Installation of a Nearshore Directional Wave Gage/Current Meter on Galveston Island

Summary

The installation of a near-shore directional wave gage/current profiler in Galveston, obtains data regarding the nearshore waves and currents.  These data provides critical information for sediment transport and beach erosion studies such as the current U.S. Corps of Engineers' Feasibility Study. It enables calibration of wave propagation models which transform waves from offshore wave buoys the model SWAN, (Simulation of Waves in the Nearshore).  It provides valuable data for developing models of and responses to coastal oil spills, and aid the National Weather Service to forecast wave heights in the near shore water and issue warning.  The nearshore wave and current data will be made available to the public on the Texas Coastal Ocean Network (TCOON) web site. Data from the wave gage/current meter will be used in courses on hydrodynamics, coastal engineering, and sediment transport at Texas A&M University at Galveston.  The data may also help predict times when dangerous rip currents are likely to be present on the beach.