Wave Energy Period - Annual

Wave energy period is a sea state parameter, derived from the zeroth and first negative moments of the frequency spectrum. It is the period corresponding to the weighted average of the wave energy.

Bathymetric Impacts on Resource Assessment:

Bathymetric effects are known to have a large effect on wave characteristics at depths shallower than approximately 20m (\~65 ft) on the Atlantic coast and 50 m (\~160 ft) on the Pacific coast. A variance between depths exists due to the feature differences for each continental shelf. The methodology used in this resource assessment precludes providing site-specific information to such developers. Reliable site-specific information in shallow waters can only be produced using results from models with higher spatial resolution that include shallow-water physics. The wave resource assessment group acknowledges that its results will not be accurate in the shallower waters of the inner continental shelf. These shallow water regions are located within the dark gray boundaries on the map.

For complete details regarding this study please read the full report, available in the Mapping and Assessment of the United States Ocean Wave Energy Resource

Temporal Info: January 1980 December 2009 (30 years)