A Statistical Approach to Modelling Ocean Waves Using Buoy Data

The NOAA Data Buoy Office (NBDO) checks for malfunctions in a Wave Data Analyzer onboard a weather buoy by assuming linear relationships between the wind speed and the spectral wave density values when the data has been culled so as to observe a fully developed sea state. These relationships are improved using data that has not been culled, and by regressing the spectral wave density values not only on the present, but also on past wind speeds. These equations are further refined by including wind direction. Confidence intervals are then computed for the spectral wave density values. These can be used to determine whether the Wave Data Analyzer has malfunctioned.