A FIELD STUDY OF WAVES IN THE NEARSHORE ZONE

Initial results are described of precise observations of waves shoaling in the nearshore zone. The key technique of the experiments is a 16 mm memo-motion camera system by which long term measurements of waves can be made simultaneously at many locations. Six or seven pairs of synchronized cameras were mounted on a research pier crossing the surf zone. The cameras were focused on target poles mounted on sleds which were towed about 200 m outside the breaker line, and on a line of poles jetted into the sea bottom across the surf zone. Waves transforming in the nearshore zone were observed from about 400 m offshore to the shoreline. At present only the characteristics of the statistical waves, wave height distributions, wave period distributions, and the joint distributions of wave height and period are described as part of the initial analysis.