CYCLONES: Getting ready for a big one...
Determining wave and water level patterns caused by cyclones between
reefs and islands is challenging work for CRC-supported Engineers from
James Cook University.
The main objectives of this project are to learn the cyclonic wave
and water level frequencies for the Reef and improve the ability to
predict waves inside coral reef lagoons.
Research assistant Jason McConochie has been appointed to help Project
Leader, Dr Tom Hardy in the start-up phase of this project. Instruments
to measure waves and water levels in shallow reef flat environments are
being developed. The first prototype of a newly developed telemetry system
- transmitting data from wave measuring devices at key reef sites - is
being tested. The devices, known as `wave staffs', monitor changes in
water levels each second and can transmit radio signals back to a computer
for analysis. With this additional information, computer wave models can
be improved. These models can help engineers predict wave conditions at
significant reef locations, such as pontoons or islands used for tourism.
Dr Hardy's long term plan is to produce an atlas of cyclone waves and
cyclone-induced water levels in the Great Barrier Reef and a computer
generated model of wave dynamics inside reef lagoons.
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