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FOREWORD
The national Meteorological Services of a large number of maritime countries have, for many years now, been engaged in the provision of ocean wave forecast and hindcast services in support of the requirements of users in the whole range of maritime activities (shipping, fisheries, offshore mining, commerce, coastal engineering, construction, recreation, and so on). In recognition of this, and of the relative lack of easily accessible guidance material on wave forecasting methodology suitable for use by national Meteorological Services in developing countries, the WMO Guide to wave analysis and forecasting was prepared by a group of experts and published in 1988 as publication WMO-No. 702. This formal WMO Guide updated and replaced the earlier, very popular, WMO Handbook on the same subject, first published in 1976.
In further recognition, both of the requirements of national Meteorological Services for the provision of ocean wave-related services and also of the rapid developments which were occurring in wave measurement, analysis and forecast techniques, the WMO Commission for Marine Meteorology (CMM) established in 1984 a WMO wave programme. The various elements of this programme are implemented, reviewed and updated by the CMM Sub-group on Wave Modelling and Forecasting. One of these elements involves the continuous review and revision, as necessary, of the Guide to wave analysis and forecasting. To this end, the sub-group established, in 1991, an ad hoc group of experts, under the chairmanship of Dr A. K. Laing (New Zealand), to undertake a complete revision and updating of the Guide, in the light of new developments and especially of feedback from users of the first edition.
The international team of experts, directed by Dr Laing, individually prepared substantially revised versions of the different chapters of the Guide. These individual contributions were subsequently coordinated, assembled and edited by Dr Laing into a draft, which was then submitted to a wide network of wave experts for review and comment. Reviewers’ comments were incorporated to the extent possible and a final editing of a new, second edition of the Guide was made by Dr Laing.
No publication such as this can ever be perfect, particularly in such a continuously developing field of science and technology, and further additions and modifications will undoubtedly be required in the future. Nevertheless, it is firmly believed that this second edition of the Guide to wave analysis and forecasting will continue to prove a very valuable publication in support of the marine services provided by WMO’s maritime Members. It is also believed that it continues to meet very well its two-fold objectives: to provide introductory but self-sufficient guidance material for use in the provision of basic wave forecast services, while at the same time acting as a source text and a guide to further reading on the subject.
Detailed acknowledgements to authors are given with each section and chapter as appropriate, but I should like here, on behalf of the World Meteorological Organization, to express my sincere appreciation to all the experts (authors, reviewers and particularly Dr Laing) who have contributed so much to this important and valuable publication.
(G. O. P. Obasi)
Secretary-General
(Last Updated: 23-11-2007)