Analysis and utilization of long-term data from a nearshore ADCP

Abstract

More than nine years of ADCP data have been collected in the nearshore at a field station at Spessard Holland North Beach Park, located in Melbourne Beach on the central Atlantic coast of Florida1. The nearly continuous record includes high-resolution directional wave spectra, current profiles, and tide elevations, and the data are being used to 1) study the characteristics of Florida's nearshore waves, particularly their directional distribution, 2) test the assumptions and methods commonly used by coastal practitioners, 3) test the ability of hindcast-driven transformation models to replicate nearshore waves, and 4) test the ability of storm surge models to replicate surge measured during hurricanes and other storms.