State of Maine's Beaches in 2007

Appendix A: Generalized Wave Conditions by Season

This Appendix provides a short summary of the hydrodynamic conditions that were present during the winter, summer, and fall months of each year that beach profiles were collected (from 1999-2007). Here, summer months are defined as May through August, fall months are September to December, and winter months are defined as January through April.

Data were available from the National Data Buoy Center (NDBC) Station 44007, which is situated 12 NM southeast of Portland, ME. Where gaps in data existed, the Gulf of Maine Ocean Observing System (GoMOOS) Buoy C02 (Casco Bay) was used. The data provided was the mean significant wave height, which is the average of the highest 1/3 of waves recorded over a certain time period (1 hour).

Figure A1 shows averaged mean significant wave height data for the time period of 1999-2007. Typical wave heights in the Gulf of Maine follow a seasonal trend; the highest waves are generally recorded during the winter months, associated with more prevalent and powerful northeast storms, which create larger, erosive waves. Summer months are typically calm, with dominant southwest winds, and wave heights are generally around 0.7 m. In the fall, mean wave heights increase to around 1 m, mostly due to the influence from waves generated by tropical cyclones and early season northeast storms.

For each year that has complete yearly data (1999-2006), a figure is provided showing overall significant wave height data over the course of the entire year (Figures A2-A9). In these figures, thick black lines divide the yearly data into 3 seasons - winter, summer, and fall. Note that a yearly figure was not produced for 2007, since data were only analyzed through the winter of 2007. For each individual year, additional figures are provided that show significant wave height data for the winter, summer, and fall months (Figures A10-A34). Data are discussed in terms of seasonality for each year.

Winter, 1999

Figure A10

The mean wave height for winter 1999 was 1.14 m, with a maximum of 5.58 m being recorded during a storm in the third week of March. January included many events where waves exceeded 2 m, with 2 storm events exceeding 4 m. 58% of waves were equal to or greater than 1 m in January, with over 17% exceeding 2 m. February was characterized by 2 large events, one in the first week that exceeded 4 m, and a second at the end of the month that exceeded 5 m. The rest of the month was relatively quiet. March had a very active first several weeks with 4 back-to-back storms exceeding 3 m, with 2 of these reaching over 4 m (and one reaching 5 m). The largest waves of winter were recorded in the 3rd week of March, with wave heights reaching over 5.5 m. Waves dropped to generally below the 1-1.5 m mark in April, as only 8.5% of recorded waves exceeded 1 m (Figure A10).

Summer, 1999

Figure A11

Mean wave height for summer was 0.68 m, with a maximum wave height of 2.45 m, reached in the last week of May. May was characterized by 2 events that exceeded 1.5 m, and only 20% of waves exceeded 1 m. June was relatively quiet, with no waves recorded over 2 m, though one event approached 2 m at the end of the month. July had waves less than 1.5 m through its entirety, with only 6.3% of waves exceeding 1 m. August had a string of smaller events with waves less than 1.5 m, though one event at the end of the month exceeded 1.5 m and approached 2 m, though none exceeded 2 m (Figure A11).

Fall, 1999

Figure A12

The mean wave height for fall was 1 m, with a maximum of 3.87 m reached in early November. September included a calm start, but had 3 events in the second half of the month that exceeded 2.5 m. October was active, with numerous smaller events in the 1-2 m range, and 2 events exceeding 2.5 m. November was more active, with about 46% of waves being larger than or equal to 1 m. The largest event of fall occurred in early November, with waves exceeding 3.5 m. Towards the end of the month, a series of storms reached near 3.5 m and continued into December. December included 4 events that exceeded 2.5 m, with 2 of these exceeding 3 m (Figure A12).

