PREFACE 



This report is published to provide guidance to coastal engineers in 

 planning wave data collection in coastal waters for climatology purposes, 

 including wave direction. The popularity of three-gage arrays for pro- 

 posed wave direction measuring systems makes it necessary to evaluate 

 the capabilities and the limitations of these arrays. The availability 

 of the CERC five-gage array at Pt. Mugu, California, provided a unique 

 opportunity for evaluating the performance of wave recording systems and 

 the directional capabilities of three-gage arrays o The work was carried 

 out under the wave measurement and analyses program of the U.S. Army 

 Coastal Engineering Research Center (CERC) . 



This report was prepared by Dr. Dinorah C. Esteva under the super- 

 vision of Dr. D. Lee Harris, Chief, Coastal Oceanography Branch, Research 

 Division. The author acknowledges the valuable insight and comments pro- 

 vided by Dr. D. Lee Harris and Mr. R. P. Savage, Chief, Research Division, 

 CfiRC. 



Comments on this publication are invited. 



Approved for publication in accordance with Public Law 166, 79th 

 Congress, approved 31 July 1945, as supplemented by Public Law 172, 

 88th Congress, approved 7 November 1963 „ 



/^V ' > wt.1 



;^JOHN H. COUSINS 

 Colonel, Corps of Engineers 

 Commander and Director 



