; ONE HUNDRED YEAR RETURN PERIODS; EXTRATROPICAL STORMS; EXTREMAL STATISTICS; HINDCASTS; WAVE HEIGHT; WATER LEVEL CLIMATOLOGY; NDBC(NATIONAL DATA BUOY CENTER); CDIP(COASTAL DATA INFORMATION PROGRAM); WIS(WAVE INFORMATION STUDIES); CFSRR(CLIMATE FORECAST SYSTEM REANALYSIS REFORECAST); EST(EMPIRICAL SIMULATION TECHNIQUE); GPD(GENERALIZED PARETO DISTRIBUTION); WEIBULL DISTRIBUTION; GEV(GENERALIZED EXTREME VALUE); GEV DISTRIBUTION; WIS HINDCAST; Scripps; North Atlantic
• Online Access: http://www.dtic.mil/docs/citations/ADA621324; http://oai.dtic.mil/oai/oai?&verb=getRecord&metadataPrefix=html&identifier=ADA621324

An investigation of the extreme offshore wind, wave, and water level climate in the mid-Atlantic region has been conducted for the U.S. Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE). The overall objective of the project is to assist with the development of meteorological and oceanographic (metocean) standards for offshore wind farm design and to establish a 100-year (yr) extratropical wind speed, wave height, and water level climatology for the specific regions of interest. Measured data from National Data Buoy Center (NDBC) and Scripps Coastal Data Information Program (CDIP) offshore stations were used to evaluate two North Atlantic Ocean hindcasts; the 20 yr U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Wave Information Studies (WIS) with kinematically adjusted storm winds and a new 30 yr WAVEWATCH III hindcast using National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP) Climate Forecast System Reanalysis Reforecast (CFSRR) winds. Four extremal analysis techniques were evaluated on extratropical wind and wave storm extremes that included the empirical simulation technique (EST), the generalized Pareto distribution (GPD), Weibull distribution, and generalized extreme value (GEV) distribution. The WIS hindcast, in conjunction with the EST approach, was selected for use in computation of the 100 yr return period wind speed and wave height extremes for the region. For identification of a climatological data base for use in computing water level extremes, there is an evaluation of the relevance of extremal water level statistics from a recent coastal storm surge study conducted by USACE for the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Region III. The accuracy of the FEMA results is quantified based on water level observations at the USACE Field Research Facility in Duck, NC. The original document contains color images.