Extreme High Swell Events on the Moroccan Atlantic Coast

4.0 Case Study 1 » 4.2 Step 1: Assess the Current Atmospheric and Marine Situation » 4.2.5 North Atlantic Ocean Ship and Buoy Observations

Here are ship and buoy observations from the North Atlantic Ocean on 6 January at 1200 UTC.

Ship and Buoy Observations on 6 Jan 2014 at 1200 UTC off the Moroccan coast
Legend for Ship and Buoy Observations

Question 1 of 3

Ship and Buoy Observations on 6 Jan 2014 at 1200 UTC off the Moroccan coast with a line marking the high seas for an exercise

What is the maximum significant wave height reported by ships and buoys on 6 January at 1200 UTC out in the ocean (to the left of the green line)?

Two ships southeast of the Azores Islands report a maximum significant wave height of 8m. The ship to the west is reporting a maximum wind wave height of 8 m, and the ship to the east is reporting a maximum swell wave height of 8 m. Recall that the observations are reported in half meters. The 99 in the eastern ship's wind wave block signifies that period estimation was not possible.

Ship and Buoy Observations on 6 Jan 2014 at 1200 UTC off the Moroccan coast with obs marked for an exercise
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Question 2 of 3

What is the corresponding wave direction reported by those ships?

The ships report waves moving from the northwest. This is generally in accordance with the wave’s propagation from the generation area.

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Question 3 of 3

What’s the maximum period that the ships report at 1200 UTC?

The ships report a maximum period of 20 s. This is an exceptional period, and should increase the wave’s power.

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