USE OF SATELLITE WAVE DATA IN THE WORLDWAVES PROJECT

The demand for reliable information on wave conditions, in particular at coastal sites, is increasing. WorldWaves is a newly completed software package, developed by Fugro OCEANOR with funding from industry and within the framework of various European Commission sponsored contracts, notably EnviWave. The system simplifies the modelling of wave conditions in coastal waters, resulting in more timely, lower cost but reliable data. Thus, WorldWaves should be particularly beneficial in developing countries. In WorldWaves, the following are integrated under a single Matlab toolbox: · High quality long-term wave data offshore all global coasts. · Global bathymetric and coastline data. · Two shallow water wave models: SWAN, a third generation wave model and a backward ray-tracing model. · Sophisticated offshore and nearshore wave statistics toolboxes. · A geographic module allowing the user to easily zoom in on geographic maps together with tools to assist the user in setting up the model grid. · A bathymetry editing tool allowing easy editing of the bathymetric data. · A facility allowing users to easily import their own offshore wave data In this paper, we describe the role of satellite wave measurements in enhancing the quality of the final product with examples and applications from South America