Winter, 2000

Figure A13

The mean wave height for winter was 1.13 m, with a maximum wave height of 4.97 m achieved in January. January was characterized by 4 events that exceeded 2 m, three of these exceeded 3 m, and 2 exceeded 4 m, including the maximum wave height which was recorded on January 11. February was generally calmer in terms of maximum wave heights, but 46% of recorded waves were greater than or equal to 1 m. 3 events exceeded 2.5 m, with a maximum of 2.75 m recorded on February 20. The first half of March was generally calm, with wave heights below 1.5 m; however, wave activity increased in the second half of the month, with numerous events at or above 2 m, though only one event exceeded 3 m (3.78) towards the end of the month. April was very active, with 50% of waves exceeding 1 m. The largest event (reaching 4 m) occurred on April 10, while a longer duration event, with waves greater than 2 m, occurred from April 19-April 23 (Figure A13).

Summer, 2000

Figure A14

The mean wave height for summer was 0.76 m, with a maximum of 2.92 from early June. May marked a much lower overall wave climate than April, with only 22% of waves being greater than 1 m. Three events exceeded 2 m, including the maximum wave height of 2.38 m on 5/19. June was characterized by typical summer conditions, with the majority of waves less than 1 m, aside from a large, near 3 m event that occurred around 6/8. July was similar to June, with only 1 event exceeding 2 m on 7/16. August was a relatively calm month, with only 15% of waves exceeding 1 m. The largest event occurred on 8/24, with waves reaching 2 m, though a longer duration event (only reaching 1.5 m) occurred 8/13-8/17 (Figure A14).

Fall, 2000

Figure A15

The fall of 2000 had a mean wave height of 0.83 m, with a maximum recorded wave height of 4.47 m in December. September was a calm month, with only near 19% of waves reaching or exceeding 1 m in height. The largest waves, near 2 m, were recorded towards the end of the month. October had the highest waves at the start of the month, with 4 events reaching or exceeding 2 m by 10/7. The latter portions of the month were generally calm. November was characterized by 2 larger events occurring at the beginning and end of the month. The first event had waves near 2.5 m, while the second, larger event, occurred from 11/26-11/29, with peak waves of 3.66 m recorded on 11/28. December 2000 was relatively calm at the start of the month, with 4 events occurring from the middle of the month to the end that exceeded 2 m. The 2 largest events occurred at the middle of the month (reaching over 4 m), while at the end of the month, waves reached near 5 m (Figure A15).

Winter, 2001

Figure A16

Mean wave height was 0.98 m, with a maximum of 6.69 m reached in March. January was relatively calm. Though over 23% of waves exceeded 1 m, only 0.1% exceeded 2 m. February was characterized by a large event, with waves exceeding 4.5 m, in the first week of the month (2/6), and 5 events had waves greater than 2 m, with 2 events having waves greater than 3 m. March was very active, with over 18% of waves recorded exceeding 2 m, and 12% exceeding 3 m. Some of the largest waves of the year were recorded in the beginning of the month during a long duration (waves greater than 2 m from 3/6-3/9) event, with waves reaching near 6 m. The end of the month had the largest waves, with waves exceeding 6 m on 3/23, and a second event reaching 5 m on 3/31 and into April. April was calmer, with the largest event continuing from the end of March storm, with waves in the 5 m range. Only 1 additional event exceeded 2 m near 4/13, while remainder averaged below 1.5 m (Figure A16).

Summer, 2001

Figure A17

Mean wave height was 0.69 m, with a maximum of 2.39 m occurring in May. May only had 1 event exceeding 2 m near 5/18, with about 80% of waves recorded being below 1 m in height. June was very calm, with only 7% of waves recorded exceeding 1 m in height. The largest event occurred early in the month, with waves exceeding 2 m on 6/3. July was also very calm, with less than 5% of waves only exceeding 1 m. All events were below 1.5 m in height. August was a bit more active, with an event at the beginning of the month that exceeded 2 m, and a smaller event exceeding 1.5 m towards the end of the month (Figure A17).

