World: Highest Significant Wave Height as measured by a Buoy
| Record Value | 18.275 m (59.96 ft) |
|---|---|
| Date of Record | 2054 UTC 8/12//2007 |
| Length of Record | |
| Instrumentation | Datawell heave sensor |
| Geospatial Location | Buoy K3 (a part of the UK Met Office’s network of Marine Automatic Weather Stations, or MAWS)[52°31'N, 18°28'W, elevation: 0m)] |
References
Discussion
Instrumentation: Datawell heave sensor. Significant wave height recorded is four times the RMS value of the water level above the average level of the water surface over a 17½ minute period. The factor of 4 applied to the RMS value is because the waves are trochoidal in nature. (Waves at sea, especially those growing under the influence of the wind, tend to be short-crested, i.e. the wave crests project further above the mean level than the troughs are below it.) The ‘average’ wave period, again over a 17½ minute sample, is the average of the periods over 7 successive 2½ minute samples (each determined from the number of wave cycles in the sample).
Record was evaluated by the committee of T. Peterson, P. Bessemoulin, A. Hines, V. Swail, J-M. Lefevre and R. Cerveny.