Wave Climate Products

We offer the whole range of wave climate products based on probably the largest and most accurate global wave and wind data base.

The database comprises:

a) Global satellite data (1986-2001)
b) Global and regional wave model data
c) Measured wave data from many countries worldwide

Products range from a low price multiple-use global subscription service to PC software atlases (for any country or region worldwide) to the highest quality offshore directional wave time series (for any project site worldwide) to the most comprehensive wave atlas ever released (EUROWAVES), also available and tailor made worldwide as WORLDWAVES. In order to quickly find the product matching your application, please check the list of deliverables (customer requirements) below for that most closely matching your requirement. Please email us for the current price list.

A. Customer Requirement: Significant Wave Height and Wind Speed Statistics in Deep (Offshore) Waters.

There are two options, the first is most reasonable in price and provides statistics at the location of interest only. The second provides data, as a minimum, over a 10°x10° area. This is recommended for users a) likely to need more data in the same area in the future; b) interested in the spatial variability of wave conditions over an area; c) interested in full resolution data (down to 1 sec./6 km. resolution along the satellite track; d) inter-annual variability; e) special events etc.

A.1 Annual subscription to WWA Significant Wave Height and Wind Speed statistics globally.

A minimum charge (for one year from time of joining) will apply. This amount will be payable upon joining. For any location specified by you, we will provide the best available satellite statistics based on satellite altimeter data from 1986 to 2000 (we regularly update the archive as more date are continually being collected). OCEANOR also have probably the largest global in-situ database (buoy and platform data) available. If there are in-situ data available, we will use these as appropriate. For each location, you will be asked to specify which statistics you wish to receive. Any wave height or wind speed statistics which can be generated by WWA can be provided. In order to see what is possible, a demo of WWA can be downloaded from our Web Site or we can send you a list of possible statistics. You pay for a set of statistics for each location. We have decided not to put this service on-line as the quality and accuracy for a given location is improved with the personal touch and allows us always to provide the best and most up-to-date data! Typical delivery time: 1-2 days. Note that this option only gives you the statistics, not the software.

A.2 World Wave Atlas 2.0 software package

The WWA 2.0 software package containing all satellite altimeter data at full resolution (1986 – 1989:GEOSAT and 1992 – 2002 (ongoing): TOPEX are included). In some areas, including Norway and USA, long-term buoy data can also be included. For more details, please download the WWA demo and other information available on our Web Site.

A.3 Satellite altimeter ASCII listings

Some customers prefer to have the actual satellite measurements in ASCII format. Prices on request.

B. Customer Requirement: Significant Wave Height, Wave Period and Wave Direction and/or Wind Speed and Direction Statistics in Deep (Offshore) Waters

There are two options, the first is the most reasonable in price and provides statistics at the location of interest, based on a methodology whereby long term satellite data are combined with short term representative bivariate statistics to derive significant wave height, wave period and wave direction and/or wind speed and direction statistics. Although not as accurate or flexible as option 2, we still believe that this provides the user with the most reliable reasonably priced global long-term site specific statistics available at present anywhere. The statistics are based on well proven methodologies whereby high precision satellite data are integrated with global and regional wave model data.

B.1 Annual subscription to WWA Significant Wave Height, Wave Period and Wave Direction and/or Wind Speed and Direction Statistics globally.

A minimum charge of (for one year from time of joining) will apply. This amount will be invoiced upon joining. For any location specified by you, we will provide the best available statistics based on satellite altimeter data integrated with ECMWF WAM model data from 1986 to 2000 (we regularly update the archive as more date are continually being made). Oceanor also have probably the largest global in-situ database (buoy and platform data) available. If there are in-situ data available, we will use these as appropriate. For each location, you will be asked to specify which statistics you wish to receive. Most univariate and bivariate wave statistics may be provided. In order to be able to provide data at a reasonable price the following method is used: a) using the full quality controlled and calibrated 1986-2000 satellite altimeter database, the long term significant wave height distribution is calculated; b) based on an analysis of the year to year variability of the wave climate at the site of interest, a typical representative year is chosen for detailed analysis; c) the long term satellite altimeter data are used to evaluate extreme conditions if this is required by the user; d) the short term wave model data for the representative year are extracted and calibrated by comparing with satellite altimeter data, e) the calibrated model data (now consistent with the satellite data) are now used to calculate the bivariate wave height-period and wave height-direction statistics for the location of interest; e) if directional extremes are required, these are estimated by calculating the relative directional extremes for the single year and scaling so that the direction with the highest extremes is consistent with the all-year satellite extreme condition. A demo of WWA can be downloaded from our Web Site or we can send you a list of other possible statistics. Please ask if you are uncertain if the statistics you require are included. For the first four locations in any given year, there is no charge above the annual subscription. Payment due quarterly or annually, depending on the size of your usage. We have decided not to put this service on-line for reasons given above. Typical delivery time: 1-3 days.

