Experiences With Waverider Buoys In The Canadian Wave Climate Study

The Marine Environmental Data Service (MEDS) has operated one of the largest wave measurement programs in the world since 1969. MEDS has depended for the most part on the Waverider buoy for measurements and has in fact used over 130 buoys and performed over 500 calibrations in the 14-year life of the program. In the past two years, there have been questions raised as to the stability of the calibration of Waveriders and to the requirement to apply the complex transfer function to the buoy output prior to performing wave-by-wave analyses. The experience of the MEDS related to the stability of the Waverider calibration is presented and discussed, including a large amplitude test on a 22.9-metre ferris wheel. The application of the complex transfer function is also discussed and its effect on wave-by-wave statistics is demonstrated using real wave data collected in severe wave conditions off Canada´s east coast.