Investigation on Spectrum Estimation Methods for Bimodal Sea State Conditions

Area of Science:

• Oceanography
• Marine Meteorology
• Signal Processing

Background:

• Reliable sea state monitoring is crucial for weather forecasting and maritime safety.
• Accurate assessment of sea state parameters aids navigation and operational planning.

Purpose of the Study:

• To benchmark the effectiveness of Welch and Thomson spectrum estimation methods.
• To compare their performance in reconstructing wave spectra and assessing sea state parameters.
• To investigate the impact of signal duration on parameter assessment.

Main Methods:

• Applied Welch and Thomson spectrum estimation methods to synthetic wave signals.
• Generated signals from combined wind sea and swell spectra with varying parameters.
• Utilized nonlinear least squares for parameter assessment.
• Analyzed signals of 600s and 3600s durations.

Main Results:

• Both methods reconstructed wave spectra with varying fidelity.
• The Welch method generally provided more accurate sea state parameter assessments.
• Signal duration influenced the accuracy of the assessed sea state parameters.

Conclusions:

• The Welch method is suggested for effective sea state parameter assessment.
• Considerations for signal duration are important for improving accuracy.
• Method selection impacts the reliability of maritime and meteorological forecasts.