Measuring waves and currents with an upward-looking ADCP

Routine monitoring of waves and currents in the nearshore region is of great interest both scientifically and to the general public because of their role in coastline erosion and their impact on recreational activities. Historically, the technology for measuring these quantities has been distinct, requiring separate instrumentation for each. In this contribution the authors show that it is possible in shallow water to estimate both wave height and direction from a conventional bottom-mounted, upward-looking acoustic Doppler current profiler. Height and direction spectra compare well with a co-located array of pressure gages.