Author(s): S. Neelamani; K. Rakha; K. Al-Salem
Linked Author(s): Neelamani Subramani
Keywords: Weibull distribution; Significant wave height; Hindcasted wave data; Arabian Gulf
Abstract: The extreme significant wave heights were predicted for return periods of 12,25,50,100 and 200 years for 38 different locations in the territorial and offshore locations of various countries in the Arabian Gulf (Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Qatar, UAE and Iran) based on 12 years and 15 years of data. The input wave data for the work was obtained by hind casting of waves, using a WAM model. First the wave data hindcasted for a total period of 12 years (1 st Jan 1993 to 31 Dec 2004) were used and again the work was repeated with 15 years of data (1 st Jan 1993 to 31 Dec 2007). The peak over threshold method, with 1.0 m as threshold value was used for selecting the data for the extreme wave analysis. Weibull distribution is used for extreme value analysis. It is found that the significant wave heights for 100 year return period varies from 3.0 to 4.5 for water depths of 9 to 16 m, whereas in the offshore sites it is found to vary from 5.0 to 7.0 m, where the water depth varies from 30 to 60 m. Increasing the data from 12 to 15 years only affected the results to an average of+/-2% to 3%. A total of 6 locations has more than 5% change in extreme wave height prediction and only one location has a change of 11.2% due to additional input data. A large number of coastal projects are in progress in the Arabian Gulf. The results presented in this paper will be useful for optimal design of the ocean structures in this region.
Year: 2010