TSIC Home Page
Current Issues
Fishing Today
2nd TSIA 2009
Submissions
Federal Fisheries Authorities Fishing Industry Representitive Bodies Food Standards Links Legislation MAST Other Fisheries Previous Website Links SSA State Fisheries Authority
|
|
Tasmanian Seafood Industry Council
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Waverider Buoy |
|
Tasmania's West Coast Waverider Buoy:
A cooperative initiative between the Bureau of Meteorology and the Tasmanian Fishing Industry Council
 Floating on the ocean surface approximately 25 kilometres north west of Strahan on Tasmania's rugged West Coast is a sophisticated device called a 'Waverider Buoy'.
This AUD$25,000 sphere (moored to the seabed) uses electrical sensors to measure the vertical movement each time a wave passes beneath it, relaying the valuable data to a ground station where the information is used by the Bureau of Meteorology.
An important calculation from the observed data is the "significant wave height", which is the average height of the highest one-third of the waves observed. This value relates mathematically to what an experienced fisherman standing on his vessel would judge wave height to be, given that human observers apparently often note only the bigger waves when making an estimation of wave height.
When the waverider data is analysed by the Bureau the information is also used by forecasters in wave height predictions.
 The image (right) shows a cut away version of the waverider on display at the Bureau of Meteorology in Hobart. This sphere developed a pin hole leak in the casing when at sea and is now unserviceable.
Detailed information provided by the waverider buoy is available to TFIC members who wish to access it via this website. Try the links below for access to the pages.
For TFIC Members:
User name: bomw0318
Password: tas32FIC
Cape Sorell Waverider Observations
Cape Sorell Waverider Analysis
Image supplied by Australian Geographic Magazine (Issue 55, page 32).
Used with permission (11.01.02).
|
|
|
|
|