Proceedings of the Eleventh (2001) International Offshore and Polar Engineering Conference

Stavanger, Norway, June 17-22, 2001

Copyright © 2001 by The International Society of Offshore and Polar Engineers
ISBN 1-880653-51-6 (Set); ISBN 1-880653-54-O(VoL I11); ISSN 1098-6189 (SeO

Expected Wave Height by Wave Direction at Japanese Coastal Zone

Yasutaka Saito, Ryoko Suzuki, Shuhei Notomi, Osamu Saijo and Kyoichi Okamoto
Nihon University
Chiba, Japan

ABSTORACT
An estimation method of waves load is needed on structural
design of oceanic architectures, since the wave load takes major part
in all ocean environment loads. Wave height, period and direction are
basic values in the estimation method, and should be considered by
statistics data because of area characteristics and seasonal changes.
Our object is to make a database on wave loads for structural design
of oceanic architecture. In this paper, we estimated 100-year expected
wave height and period by wave direction based on observation data
for 8 years at 10 location points at coastal zone.
KEY W O R D S
Wave Load, Expected Value, Wave Height, Wave Period, Wave
Direction, Coastal Zone
design of wave loads for newly oceanic architecture. In this paper, we
estimated the 100-year expected wave height and period by wave
direction based on wave observation data for 8 years at 10 location
points at coastal zone in Japan.
T H E O R I T I C A L ANALYSIS
To calculate the wave height and period for structural design,
long time observation data are needed. There are wave statistics data,
that is including wave direction besides wave height and period, by
development of observation instruments. Wave direction data is
useful to design in case of directional qualities on architectural plan
or area characteristics at building location, for example, in a bay or a
vague outline of an island. The flow of calculation method of
expected wave height by wave direction is shown below.

NOMENCLATURE 1. Collected data of wave height and the direction.

Fj: percentage of no excessive
j: order number
In: natural logarithm (log e)
N: number of data
Pj: excessive probability
T: return period
U: maximum wind speed in return period
Uav: average of wind speed
)0: double exponential
o-u: standard deviation of wind speed
INTRODUCTION
Japan is surrounding by sea in every direction and the economic
activities in Japan begin to move to the sea and coastal zone. Oceanic
architectures with living space had been built about ten years ago.
These architectures are acted on so many kinds of environmental
loads that are winds, waves, tides and so on. In these loads on
structural design, we have to conquest the characteristics of wave
loads, with regard to the safety of structures in natural disasters and
the human damage. Here, new estimation method against waves is
needed on structural design since wave load takes major part in ocean
environment. Wave height, wave direction and wave period are basic
values in estimation of wave loads, and have to be considered by
statistics data because of area characteristics and seasonal changes.
Our object in this research is to make a database on the structural
Observation data collection 3 elements of wave height, wave
direction and wave period. Long time data is needed, if possible.
2. Extraction of maximum wave height depending on the direction.
Get the maximum value by a month wave height depending on
the direction.
3. Obtained the characteristics of wave height and period.
Calculate of appearance percentage of wave height depending on
the direction.
4. Calculation of expected wave height and period.
Calculate of wave height and period by expected values in 100
years.
In this paper, expected wave height is calculated by the moment
method by Gumbel. First, all of samples N of wave height are
rearranged in the order from largest to smallest value. Next, the
excessive probability Pj with regards to ~/" order is calculated.
Equation (1) shows the probability given by Gumbel.
Pj=j/(N+ 1 ) (1)
Fj is written by Pj.
Fj=(1-Pj) • 100 (2)
Retum period is described as

29
 T = 1/(1-Fj/100) (3) CALCULATION RESULTS

Calculate double exponential X j by variable F j as Location Points

X j = - I n ( - ln ( F j / 1 0 0 )
The linear approximation of the moment method is obtained as
U = Uav + 0.78 ou ( Y0"- 0.5772 )
It is possible to calculate the maximum wind speed of arbitrary
return period by Equation (5). Practically, using double exponential
distribution paper expected value in arbitrary return period is given
easily.
In order to calculate expected wave height and direction, 10
(4) location points are selected coastal zone in Japan, namely Hachinohe,
Onahama, Kashima, Murotsu, Shibushi and Naha, which are facing
the Pacific Ocean side, and Setana, Akita, Wajima and Genkainada,
which are facing the Nihon Sea. Wave data for calculation of
(5) expected values were obtained from NOWPHAS (Nationwide Ocean
Wave information network for Ports and HArbourS) for per 2 hours
observation annual report 1991-1998 by Coastal Development
Institute of Technology.
(m) N

