Design and Implementation of a Wave Measurement System Based on Millimeter-Wave Radar Array.

Area of Science:

• Oceanography
• Remote Sensing Technology
• Marine Engineering

Background:

• Ocean waves significantly impact maritime safety, offshore construction, and disaster warnings.
• Accurate, real-time wave parameter observation is crucial for these applications.
• Existing technologies require validation for reliability in diverse marine conditions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the performance of a One-Vertical-Two-Inclined Millimeter-Wave Radar Array (1V2I-MMWRA) for real-time ocean wave observation.
• To compare the precision of the zero-crossing method and spectral estimation for wave parameter calculation.
• To validate the 1V2I-MMWRA system's reliability, particularly under extreme weather conditions like typhoons.

Main Methods:

• Utilized a 1V2I-MMWRA system to collect wave displacement time series data in the South China Sea.
• Estimated key wave parameters including significant wave height, mean wave height, significant wave period, and mean wave period using both zero-crossing and spectral estimation methods.
• Validated system performance against an air-sea interface flux buoy and analyzed directional spectrum.

Main Results:

• The zero-crossing method demonstrated superior precision, with lower Root-Mean-Square Errors (RMSEs) for all estimated wave parameters compared to spectral estimation.
• Spectral estimation showed increased deviations, particularly during typhoon events.
• Directional spectrum analysis indicated that peak frequency and Power Spectral Density (PSD) intensify with typhoon strength, and wave directions closely matched in situ measurements.

Conclusions:

• The 1V2I-MMWRA system is highly reliable for observing ocean wave parameters, even under extreme conditions such as typhoons.
• The zero-crossing method is more precise for wave parameter estimation using this radar array.
• The 1V2I-MMWRA offers advantages in low power consumption and ease of deployment for marine observation.