The Italian Data Buoy Network

WIT transactions on engineering sciences, 2012

The Italian Data Buoy Network consists of 15 oceanographic buoys, deployed along Italian coasts, on a seabed 100 meters deep. It collects directional sea wave data, meteorological data, sea surface temperature and in some cases quality parameters. Acoustic Doppler Current Profilers (ADCP) and hyperspectral probes will be added in the future. The network will be also the main framework for tsunami wave study in the central Mediterranean Sea, and an early technological platform to study low-frequency sea motion detected in open sea using high-precision, multichannel, multisatellite GPS/Glonass/Galileo receivers and sea bottom instrumentation equipped with nano-resolution pressure sensors.

Coastal Engineering Proceedings

The accuracy of directional wave spectra sensors is crucial for obtaining accurate forecasts of ocean and coastal wave conditions for scientific and engineering applications. In this paper, a newly designed, low-cost GPS-based wave buoy, called the Directional Wave Spectra Drifter (DWSD), is presented. A field test campaign was conducted at the Gulf of Naples, Italy with the goal of comparing the directional wave properties obtained with the DWSD and with a nearly co-located bottom-mounted Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler (ADCP) from Teledyne RD-Instruments. The comparison shows a very good agreement between the two methodologies. The reliability of this innovative instrument and its low costs allow a large variety of applications, including the implementation of a global, satellite-linked, real-time open-ocean network of drifting directional wave spectra sensors and monitoring the sea-state in harbors to aid ship transit and for planning coastal and offshore constructions. The DWS...

Coastal Engineering 2002 - Solving Coastal Conundrums - Proceedings of the 28th International Conference, 2003

A modern directional wave measurement network is operating since 1989 around the Italian coasts. The remote-controlled buoy system is managed by the National Hydrological and Marine Survey with excellent results in terms of data acquisition rates, temporal coverage and reliability.

Sensors

Technological development in terms of the power requirement for data acquisition and processing opens new perspectives in the field of environmental monitoring. Near real-time data flow about the sea condition and a possible direct interface with applications and services devoted to marine weather networks would have a significant impact on several aspects, such as, for example, safety and efficiency. In this scenario, the needs of buoy networks have been analyzed, and the estimation of directional wave spectra from buoys’ data has been deeply investigated. Two methods have been implemented, namely the truncated Fourier series and the weighted truncated Fourier series, and they have been tested by both simulated and real experimental data, representative of typical Mediterranean Sea conditions. From simulation, the second method proved to be more efficient. From the application to real case studies, it emerged that it works effectively in real conditions, as confirmed by parallel me...

Ocean Science, 2007

A network of three multi-sensor timeseries stations able to deliver real time physical and biochemical observations of the upper thermocline has been developed for the needs of the Mediterranean Forecasting System during the MFSTEP project. They follow the experience of the prototype M3A system that was developed during the MF-SPP project and has been tested during a pilot pre-operational period of 22 months (2000-2001). The systems integrate sensors for physical (temperature, salinity, turbidity, current speed and direction) as well as optical and chemical observations (dissolved oxygen, chlorophyll-a, PAR, nitrate). The south Aegean system (E1-M3A) follows a modular design using independent mooring lines and collects biochemical data in the upper 100 m and physical data in the upper 500 m of the water column. The south Adriatic buoy system (E2-M3A) uses similar instrumentation but on a single mooring line and also tests a new method of pumping water samples from relatively deep layers, performing analysis in the protected "dry" environment of the buoy interior. The Ligurian Sea system (W1-M3A) is an ideal platform for air-sea interaction processes since it hosts a large number of meteorological sensors while its ocean instrumentation, with real time transmission capabilities, is confined in the upper 50 m layer. Despite their different architecture, the three systems have common sampling strategy, quality control and data management procedures. The network operates in the Mediterranean Sea since autumn 2004 collecting timeseries data for calibration and validation of the forecasting system as well for process studies of regional dynamics.

