A Study on the Seasonal Variability of Nearshore Waves off Visakhapatnam, East Coast of India

Wave rider buoy data during the period June 2009 to May 2010 was analyzed to examine the seasonal trends in the nearshore waves off Visakhapatnam, east coast of India. During fair weather conditions, wave heights were observed to be higher in the southwest monsoon season with maximum significant wave height (Hs) of about 2.76m in the month of July and average Hs of about 1.6m. The higher values of spectral band width emphasize that the wave heights covered a wide range for major period of the year. A large standard deviation of swell period represents the occurrence of distant swell in a wide range to the study region. The seasonal cycle of wave heights off Visakhapatnam, East Coast of India is dominated by SW monsoon winds. The waves at study area are resultant of sea and large swells from south of Bay of Bengal.