(m)N
15
/ 0'~/ , t ~ . , ' NE

[ , SE

m)N S
15
i,i~__.. NE
5
(m)N

SE

NW 15 /NEe" ( c~ __ ( (m)N '°

s:
°°
s sw: / i\ "s~
. C(~)N s
13 15
•

Independent o f wave direction

Depending on wave direction
a

Figure 1. Expected wave height at 10 location points for coastal zone in Japan

30
Expected Wave Height
Figure 1 shows the 100-year expected values of wave height by
16 wave directions, at 10 location points at coastal zone in Japan.
Maximum expected wave height depending on wave direction at each
location points is about 10 (m), and this value is almost the same as
the values independent of each wave direction. Expected wave
heights at Nihon Sea side are obtained about 10 % high, compared
with ones at Pacific Ocean side. This reason is considered the effect
of a distribution of atmospheric pressure in which the high-pressure
area lies to the west and the low-pressure area to the east. This is the
most typical characteristic of meteorology in Japan. There are various
directions on the wave direction obtained maximum expected wave
height at each location. The wave direction is basically toward to land
from sea. Each area characteristics are derived from this tendency.
Observed wave height is restricted to some wave direction at almost
location points and the expected values at not observed wave height
and direction are almost zero. At the location points obtained
expected values at every directions, that is Akita, Kashima and Naha,
the expected wave height except major direction are very small and
denotes 5 to 50 % of the maximum expected wave height.
Wave Height and Period
Figure 2 shows the dispersion relation of wave height and period
at each location points, and the approximation line by least squares
method. This is plotted the maximum wave height and period on each
month. The expected wave period corresponding to 100-year
expected wave height is able to estimate from this figure. It shows
that expected wave height is about 10 (m) and expected wave period
is about 14 (s) at Pacific Ocean side, and also expected wave height is
about 10 (m) and expected wave period is about 12 (s) at Nihon Sea
16

•~ I 0
•
,#
# /:
~6
~ 4 c~
2
0
0.0 5.0 10.0 15.0
Wav~ rnght (m) ,=e

16 ~12
"8 lO

10
a. 8 4
2
ahe o
4
2 0.0 5.0 10.0 15.0
16
~14 0 Wave ~ g h t (m)
~'~ 12 0.0 5.0 10.0 15.0 16 , ~
~ 1o waverr~ht( ~ / 14
~ 8
~6 • 10
~ 4
16 2 6
0 4
2
~ 1o 0.0 5.0 ~ 0 . 0
8

4
Wave Fflgbt (m)
L /? 0
0.0 5.0
WnveHight(m)
~
10.0 15.0

2
0 o 14 * *
0.0 5.0 10.0 15.0
,~ ~ 1 2
i a T 10
Waw lai~t (m) ' .'~. 8

4
'Murotsu
2
14 16 0 '
'~ 12 ~ . o ~14
10 O~ . . . 0.0 5.0 10.0 15.0
10 o Wave I ~ l t (m)
8
~ s
~: 4 . ushi ~6
2 ~ 4
0 ~ ~* 2
0
0.0 5.0 10.0 lff.0
0.0 5.0 10.0 15.0
way:rr~ (m) " Wave Iar~ht(m)

Co
°.
o ~ 12
~I~ M a x i m u m w a v e height and period
1~i~a " .~1o
~ 8 ",

N 4 - - Approximation line
2
0 g.
0.0 5.0 10.0 15.0
W # ~ ~ h t (m) a

Figure 2. Dispersion of wave height and wave direction at 10 location points for coastal zone in Japan

31
 Location Appearance Percentage Significant Wave Height
Points of Wave Direction and Wave Period
4.5
40.0
(N) ^
.... FI
~
1 i~m
o 2.0(m)~
I~ 1.5~2.O(m)
•
IU--Z~0

