Brown, Hunter C.

Meadows, Guy A.

English

ScholarWorks @ The University of New Orleans

University of New Orleans 
ScholarWorks@UNO 
Ocean Waves Workshop 
Nov 17th, 2:50 PM - 2:55 PM 
Wave Sensing in the Upper-Great Lakes Observing System 
(Extended Abstract) 
Hunter C. Brown 
Delaware Environmental Observing System, University of Delaware, hcbrown@udel.edu 
Guy A. Meadows 
Dept. of Atmospheric, Oceanic, and Space Sciences, University of Michigan 
Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.uno.edu/oceanwaves 
Brown, Hunter C. and Meadows, Guy A., "Wave Sensing in the Upper-Great Lakes Observing System 
(Extended Abstract)" (2011). Ocean Waves Workshop. 6. 
https://scholarworks.uno.edu/oceanwaves/2011/Session3/6 
This Event is brought to you for free and open access by ScholarWorks@UNO. It has been accepted for inclusion in 
Ocean Waves Workshop by an authorized administrator of ScholarWorks@UNO. For more information, please 
contact scholarworks@uno.edu. 
 Ocean Waves Workshop (http://www.oceanwavesworkshop.uno.edu) Proceedings (2011) / 92 
Wave Sensing in the Upper-Great Lakes Observing System 
Hunter C. Brown
1) *
, Guy A. Meadows
2)  
1)
Delaware Environmental Observing System, University of Delaware, Newark, Delaware  
2)
Dept. of Atmospheric, Oceanic, and Space Sciences, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan  
*
Corresponding author: hcbrown@udel.edu  
 
1.  Introduction 
The Upper-Great Lakes Observing System (UGLOS) 
began deploying buoys on the Great Lakes in 2003 as 
part of the Integrated Ocean Observing System (IOOS) 
regional partner Great Lakes Observing System (GLOS). 
Oceanographic and meteorological data gathered by the 
buoys (Fig. 1) are transmitted every ten minutes back to 
receiving stations on land for further processing and 
visualization [1].  
As the system gained popularity, new partners such as 
DTE Energy, the Great Lakes environmental Research 
Laboratory (GLERL) of NOAA, the National Data 
Buoy Center (NDBC), and the Alliance for Coastal 
Technologies (ACT) began requesting new data 
products in addition to more in situ platforms. Coastal 
researchers and data modelers noticed a distinct lack of 
wind and wave data from the near-shore region, 
especially in the Great Lakes [2]. One highly requested 
data product was the observation and estimation of 
near-shore surface wave information.  
In 2008, GLOS funding allowed the Ocean Engineering 
Laboratory (OEL) to pursue buoy refurbishments and 
the design of a new buoy-mounted wave sensor. Many 
technologies exist to measure waves such as submerged 
pressure gauge fields, acoustic surface tracking, marine 
radars, laser altimetry, and inertial measurements. The 
OEL investigated each technology to assess the 
applicability for inclusion on the UGLOS monitoring 
buoys.  
This paper discusses the design of the OEL IWS, 
ongoing research involving the observation of waves, a 
comparison of IWS output to the Great Lakes Coastal 
Forecasting System output, and a brief overview of 
future upgrades to the wave sensing program. 
2.  Inertial Wave Sensor Design 
The OEL IWS (Fig. 1) is a +12V (+9 to +38V dc) 
powered inertial wave sensor that reports heading, 
significant wave height, dominant wave period, and 
mean wave direction via RS-232 communications. The 
IWS contains an integrated three-axis accelerometer 
(Analog Devices ADXL330) and a digital compass 
(Honeywell HMR3300) which also reports roll / pitch. 
These components provide 12bit measurements at a 
sample rate of 2Hz.  
Due to the amount of data that is measured, it is 
impractical to store the entire wave record over the 
duration of deployment. Instead, each sample of  
 
 
 
 
approximately 8.5 minutes of data is temporarily 
recorded and post-processed to extract wave statistics 
from the record. Wave analysis is computed by a Digi 
International Rabbit RCM3600 core module using a 
custom discrete Fast Fourier Transform algorithm. 
 
Figure 1. Upper-Great Lakes Observing System 
Environmental Monitoring Buoy. 
3.  Research 
The University of Michigan‘s Ocean Engineering 
Laboratory is currently engaged in three research efforts 
motivated by the near-shore wave and meteorological 
data provided by the UGLOS buoys: automated 
detection and prediction of lake-breeze events, 
forecasting of harmful algal blooms, and better 
understanding nutrient and pollutant transport 
throughout the Great Lakes. These studies further 
demonstrate the need for high temporal resolution of 
nearshore observations.  
4.  Acknowledgment 
This work is supported through grants from GLOS, 
MTRI, ACT, Northwestern College, Michigan Sea 
Grant, and the Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and 
Chippewa Indians, and a consortium of partners from 
Little Traverse Bay. The authors would like to extend 
their appreciation to Mr. Edward Celkis for electrical 
design and integration, and his work on the data logging 
and communications scheme.  
5.  References 
 
[1] H. C. Brown, H. L. Purcell, and G. A. Meadows, 
―The Upper-Great Lakes Observing System,‖ in 
Proceedings of IEEE/MTS OCEANS 2010, 2010.  
[2] L. Harris and V. R. Kotamarthi, ―The characteristics 
of the chicago lake breeze and its effects on trace 
particle transport: Results from an episodic event 
simulation,‖ Journal of Applied Meteorology, vol. 
44, no. 11, pp. 1637–1654, 2005. 


