Table 4 



Wave Gage Placement for Coastal Project Monitoring 



I. High-budget project (major harbor; highly populated area) 



A. Recommended placement: 



1 . One (or more) wave gage(s) close to shore near the most critical features being moni- 

 tored (example, near an inlet). Although nearshore, gages should be in intermediate 

 or deep water based on expected most common wave period. Depth can be calcu- 

 lated from formulas in the Shore Protection Manual (1984). 



2. In addition, one wave gage in deep water. 



B. Schedule: 



1 . Minimum: 1 year. Monitor winter/summer wave patterns. 



2. Optimum: 5 years or at least long enough to determine if there are noticeable 

 changes in climatology over time. Try to include one El Nino season during coverage. 



C. Notes: 



1 . Concurrent physical or numerical modeling: Placement of gages must be coordinated 

 with modellers if field data will be used as input or calibration for models. 



2. Pre-existing wave data: may indicate that gages should be placed in particular 

 locations. Alternative, may want to place gages in the identical locations as the 

 previous deployment in order to make the new data as compatible as possible with 

 the older data. Long, continuous datasets are extremely valuable! 



3. Complicated topography: If there is a complicated local topography near the critical 

 project site (example: ebb tidal shoal at an inlet), it may be better to place the 

 nearshore gage a few kilometres away where the isobaths are more parallel to the 

 shoreline. 



4. Hazardous conditions: If there is a danger of gages being damaged by anchors or 

 fishing boats, the gages must be protected, mounted on structures (if available), or 

 deployed in a location that appears to be the least hazardous. 



II. Medium-budget project 



A. Recommended placement: 



1 . One wave gage close to shore near project site. 



2. Obtain data from nearest NOAA National Data Buoy Center (NDBC) buoy for 

 deepwater climatology. 



B. Schedule: minimum 1-year deployment; longer if possible 



C. Notes: same as IC above. Compatibility with existing data sets is very valuable. 



III. Low-budget, short-term project 



A. Recommended placement: gage close to project site. 



B. Schedule: if 1-year deployment is not possible, try to monitor the season when the 

 highest waves are expected (usually winter, although this may not be true in areas 

 where ice pack occurs). 



C. Notes: same as IC above. It is critical to use any and all data from the vicinity, 

 anything to provide additional information on the wave climatology of the region. 



Water Level Measurements and Observations 



To collect continuous water level data for site-specific, modern process 

 studies, tide gages must be deployed near the project site. Three types of 

 instruments are commonly used to measure water level: 



Chapter 3 Field Data Collection and Observation 



35 