B.2 Long term calibrated wave model data under WWA2.0

For the highest quality statistics at a given site, we use long term ECMWF WAM model data, which are first validated on a year-to-year basis against satellite altimeter data and subsequently calibrated so that the model long term statistics are consistent with the satellite data (Satellite altimeter data from Topex have been shown to be close to the accuracy of buoy data and can therefore be considered as ground truth). From this long-term series we can calculate any univariate or bivariate wave statistics of interest. We can also provide downtime (duration) statistics. The model time series can either be provided as a time series ASCII file and/or installed under the WWA 2.0 software package. If WWA20 is chosen, we can also add all satellite altimeter data at full resolution to the atlas (1986 – 1989:GEOSAT and 1992 – 2001 (ongoing): TOPEX are included). Please add 75% of charges given under A2 for the satellite data. Up to 20-year series may be provided. Please ask for more details with prices. The WWA2.0 package can be used to calculate a range of statistics. Some other options are given below

In some areas including Norway and USA, long-term buoy data can also be included.
We can also provide a report which fully documents the accuracy of the model wave data and gives a description of the validation and calibration of the model wave data, gives a short description of the main characteristics of the wave climate in the area of interest and provides some simple wave statistics (bivariate significant wave height against wave period statistics).
A careful directional extreme wave analysis can be performed (for example, this would give boundary conditions to a customer’s shallow water wave model).
We can calculate downtime (duration statistics) based on the long term series for each exceedence or non-exceedence level.
We can provide long term synthesised directional wave spectra based on the wave model wind sea/swell parameters and a validated directional spectrum model.
We can provide calibrated original WAM directional spectra from June 1998.
If you only require standard wave statistics (e.g., joint frequency tables), charges (for European waters only) are 75% of the charge for the time series.

C. Customer Requirement: Significant Wave Height, Wave Period and Wave Direction at a coastal location

If the customer also requires detailed statistics to be calculated at a coastal site where the wave climate is significantly different than offshore, we can transfer the offshore conditions (from B.2) to the coastal location of interest. As a result of the recently completed EUROWAVES project (see http://www.oceanor.no/projects/eurowaves), we can carry out wave modelling for any coastal location in Europe at substantially lower prices than was previously the case. Prices are very competitive. The wave data series at the target coastal location can be incorporated in our WWA2.0 atlases. You can also purchase the full range of wave statistics.

D. Customer Requirement: the customer wishes to use World Wave Atlas package as a database for his/her own data.

OCEANOR uses WWA 2.0 as a data base and analysis tool for both satellite, model and in-situ data as it is quick and easy to use. We are planning a converter to make it possible for users to import their own data to WWA format.

E. Customer Requirement: EUROWAVES

We are now offering the EUROWAVES software package for sub-areas of Europe, both purchase and on a subscription agreement as follows:

Whole of Europe
For one of the 6 Basic Eurowaves regions
For a smaller region

Prices for purchase and subscription on request.

F. Customer Requirement: WORLDWAVES

We are now offering to develop complete wave analysis and modelling packages for any country or region worldwide using the same methodology used in Eurowaves and including the same functions, i.e., high quality offshore database (following the methods outlined in B.2 above), bathymetric data, raytracing and SWAN wave models, advanced statistical analysis package for offshore and nearshore analyses. Please see the on-line demo on the Web Site. Please contact us for a quote.
(see http://www.oceanor.no/projects/eurowaves

G. Customer Requirement: Offshore wave model hindcast for any area worldwide

In the EUROWAVES project, a hindcast was performed for the Black Sea with excellent results. We are now offering to carry out similar hindcasts anywhere worldwide (WAM model and ECMWF winds). Please contact us for more information.