Sydney is located in the south-west Pacific at 34°s and receives waves generated in the southern Coral
and Tasman Seas. Waves are generated by five meteorological systems: tropical cyclones, east-coast
cyclones, mid-latitude cyclones, zonal anticyclonic highs and local summer seabreezes. An examination
of 20 years of Sydney wave data reveals that each source has a characteristic seasonality, location and
spectrum, permitting the wave climate to be decomposed accordingly. Although at first glance the
annual wave climate is both energetic and highly variable, a distinct seasonality is present, with the
months of February-March and June experiencing the largest average monthly wave heights. Although
moderate waves dominate the climate, extreme waves (>4 m) and/or low swell may occur in any
month.
Absnacf-During the last couple of years, RDI's WorkHorse ADCP has provided a new method to measure unambiguous directional wave spectra, current profdes, and water level at the same time. Much more than duplicating traditional methods and devicea, a single ADCP provides a spatial array of measurements for measuring the wave field directly. This array enables creation of highdefinition polar plots of wave direction that separate, rather then smear, waves of similar frequency from multiple directions.ADCPs measure a complete frequeney-dirdou wave spectrum.Further the ADCP measures the surfacelayer currents that can distort the wave field. Recent results will he shown that demonstrate the unique advantages of this new technology-notably an ADCP-based analyds of waves can avoid some of the assumptions required by more traditional methods because new types of data are belng collected by the ADCP. This new capability is available as an upgrade for WorkHorse ADCPs in the field.
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