Quality Assurance & Quality Control of Wave Data 2016, Version 1.0.01.

Abstract

The National Network of Regional Coastal Monitoring Programmes of England has developed a coastal wave network which concentrates on measurements in shallow water where, traditionally, there are very few long-term wave data and where the wave transformation models are generally less reliable. The main purposes of the coastal wave network are to: - Provide real-time data for use in beach operations, coastal flood forecasting and warning - Provide baseline design statistics for future coastal and marine planning projects - Enable operational assistance in coastal construction projects - Assist the monitoring of coastal processes such as beach erosion and sediment transport - Provide validation of coastal wave hydrodynamics and sediment dynamics modelling Quality assurance (QA) and quality control (QC) practices are in place to provide high-quality marine observations and to ensure the value and credibility of the data to users. Quality Assurance concerns aspects such as the choice of equipment suitable for the environment, sufficiently accurate, precise and reliable with adequate resolution, and subsequent operational maintenance, which together can ensure high quality observations in the long term. Quality Control refers to the subsequent steps taken to review the measured data using both automated and manual techniques. There is no worldwide or European standard for wave data. This document outlines the QA practices and QC tests used for wave data collected by the Regional Coastal Monitoring Programmes. The following wave parameters are collected and archived: - Significant wave height HS (m) - Spectrally-derived zero-crossing wave period TZ (s) - Peak wave period TP (s) - Wave direction Dir (°) - (Directional) Spread Spd (°) - Maximum observed wave height Hmax (m) - Sea surface temperature SST (C°)