UK Coastal Wave Buoy Data with 30-Minute Measurements

Directional Waverider buoy data from the UK Environment Agency measures wave attributes every 30 minutes. The dataset includes parameters such as significant wave height, wave period, direction, and sea surface temperature from specific buoys like Blakney and Lowestoft. Data is available as a real-time feed and for historic download via the CEFAS wavenet website.

Use Cases

• Modeling coastal erosion and flood risk based on significant wave height and wave period data.
• Analyzing seasonal wave direction patterns for maritime navigation and offshore operations.
• Correlating sea surface temperature with wave energy spectra for climate studies.
• Validating hydrodynamic models using real-time wave measurement feeds.

Strengths

• Data is collected at a high temporal resolution, with measurements logged every 30 minutes.
• Includes multiple specific wave parameters such as significant wave height, wave period, direction, spread, and sea surface temperature.
• Covers data from six named monitoring locations (e.g., Blakney, Lowestoft) providing geographic specificity.

Limitations

• Row count and total dataset size are unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• The description notes historic and future data may come from different buoy instrument types, potentially introducing measurement inconsistencies.

Provenance

Source

Environment Agency (UK), hosted on the CEFAS wavenet website.

Collection Method

Measured by Directional Waverider buoys floating on the water surface, logging time-averaged data every 30 minutes.

Time Range

Historic records and real-time feed; specific temporal coverage is not stated.

Freshness

Data is available as a real-time feed, but the last update date for the archived records is unknown.

Geography

UK coastal waters, based on the named buoy locations (e.g., Blakney, Chapel Point, Felixstowe).