Fall, 2001

Figure A18

Mean wave height was 0.92 m, with a maximum of 2.63 m recorded in October. September marked the start of active hurricane swell, with almost 32% of waves exceeding the 1 m mark. Waves reached 2.5 m on 1 occasion, near 9/20. October was a very active month, with 40% of waves reaching or exceeding 1 m. The largest event was at the beginning of the month, with waves exceeding 2.5 m, while a second, longer duration event (10/13-10/16) exceeded 1 m for its duration, and reached near 2.5 m on 10/15. A number of smaller events neared 2 m during the second half of the month. November was characterized by smaller events reaching between 1.5-2 m in the first half of the month, and a longer duration event 11/25-11/30 (waves between 1.5-2.5 m, with a peak near 11/28). December began with the ending of a storm left over from November, with waves touching near 2 m. The largest event occurred near Christmas, with waves reaching near 2.25 m, and staying generally at or greater than 1 m through 12/31 (Figure A18).

Winter, 2002

Figure A19

The mean wave height was 1.06 m, with a maximum of 3.95 m reached in March. January had 2 events that exceeded 2 m in height, and about 1/3 of waves recorded exceeded 1 m in height. The larger events were near 1/7 and on 1/24. February was much more active than January, with over 53% of waves recorded exceeding the 1m mark. The first part of the month was generally calm, with waves < 1.5 m. The largest event occurred from 2/11-2/14, with waves exceeding 3 m. 6 events exceeded 2 m, mostly in the second half of the month. March was another active month, with 51% of waves exceeding 1 m, and 10% exceeding 2 m. The 2 largest of these occurred at the beginning (3/4, maximum over 3.5 m), and at the end of the month (3/27, approaching 4 m in height), with 5 total events exceeding the 2 m mark. April was a bit calmer, with larger events exceeding the 2 m mark. 44% of waves were above the 1 m mark. The largest event occurred at the end of the month, with waves exceeding 2.5 m near 4/29-4/30 (Figure A19).

Summer, 2002

Figure A20

The mean wave height was 0.77 m, with a maximum of 4.87 m in May. May was generally dominated by smaller, 1-1.5 m, events, with about 28% of waves exceeding 1 m in height. The largest event occurred between 5/14-5/16 (above 1m), with peak waves near 4.9 m on 5/14. June was relatively active, with 32% of waves greater than 1 m in height. 5 events exceeded 1.5 m, with 2 events reaching or exceeding 2 m. The largest occurred on 6/16-6/17, with waves reaching about 4.5 m. July was more typical of summer conditions, with around 9% of waves only exceeding 1 m in height. The largest event occurred between 7/22-7/23, with waves reaching 1.5 m. August was a very calm month, with more than 95% of waves recorded being less than 1 m in height, and no waves exceeding 2 m (Figure A20).

Fall, 2002

Figure A21

The mean wave height was 1.05 m, with a peak of 5.87 m reached in November. September was relatively calm, with only 22% of waves exceeding 1m in height. 4 events reached or exceeded 1.5 m, but none exceeded 2 m. October was much more active, with over 41% of waves exceeding 1m, and 17% exceeding 2 m. The longest duration event occurred from 10/12-10/20, with several wave events exceeding 1 m the entire time, and reaching a peak of 5.7 m on 10/17 (3 separate events reached 3 m or more). Another event occurred later in the month, around 10/27, that reached 3 m as well. November was another active month, defined by 2 very large storm events, both of which occurred in the first half of the month. The first, which peaked at over 5 m, occurred between 11/7-11/10 (all greater than 1 m), and the second between 11/16-11/19, with a peak on 11/18 near 6 m, which was the largest event of the year. December continued the active fall/early winter pattern, with 48% of waves recorded over 1 m, and over 10% greater than 2 m. 6 events exceeded 2 meters, with the largest towards the end of the month, with waves reaching over 4 m near 12/26. The longest duration event with waves greater than 1 m occurred between 12/11-12/16, with waves reaching between 3 and 3.5 m (Figure A21).