Wave Sensing in the Upper-Great Lakes Observing System (Extended Abstract)

University of New Orleans

University of New Orleans ScholarWorks@UNO Ocean Waves Workshop Nov 17th, 2:50 PM - 2:55 PM Wave Sensing in the Upper-Great Lakes Observing System (Extended Abstract) Hunter C. Brown Delaware Environmental Observing System, University of Delaware, hcbrown@udel.edu Guy A. Meadows Dept. of Atmospheric, Oceanic, and Space Sciences, University of Michigan Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.uno.edu/oceanwaves Brown, Hunter C. and Meadows, Guy A., "Wave Sensing in the Upper-Great Lakes Observing System (Extended Abstract)" (2011). Ocean Waves Workshop. 6. https://scholarworks.uno.edu/oceanwaves/2011/Session3/6 This Event is brought to you for free and open access by ScholarWorks@UNO. It has been accepted for inclusion in Ocean Waves Workshop by an authorized administrator of ScholarWorks@UNO. For more information, please contact scholarworks@uno.edu.  Ocean Waves Workshop (http://www.oceanwavesworkshop.uno.edu) Proceedings (2011) / 92 Wave Sensing in the Upper-Great Lakes Observing System Hunter C. Brown1) *, Guy A. Meadows2)  1)Delaware Environmental Observing System, University of Delaware, Newark, Delaware  2)Dept. of Atmospheric, Oceanic, and Space Sciences, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan  *Corresponding author: hcbrown@udel.edu   1.  Introduction The Upper-Great Lakes Observing System (UGLOS) began deploying buoys on the Great Lakes in 2003 as part of the Integrated Ocean Observing System (IOOS) regional partner Great Lakes Observing System (GLOS). Oceanographic and meteorological data gathered by the buoys (Fig. 1) are transmitted every ten minutes back to receiving stations on land for further processing and visualization [1].  As the system gained popularity, new partners such as DTE Energy, the Great Lakes environmental Research Laboratory (GLERL) of NOAA, the National Data Buoy Center (NDBC), and the Alliance for Coastal Technologies (ACT) began requesting new data products in addition to more in situ platforms. Coastal researchers and data modelers noticed a distinct lack of wind and wave data from the near-shore region, especially in the Great Lakes [2]. One highly requested data product was the observation and estimation of near-shore surface wave information.  In 2008, GLOS funding allowed the Ocean Engineering Laboratory (OEL) to pursue buoy refurbishments and the design of a new buoy-mounted wave sensor. Many technologies exist to measure waves such as submerged pressure gauge fields, acoustic surface tracking, marine radars, laser altimetry, and inertial measurements. The OEL investigated each technology to assess the applicability for inclusion on the UGLOS monitoring buoys.  This paper discusses the design of the OEL IWS, ongoing research involving the observation of waves, a comparison of IWS output to the Great Lakes Coastal Forecasting System output, and a brief overview of future upgrades to the wave sensing program. 2.  Inertial Wave Sensor Design The OEL IWS (Fig. 1) is a +12V (+9 to +38V dc) powered inertial wave sensor that reports heading, significant wave height, dominant wave period, and mean wave direction via RS-232 communications. The IWS contains an integrated three-axis accelerometer (Analog Devices ADXL330) and a digital compass (Honeywell HMR3300) which also reports roll / pitch. These components provide 12bit measurements at a sample rate of 2Hz.  Due to the amount of data that is measured, it is impractical to store the entire wave record over the duration of deployment. Instead, each sample of      approximately 8.5 minutes of data is temporarily recorded and post-processed to extract wave statistics from the record. Wave analysis is computed by a Digi International Rabbit RCM3600 core module using a custom discrete Fast Fourier Transform algorithm.  Figure 1. Upper-Great Lakes Observing System Environmental Monitoring Buoy. 3.  Research The University of Michigan‘s Ocean Engineering Laboratory is currently engaged in three research efforts motivated by the near-shore wave and meteorological data provided by the UGLOS buoys: automated detection and prediction of lake-breeze events, forecasting of harmful algal blooms, and better understanding nutrient and pollutant transport throughout the Great Lakes. These studies further demonstrate the need for high temporal resolution of nearshore observations.  4.  Acknowledgment This work is supported through grants from GLOS, MTRI, ACT, Northwestern College, Michigan Sea Grant, and the Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians, and a consortium of partners from Little Traverse Bay. The authors would like to extend their appreciation to Mr. Edward Celkis for electrical design and integration, and his work on the data logging and communications scheme.  5.  References  [1] H. C. Brown, H. L. Purcell, and G. A. Meadows, ―The Upper-Great Lakes Observing System,‖ in Proceedings of IEEE/MTS OCEANS 2010, 2010.  [2] L. Harris and V. R. Kotamarthi, ―The characteristics of the chicago lake breeze and its effects on trace particle transport: Results from an episodic event simulation,‖ Journal of Applied Meteorology, vol. 44, no. 11, pp. 1637–1654, 2005. 

https://scholarworks.uno.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1017&amp;context=oceanwaves

Wave Sensing in the Upper-Great Lakes Observing System (Extended Abstract)

Abstract

Similar works

Full text

Available Versions

ScholarWorks @ The University of New Orleans

University of New Orleans