Statistical Wave Description of Forcados Offshore in Nigeria

Abstract

Wave description in Forcados offshore in Southern Nigeria is presented. Wave data obtained between 1980 and 1982 are partitioned and fitted using some suitable statistical models to enable short and long term predictions of extreme significant wave heights in this location. The Weibull model used in the work is found suitable for such predictions. The general description based on the available data indicated occasional swell component and a dominant wave component that can be regarded as resulting interactions from the shallow depths and landmass on oncoming waves to the location. A value 3.02 meter is estimated from the data as the 100 year return period significant wave height. The mean period is about 7 seconds.