Winter, 2003

Figure A22

The mean wave height was 1.11 m, with a maximum of 6.15 m in January. Aside from this large event, with waves greater than 2 m from 1/4-1/5 and peaking at over 6 m on 1/5, the month was generally calm, with wave heights generally at or less than 1.5 m. The first half of February was calm, though 1 event tops 2 m. The remainder of the month includes 2 additional events that exceed 2 m, with the largest reaching 4 m and being of longer duration (2/18-2/21 above 2 m). March had a higher percentage (46%) of waves over 1 m, with many events between 2-3 m, especially in the beginning of the month. The latter half of the month included 2 events that reached 2 m, and several smaller 1-2 m events. April had a very high percentage of waves that exceeded 1 m (68%), but very few large wave events. Many of the events had lower waves (1-2 m) of longer duration. 2 longer duration events where waves were greater than 1.5 m were from 4/9-4/14, and 4/20-4/24 (with a peak at 2.5 m). A third, shorter duration event reached over 2.5 m on 4/28 (Figure A22).

Summer, 2003

Figure A23

The mean wave height was 0.74 m, with a maximum of 2.56 m. May marked a distinct transition from the winter months, with only 26% of waves exceeding 1 m, and only 1.5% exceeding 2 m. It was comprised of 3 smaller events between 1-1.5 m for the first half of the month, lower waves for the second half, except for a larger event that reached 2.5 m on 5/25 during a 5/24-5/27 event. June was even calmer, with only 11 % of waves exceeding 1 m, and none exceeding 2 m. July was relatively calm as well, with only 4 events exceeding 1 m, and none of these exceeding 2 m. August was just as calm, with relatively the same amount of wave activity, except only 9% of waves exceeding the 1 m mark (Figure A23).

Fall, 2003

Figure A24

The mean wave height was 1.05 m, with a maximum of 7.09 m recorded in December. About 43% of waves in September were above 1 m. It exhibited several lower wave height (1-2 m)-longer duration swells in the beginning of the month. The second half of the month was punctuated by 3 higher wave height events, with the largest being on 9/29-9/31, peaking at around 3.5 m. October was more active than September, with 50% of waves above 1 m, and around 9% of these above 2 m. 3 events (10/1, 10/5, and 10/15) exceeded 3 m, with 1 event reaching over 4 m on 10/15-10/16. November was slightly less active, with the majority of waves in the first half of the month less than 1.5 m. The second half was characterized by 3 events, the second of which was a long duration event (11/20-11/25) with wave heights greater than 1.5 m and peaking at near 3 m. The third event on 11/30 had the largest waves, with a peak near 3.5 m. December was very active in terms of larger waves, with almost 14% of waves exceeding 2 m, and 5% exceeding 3 m. The largest waves of the year were recorded in December. The largest event occurred 12/6-12/7, with waves peaking at over 7 m before the NDBC buoy went off-line between 12/7-12/16. Another event occurred on 12/18-12/19, with waves reaching upwards of 5 m. the rest of the month was much calmer, with an additional event reaching near 2.25 m between 12/25-12/27 (Figure A24).

Winter, 2004

Figure A25

The mean wave height was 0.91 m, with a maximum of 3.81 m. January was characterized by unusually low waves, with only 10% exceeding 1m, and no waves exceeding 2 m in height. February was more typical of winter months, with several events exceeding 2 m, with the largest being on 2/4 (over 3 m) and 2/22 (near 2.6 m). March continued a period of winter wave activity, with nearly 54% of waves greater than 1 m, and 10% greater than 2 m. Several long duration events over 1 m occurred during March (between 3/9-3/13, peak on 3/12 of 3.8 m), and 3/18-3/22 (peak near 2.5 m), and the rest of the month consistently greater than 1 m. April was also quite consistent, with a large event at the beginning of the month, peaking with waves near 4 m on 4/2-4/3. The remainder of the month generally exhibited lower overall waves on the order of 1-2 m, with several events reaching the 2-2.5 m mark on 4/15 (Figure A25).

