Metadata Report for BODC Series Reference Number 694504

• Metadata Summary

• Problem Reports

• Data Access Policy

• Narrative Documents

• Project Information

• Data Activity or Cruise Information

• Fixed Station Information

• BODC Quality Flags

• SeaDataNet Quality Flags

Metadata Summary

Problem Reports

No Problem Report Found in the Database

Data Access Policy

SIMORC data access conditions

The data collated and held at BODC on behalf of the SIMORC project are restricted. However, the data will be available to download from the Official SIMORC Website, as part of the project protocol. The data set will initially include data from the oil companies TOTAL, Shell and BP.

Narrative Documents

SIMORC Shell European Wave Data Narrative

Narrative

The instruments used were heave buoys, wavestaffs, pressure transducers, downward looking radar, infra-red laser and estimation by visual observation. The parameters recorded were

• Significant wave height.
• Maximum wave height.
• Characteristic wave height.
• Swell wave height - components 1 and 2.
• Wind wave height
• Maximum crest height
• Zero upcrossing period
• Zero crossing period
• Zero crossing period of wind sea.
• Zero crossing period of swell - components 1 and 2
• Period at spectral peak
• Period of highest one third of waves
• Spectral width
• Mean direction and directional spreading
• Direction and directional spreading at spectral peak
• Direction and directional spreading of wind sea.
• Direction and directional spreading of swell - components 1 and 2

Data Quality Information

The following data quality checks were applied

• Maximum wave height or maximum crest height was always greater than or equal to significant wave height, characteristic wave height, wind sea wave height or swell height.
• Zero crossing and zero upcrossing periods were always in the range 1-20 seconds. A much greater range was observed for the spectral peak periods.
• Wave heights (significant or characteristic) were plotted against zero upcrossing periods to ensure that the calculated wave steepness never exceeded 1 in 7.
• Wave heights and directions were plotted as polar co-ordinates to check for compass sticking and/or gaps, except for the directions given by visual estimation, which were to the nearest 45 degrees.

The wave data were found to be of mostly good quality. The maximum wave heights were occasionally very high,up to 27.8 metres, but these were not flagged as they were felt to be possible (but rare) occurrences appropriate to the location in the northern North Sea and the season (December/January). The zero crossing period or zero upcrossing period was flagged in a few instances where it dropped to 0.1 seconds, giving unrealistic wave steepness. No problems were encountered with the directional data. Occasional spikes in the spectral peak period were flagged, but only where they were to unrealistically high values and there was no corresponding increase in zero upcrossing period.

Project Information

System of Industry Metocean data for the Offshore and Research Communities (SIMORC)

The EU-funded SIMORC project is a collaborative effort between MARIS (Netherlands), BODC (UK), the International Association of Oil and Gas Producers (OGP) and IOC-IODE to provide a harmonised and quality controlled metocean data set from data collected by oil and gas producers, accessible through the SIMORC protocol.

Data Activity or Cruise Information

No Data Activity or Cruise Information held for the Series

Fixed Station Information

Fixed Station Information

Boyle Station Site History

Site

The Boyle Station (50.7° N, 007.5° W) is sited in the Celtic Sea approximately mid-way between Lands End in England and Cape Clear at the southernmost tip of Ireland, in a water depth of 107 metres. It was occupied from 24 May 1974 to 01 June 1977, initially on behalf of the Celtic Sea Oceanographic Study Group (CSOSG) and later (from mid 1975) for the Oceanographic Committee of the United Kingdom Offshore Operators Association (UKOOA). The main aim of the data collection programme was to study the environmental climate for purposes of offshore operations.

Data Collection and Processing

Data collection and processing was performed by Marine Exploration Limited (MAREX), Isle of Wight.

The data collection programme included:

1. Wave data collected at 3 hourly intervals by means of a shipborne wave recorder and a moored waverider buoy.
2. Instrumentally measured wind data collected at hourly intervals.
3. Meteorological synoptic observations made at 3 hourly intervals.
4. Current meter data collected at 10 minute intervals at three different depths.
5. Bathythermograph data collected several times a month (these data were sent to the Hydrographic Department MOD (Navy), Taunton).

The data collection programme was centred about a ship on station for periods of up to 1 month at a time. Gaps of up to a week appear in the data at the end of each on-station period. A total of 38 sea trips was made during the programme, the merchant vessel Skagerak being used throughout.

On Station History

Note: Because the waverider buoy and current meters were deployed just before the ship took station, and were recovered after the ship left station, the period covered by data from these instruments may extend up to 1 day beyond the start and end times of the on station periods given in the above table.

Related Fixed Station activities are detailed in Appendix 1

BODC Quality Control Flags

The following single character qualifying flags may be associated with one or more individual parameters with a data cycle:

SeaDataNet Quality Control Flags

The following single character qualifying flags may be associated with one or more individual parameters with a data cycle:

Appendix 1: Boyle

Related series for this Fixed Station are presented in the table below. Further information can be found by following the appropriate links.

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