On spectrum calibration for nearshore wave transformation

A ‘shape-focus’ method is proposed for wave spectrum calibration. In this method calibration factors at each frequency bin are derived from measured and modelled data using a least square error approach. Modelled wave spectra are calibrated using the shape-focus method and then applied to a SWAN wave model to simulate nearshore wave transformation. Nearshore wave spectra are then compared with measurements. Results show that spectrum calibration with the shape-focus method improves wave data accuracy significantly for both significant wave height and mean wave periods, thus provides a more accurate solution to calibrating wave spectra for nearshore wave modelling.