Summer, 2004

Figure A26

The mean wave height was 0.73 m, with a maximum of 2.11 m. The summer months were relatively calm, with May being the most active in terms of waves consistently over 1 m (26%). The majority of the activity in May was in the second half of the month, with several smaller events between 1-1.5 m. June was slightly more active in terms of distinct events that exceeded 1 m, with four events, though none reached 2 m in size. Waves above 2 m were only recorded in July, accounting only for 0.1% of that month's totals. This event, which occurred on 7/15, was a longer duration event that lasted from 7/15-7/18 with waves above 1 m. August was a relatively calm month, with an active beginning and middle, with the rest of the month quiet. Only 13% of waves were above 1 m in August, and none were above 2 m (Figure A26).

Fall, 2004

Figure A27

Mean was 1.10 m, with a maximum of 5.06 m, largest of the year. September was generally calm, with about 84% of waves less than 1 m. The largest event, 9/9-9/11, just exceeded 2 m, while a second event at the end of the month reached 1.5 m. October was much more active, with 55% of waves exceeding 1 m, and almost 12 % reaching or exceeding 2 m. It is characterized by 2 small and 1 major events, with the large, long duration event lasting from 10/21-10/30 (greater than 1 m, with 10/24-10/26 greater than 2 m and a peak of 4.3 m on 10/25). November was less active on the whole, but reached a larger peak wave height. The first half had numerous 1-2 m events, with the largest of the month, peaking near 5 m, occurring on 11/29. December was an extremely active month, with 60% of waves exceeding 1 m, and 15% exceeding 2 m. Seven events over 2 m were recorded, with 5 of these exceeding 3 m, and 3 exceeding 4 m. The five largest events occurred on 12/2 (4.3 m), 12/8 (4.8 m), 12/11 (3.5 m), 12/24 (4 m), and the largest on 12/27-12/28, reaching 4.8 m (Figure A27).

Note for 2005

Much of the wave data from the NDBC 44007 buoy were missing due to a buoy malfunction from 1/28-5/17. In order to fill the data, MGS used available data from the GoMOOS Casco Bay buoy (CO2) and Western Maine Shelf buoy (B02) to fill the data gaps. BO2 data were used from 1/28-2/15, while CO2 data were used from 2/15-5/17 due to an additional gap in the CO2 data.

Winter, 2005

Figure A28

The mean wave height was 1.22 m, with a peak of 4.79 m. January was a very active month, with 9 events having waves over 2 m, and 3 of these events with waves above 3 m. Generally, the largest events were in the second half of the month: 1/15, 1/17-1/18, and the largest on 1/24-1/25, reaching 3.4 m. A longer duration, lower wave height (1.5-2m) event occurred from 1/27-1/29. Almost 57% of the waves during February were greater than 1m, with about 21% greater than 2 m, making for a very active winter month. The beginning of the month saw a long duration event from 2/3-2/9, with waves peaking over 3 m on 2/4-2/5. Four additional events recorded waves greater than 3 m, including a short event on 2/11, 2/15, which reached maximum wave height of 4.5 m, 2/19 (4 m), and 3.3 m on 2/22. March continued the active winter, with 5 events exceeding 2 m, 2 of these exceeding 3 m in height. The largest event reached over 4.5 m around 3/13, with a smaller event around 3.5 m on 3/1. Two smaller events occurred at the end of the month, with wave heights reaching 2.5 and 3 m respectively. April was also very active, with almost 52% of recorded waves exceeding 1 m and almost 17% exceeding 2 m. April was dominated by 3 large events, the largest at the beginning of the month, peaking at 4.5 m on 4/4. Two additional events occurred, to 2.5 m on 4/25, and to 3.5 m on 4/28 (Figure A28).

