Historical Data
Graematter provides access to historical wind and ocean data from NOAA’s WAVEWATCH III global wave model.
This data has application for a wide variety of marine-related activities. It is most commonly used to determine the climatological sea state of certain locations where offshore operations will be performed. It can also be used to determine the most active/inactive time periods at coastal locations.
Further processing to apply nearshore adjustments (wave magnification and focusing) is also available.
Example Clients
1. Coastal engineers who want to research the long term wave climate at a location such as a harbor or an offshore platform.
2. Shipping companies in their research of long term schedules versus wind and wave conditions along their shipping routes.
3. Oceanographers and marine biology scientists who want to study waves, and even their possible long term affects of wave actions on coral reefs or other structures.
4. Surf contest organizers who want to schedule their multi million dollar events during the periods of the best optimum surfing conditions for specific locations.
5. Natural energy companies looking for the most optimum locations to develop wave farms and extract ocean wave energy.
If you have a project or application that requires additional analysis beyond that from our historical data, please contact us.
Dataset
The 34 year dataset is available globally and contains data at 3 hr intervals from Jan. 1979 to Feb. 2013. More recent data is added to the set as time progresses. The spatial resolution of the global gridded dataset (the distance between available model grid points) is 0.5 x 0.5 degrees in latitude and longitude. There are nested sub-domains within this global model which contain data at higher spatial resolutions of 1/6 and 1/15 degree in latitude and longitude – the areas covered by these nested grids include the Eastern and Western United States (including Hawaii and Puerto Rico), the Western Indian Ocean, Australia, various islands in the South Pacific Ocean, the Mediterranean Sea, North Sea, Red Sea, Persian Gulf, Sea of Cortez, Black Sea, and the Baltic Sea. NOTE: Some of the higher resolution data is only available up until 2009. Contact us with your location and we will assist in determining the best available dataset for you.
The following variables are available in the above dataset:
WDIR – Wind direction (degrees, meteorological convention)
WIND – Wind speed 10m (m/s)
HTSGW – Significant wave height (m)
DIRPW – Peak wave direction (degrees, meteorological convention)
PERPW – Peak wave period (s)
For more information about the WAVEWATCH III model and its variables, please visit the NCEP Marine Modeling and Analysis Branch.
Accuracy of Historical Data
Our data is extremely accurate, but remember, this is modeled data and not actual “observed” data, so there will always be some variations in the accuracy. That being said, the WAVEWATCH III model data has proven to be very accurate over time and is historically the most accurate global ocean model ever developed.
Historical Data Format
The data can be provided in many different formats, typically in an excel spreadsheet or in comma delimited text format, however other formats – Grads, GRIB, NetCDF etc can also be generated.
Choosing Historical Ocean Data Points
The historical WAVEWATCH III model data is on a variably spaced grid where higher resolution data is available in different areas of the world – outlined above. Contact us with the location you need and we can determine the closest valid grid point for you and also give suggestions where necessary.
Pricing
Pricing varies depending on the dataset required and the time span needed. Contact us for a quote.