NATO operational requirements seek the covert ability to obtain in-situ real time environmental monitoring of an arbitrary surf zone. Towards that end, the NATO Undersea Research Centre has developed an autonomous wave-current meter, which independently collects and analyzes data and then transmits the reduced data stream back to a home station. A centerpiece of this system is the buoy-satellite component. Buoy communications are covering all regions of NATO interest and enable either an autonomous delivery of data as well remote operator interaction with the system. Communication protocols are based on TCP/IP optimized for low bandwidth satellite transmissions with a reduced transmission time to increase covert transmissions features.

Ocean Science Discussions, 2016

The paper presents the results of an integrated buoy and X-Band radar sea state monitoring activity carried out on the southern coast of Sicily. The work involved the integration of buoy and radar data, as well as the simultaneous acquisition of Significant Wave Height (SWH) values from two similar radar sets located at a slight distance from each othera rare and fortunate circumstance which took place during two storms in the winter 2014-2015. Good consistency and repeatability was reached between the two radars and the reliability of X-Band radar as a wave monitoring system was confirmed by the comparison with the buoy wave meter. A further and important result of the work is the knowledge gained on the short spatial and temporal fluctuations of the sea state: while such Small Scale Storm Variations (SSSV) cannot be easily discriminated from electromagnetic effects and from algorithm artefacts, some important progress has been done towards the identification of this phenomenon. Integration of different sensors is the key to a definite improvement of sea state monitoring for most coastal applications. 1 Introduction There can be no doubt about the ever growing importance of coastal monitoring from all points of view: biological, chemical, water quality, temperature, currents, etc. Among all the relevant parameters those concerning wave agitation ("the sea state") are, if not the most important, certainly the first to be considered, since they influence all the others, directly or indirectly. They also closely connected to the meteorological conditions, both on a global and a local scale. Wave height measurement is probably the most important monitoring activity being carried out on the sea. It has a great scientific and economical relevance [1,2] therefore an equally great effort is dedicated all over the world to the maintenance of complex network of measuring systems. Routine sea wave monitoring, is presently carried out by accelerometric or GPS buoys deployed mostly along the coasts. Satellite altimeters [3] and SAR radars [4,5], also play a very important role in offshore

2015

This study presents a kinematic positioning approach<br> that uses a global positioning system (GPS) buoy for precise ocean<br> surface monitoring. The GPS buoy data from the two experiments are<br> processed using an accurate, medium-range differential kinematic<br> technique. In each case, the data from a nearby coastal site are<br> collected at a high rate (1 Hz) for more than 24 hours, and<br> measurements are conducted in neighboring tidal stations to verify<br> the estimated sea surface heights. The GPS buoy kinematic<br> coordinates are estimated using epoch-wise pre-elimination and a<br> backward substitution algorithm. Test results show that centimeterlevel<br> accuracy can be successfully achieved in determining sea<br> surface height using the proposed technique. The centimeter-level<br> agreement between the two methods also suggests the possibility of<br> using this inexpensive and more flexib...

International Journal of Integrated Engineering, 2018

Journal of Marine Science and Engineering

This work assesses the performance of an operational wave system in the Mediterranean Sea by comparing computed data with measurements collected at different water depths. Nearshore data measurements were collected through a field experiment carried out at Poetto beach (Southern Sardinia, Italy) during spring 2017. In addition to coastal observations, we use intermediate and deep water wave data measured by two buoys: one situated North-West of Corsica and the other in the Gulf of Lion. The operational wave system runs once a day to predict the wave evolution up to five days in advance. We use a multi-grid approach in which a large grid extends over the entire Mediterranean basin and a fine grid covers the coastal seas surrounding the islands of Sardinia and Corsica. The comparison with measurements shows that the operational wave system is able to satisfactorily reproduce the wave evolution in deep and intermediate waters where the relative error of the significant wave height is 1...