Australia Opens a Wave Data Portal
Nearly 90% of Australians live within 50 kilometers of the coast, and Australia’s State of the Climate Report 2024 found that the nation’s weather, climate, and ocean conditions continue to change. Rising sea levels pose a significant threat to coastal communities and coastal ecosystems by amplifying the risks of coastal inundation, storm surge, erosion, and saltwater intrusion into groundwater systems.For most of Australia, coastal floods that currently occur occasionally are predicted to become chronic later this century. Extreme sea levels that had a probability of occurring once in a hundred years are projected to become an annual event.Oceanographers from The University of Western Australia (UWA) are supporting science-based management of coastal resources by expanding the use of ocean buoys for recording wave data and making it freely-available. Most recently, they have advanced wave forecasting capabilities by deploying a fleet of 10 drifting wave buoys in the Southern Ocean between the Western Australian coast and South Africa. These small, solar-powered wave buoys are expected to float in ocean currents and collect wave data for several years.A network of wave buoys is helping researchers understand the processes and changes driven by waves in Australia’s coastal zone. Source: UWAResearch Fellow Marzieh Derkani and project lead at TIDE Dr Jeff Hansen with one of the drifting buoys. Source: UWAThey provide data crucial for forecasting wave and swell conditions, says Dr Jeff Hansen. “These new low-cost wave buoys now make it possible to collected detailed wave data, in real-time, from the middle of the ocean, where historically we haven’t had observations of waves. This allows us to compare and feed these data into wave forecasting models to improve their accuracy, something we’re working on with the Bureau of Meteorology.”Wave forecasting models lag behind atmospheric models in terms of accuracy partly due to the lack of data assimilation, a technique where observations are used to adjust models to better match actual conditions.“If the starting point is wrong, the rest of the forecast is likely to be wrong,” says Hansen. “Forecasting is inherently difficult as errors often compound in time leading to incorrect forecasts, but by using observations and data assimilation we can improve the starting point of each seven to ten -day forecast produced several times a day.”The data from UWA’s drifting and moored wave buoys will soon be available to the World Meteorological Organization Information System 2.0 (WIS 2.0) which became operational this year. WIS 2.0 is already enhancing the accuracy of weather forecasts globally and supporting early warning systems, as it provides a framework that enables international, regional, and national real-time data sharing.The drifting buoys are part of a larger wave buoy network operated by the university consisting of either Sofar Spotters, Sofar Smart Moorings, or Datawell Waverider Mk4 units. This network is currently supporting a range of research projects focused on improving wave forecasting, coastal dynamics along reef-fronted coasts, marine heatwaves, wave energy development, and the long-term Western Australian wave climate.With investment from Australia’s Integrated Marine Observing System (IMOS), Dr Mike Cuttler and Professor Ryan Lowe recently deployed 23 new wave buoys at coastal sites around the country, with at least one new wave buoy in every state. The buoys measure wave height, period, and direction as well as water temperatures in nearshore waters, with sites varying in depth from 10 to 70 meters.Like their drifting counterparts further from shore, these small, solar-powered wave buoys are low-cost and relatively easy to deploy. Moored to the sea floor they collect critical near real-time data required to verify and improve marine forecasts, inform marine operations and recreation, and form the basis of an improved understanding of ocean and coastal processes.The near real-time data is easy to view and download via a new national website, AusWaves.org, which was created by Cuttler and Hansen to collate data from all of UWA’s wave buoys and merge it with existing websites created by regional partners to provide access to the first nationally consistent platform for the display of quality-controlled near real-time wave data.Near real-time wave data is available on a new website: AusWaves.org. Source: AusWaves.org. Cuttler says the AusWaves website presents unique coastal wave data in a user-friendly manner, designed to meet the needs of a wide range of coastal stakeholders. “Through visual displays and the ability to download wave and surface temperature data, this new website will enable wider uptake of the data around Australia,” he said. “We aim to enable all those dependent on the ocean, including aquaculture, tourism operators, local fishermen, and surfers, to better prepare and be safe out on the water.”The university is also developing a unique way of harnessing wave energy for renewable power generation. There is immediate potential for renewable energy development, as the world’s largest and most consistent wave energy resource is along Australia’s southern coast, says Dr Hugh Wolgamot from the university’s Oceans Institute. The average power of the ocean waves crossing the perimeter of Australia’s continental shelf is estimated at about 10 times Australia’s average rate of electricity consumption.“Persistent strong winds along the vast Southern Ocean create large waves which bring renewable energy towards the shores virtually continuously,” Wolgamot said. “The south and south-west mainland coastline and the south-west coast of Tasmania in particular experience the highest wave power levels, with exceptionally high-quality waves, with minimal intermittency and relatively small extremes — two characteristics essential for uninterrupted energy production.”A project is underway to use a “Moored MultiMode Multibody” (M4) device to validate modelled predictions under the leadership of Wolgamot. The M4 is a surface-riding wave energy converter which generates electricity through the flexing motion of its hinge. When the back and front of the 24-meter device are at the crest of the wave, the center is at the trough. The resulting rotational movement of the parts is converted into electricity by an onboard generator.This year’s M4 deployment in King George Sound in southern Western Australia was a world-first trial at scale designed to demonstrate the technical feasibility of harvesting ocean waves in Australia and to generate operational data for researchers and industry. The project is fully open-source, so data is being shared with scientists, energy developers, and the community.The M4 is a surface-riding wave energy converter which generates electricity through the flexing motion of its hinge. Source: UWA