waverider.html  

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.

Click here for diagram.

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 TSIC members who wish to access it via this website. Try the links below for access to the pages.

For TSIC Members:
User name: bomw0318
Password: tas32FIC
Cape Sorell Waverider Observations
Cape Sorell Waverider Analysis


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