Comparison of Two Severe Storms in Terms of Wave Characteristics Based On Recorded Field Data

Abstract

Understanding of storm wave behaviour is critical to the development of appropriate coastal hydrodynamic models to assess risk management and mitigation strategies in response to problems such as coastal inundation and erosion. This is becoming increasingly important in the present age of accelerated global warming where it is expected that there will be an increase in the intensity of severe weather events such as tropical cyclones. One of the main problems in storm wave predictions is the lack of availability of sufficient field data for used in calibrating and verifying models. Most of the existing models have been validated based on laboratory works and as such are not entirely representative of storm wave conditions experienced in the field. This paper, presents a novel approach to the collection and analysis of field data under two different storm events which hits south-east Queensland in 2009, namely Tropical Cyclone Hamish and an East Coast Low. Results of these two severe storms are added to a data set collected in calm condition and in order to extracting new formulation of ?s.