The socio-economic importance
of coastal areas, such as beaches
and ports, means that we need
a description of tidal activity
to know about, and as far as possible,
foresee and mitigate possible
negative effects of this activity
on the coast.
The study of the maritime
climate comprises both the
description of normal tidal
activity (defined as the
statistical distribution
of the various states of
the sea) and the description
of those extreme events
which only happen a few
times every year but, because
of their magnitude and consequences,
are of great importance
given that they produce
structural damage and abnormal
rates of erosion on beaches.
To
achieve this, a first approach
will analyse nine years
of data corresponding to
WANA points from the oceanographic
database of the Spanish
State Ports Authority. These
data will be valid for a
study of average conditions,
but not for a reliable analysis
of extreme conditions. Thanks
to new HIPOCAS data (EPPE,
2003), obtained from a repeat
analysis of forty-four years
(1/1/1958 to 31/12/2001)
of atmospheric data, there
will be high-resolution
homogenous data on tides.
HIPOCAS data will allow
us to describe extreme conditions
through the application
of diverse statistical models
capable of providing repeat
periods for various significant
high tides associated with
events considered ‘of
risk’ for maritime
routes, coastal structures
and beaches and ports.
