PARAMETRIC AND NON-PARAMETRIC METHODS FOR THE STUDY OF THE VARIABILITY OF WAVE DIRECTIONS: APPLICATION TO THE ATLANTIC URUGUAYAN COASTS

Abstract

Wave direction is a fundamental variable in coastal engineering, whether one is interested in analyzing coastal processes or designing harbor structures. In this work a mixture of circular (wrapped) distributions is introduced for modeling the non-stationary probability distribution function of mean wave directions. The proposed distribution is able to accommodate seasonal and inter-annual variability, as well the influence of several climatic indices. This function was applied to the Atlantic Uruguayan coast, finding that both the Tropical South Atlantic index and the Antarctic Oscillation index have a significant influence on the variability of the wave directions.