0-200 '5
30 O ~ m 1.0~ 1.5(m)
• ,0-150 3.5
-100 3
..^1A-----------41ttl m0.5~1.O(rn)
[] 0-50 2.5
(~)
Onahama 20.or

(Pacific Ocean Side) 15.oH tfta_ - - -

.5 ~:
--ii1! •~.5

NNN E E E S S S S SWWWNN 2 4 6 8 ,0 ,2 ,4 16
NEN SES SWS NWN Sig~fieant Wave Period T1/3(s)
E E E E W W W W
I-Z." 4.5 "~'
25.0
(%)i ~Z0(m>~ )-2(
IN 4 ,=,
[] 115~2.0(m)
I) 1.0~ 1.5(m) [1
)-,.' IN 3.5
.10( II 3
[ ] 0-50
2.5 I~
Wajima (%0',
10.0
(Nihon Sea Side) .5

1.5 "~o

NNN E E E S S S S SWWWNN 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16
NEN SES SWS NWN SiginifieantWave Period T1/3(s)
E E E E W W W W

25.0 JUIZ)U 4.5 ~"

[] 2.0(m)~
(%) 50-200 4 ,=,
1.5~2.0(m)
20.0 t~ 1.0~ 1.5(m) 10-150 3.s
[] 0.5~ LO(m) MOO 3
15.0 • ~0.5(m) t3 0-50 2.5 e.
Naha
t0.0
(Solitary Island) 1.5

5.0 t111,t . . . . . ¢i 0.5 . ~

.0.0
NNN E E E S S S S SWWWNN 2 4 6 8 ,0 12 14 16
NEN SES SWS NWN Sig~fieant Wave Period T,/3(s)
E E E E W W W W
Figure 3. Wave characteristics at 3 location points

side. It is grasped that wave period at Nihon Sea side is longer than
one at Pacific Ocean side, by the slope of approximation line by least
squares method.
Wave Characteristics
The appearance percentage of wave height by wave direction at
Onahama is 35 % and the most highest value at SE and SSE. Wave
characteristics is that the conjunction distribution ratio of wave height
1.0 (m) and wave period 8.0(s) is denoted 234 per-mills.
The appearance percentage at Wajima is more higher about 20 % at
NNW, N and NNE. And the distribution ratio of wave height 1.0 (m)
and period 6.0 (s) is 254 per-mills. The appearance percentage at
Naha is 22 % at NNW, 17 at NW and 11 at SW, and the distribution
ratio of wave height 0.5 (m) and period 6.0 (s) is 251 per-mills.
From the above, the difference exists on the appearance
percentage of wave direction and the conjunction distribution ratio at
3 location points.
CONCLUSION
The following views on expected values of wave height by
direction have been drawn.
1) The 100-year return period of maximum expected value by
direction is denoted 10 (m) on wave height and 12 to 14 (s) on
period at coastal zone in Japan. The difference exists on the
direction at each location points.
2) The expected wave height and period were calculated at 10
location points at coastal zone in Japan, for the purpose of making a
database on wave load for the structural design of oceanic
architectures.
REFERENCES AND D A T A
Architectural Institute of Japan (A/J). 1990. Recommendation for
Structural Design of the Oceanic Architecture (Floating-Type
Structure).
Architectural Institute of Japan (AIJ). 1993. Recommendations for
Loads on Buildings.
Association of Technological Research of the Mega-Float (Mega-
Float). 1998. Research for Safety Standard of Mega-Float Offshore
Structures.
Coastal Development Institute of Technology. NOWHPAS
(Nationwide Ocean Wave information network for Ports and
HArbourS) observation annual report 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995,
1996, 1997 and 1998.
Japan Society Civil Engineers (JSCE). 1973. Recommendation for
wave Offshore Steel Structure Design (draft).
Yasutaka Saito, Shuhei Notomi, Osarnu Saijo & Kyoichi Okamoto.
wave 2000. Expected Values in Return Period of Wind Speed by Wind
wave Directions at Coastal Zone in Japan, Proceedings of 16th National
wave Symposium on Wind Engineering, ISSN 0918-8231, pp.77-82. Tokyo,
JAPAN.

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