Synoptic forcing of severe wave states in the southeast Chukchi Sea

Our study examines swells and currents in the southeast Chukchi Sea during fall storms of 2007. The Arctic is inundated with storms during the fall season, which affect coastal erosion. Shishmaref, Alaska has recently been in the headline news regarding coastal erosion. To study these storms observational, a bottom- mounted Aanderaa RDCP600 was deployed on the Chukchi Sea shelf approximately 89 kilometers north of Shishmaref, Alaska to measure wave height and direction, along with other wave parameters. At a depth of 33 meters the instrument, which was set for acoustic based wave measurement, was able to capture wave direction during stormy periods. The acoustic based waves are sampled at a 2 Hz rate for 15 minutes every 2 hours. This sampling rate is designed to target longer wave periods. This paper presents the RDCP wave data, which is compared with synoptic weather patterns. Further study of this RDCP wave data will include validating a NOAA Wavewatch III wave model using wind and sea surface temperatures.