Summer, 2005

Figure A29

The mean wave height was 0.83 m, with a maximum of 5.95 m, the largest of the year. May was an abnormally active month, characterized by two very large events. The first took place between 5/7-5/12, with a peak of near 4 m on 5/8, and waves consistently greater than 2 m between 5/7-5/9. The second "event" occurred as part of a series of northeast storms struck the coast during the week of 5/25, with wave heights approaching 6 m on 5/25, and staying above 3 m for 5/24-5/26. June was much less active, more typical of "summer" months. Only 16% of recorded waves were at or above the 1 m mark. The largest event occurred during 6/14-6/17 (waves greater than 1 m), with a peak of 2.27 m on 6/16. July was also quite calm, with less than 10% of waves above 1 m, with no events above 2 m. August continued the summer calm, with even less percentage of waves above 1 m. The largest event reached 1.7 m on 8/22 (Figure A29).

Fall, 2005

Figure A30

The mean wave height was 1.03 m and the maximum was 5.05 m. September began with a large event reaching 2.5 m, then remained relatively calm (<1.5 m) until the end of the month, when a storm created wave heights up to 2.85 m on 9/30. October started relatively calm, with only a short-term event reaching 3 m on 10/9. However, 21% of waves in October were greater than 2 m in height. A long duration event occurred from 10/13-10/16 with wave heights greater than 2 m and a peak of 3.5 m. This was followed by 2 larger, shorter events, with waves reaching 3.8 m on 10/24, and up to 4.8 m on 10/26. November was also quite active, with 4 events reaching or exceeding 2 m. The largest event occurred on 11/10, reaching 3.71 m. Two additional events occurred after this, exceeding 2 m on 11/17-11/18, and a longer duration event from 11/23-11/25 that exceeded 3 m. December included only 3 events that exceeded 2 m, with the largest event occurring 12/16-12/17 and reaching over 5 m in height (Figure A30).

Winter, 2006

Figure A31

The mean wave height was 0.99 m and the maximum was 5.39 m, occurring in January. January was quite active in terms of the percentage of waves that were at or greater than 1 m, with over 46%. However, only 3 events exceeded 2 m. These occurred on 1/5 with waves reaching 3 m, 1/15 with waves near 2.4 m, and the largest event on 1/19 with waves surpassing 5 m. The remainder of the month was generally at or below 1.5 m. February had several large events occur at the beginning of the month, with waves exceeding 3 m on 2/1, and again doing so on 2/4. The next larger event occurred on 2/13, and 2/18, which both reached about 2.8 m. The rest of the month was at or below 1.5 m. March was quite inactive for a winter month, with only 20% of waves exceeding 1 m, and only 4.5% exceeding 2 m. It is marked by 2 large events, the first with a peak on 3/11 with waves at 2.1 m, followed by calm until the strongest storm of the month occurred between 3/26-3/29, with waves peaking over 3 m on 3/27. April's largest event, reaching 3.7 m, occurred at the beginning of the month on 4/5-4/6. This is the only event that easily surpassed the 2 m mark. Two additional events on 4/25 and 4/27 reach the 2 m mark. The remainder of the month is generally calm (Figure A31).

Summer, 2006

Figure A32

The mean wave height for summer was 0.85 m, and the largest event occurred in mid-May, with 3 events exceeding 3 m in May. About 44% of waves were below 1 m in May, with 42% between 1 and 2 m; of the remaining 14%, only about 1% was greater than 3 m. June had an active start to the month, with an event reaching almost 3 m around June 10. The remainder of June, July, and August were relatively quiet, with a mean value of 0.70 m. About 85% of the waves recorded during this time were less than or equal to 1 m in height (Figure A32).

Fall, 2006

Figure A33

The mean wave height for fall was 1.01 m, with the largest waves recorded around October 30-31, 2006, reaching over 6 m in height. In September, 63% of the recorded waves were below 1 m in height, with 35% between 1-2 m and only 2% exceeding 2 m in height. In October, 65% of recorded waves were less than 1 m in height, with 25% being between 1-2 m, and about 10% over the 2 m mark. November was characterized by more wave activity, with only 46% of recorded waves being less than 1 m in height (35% between 1-2 m, and 19% greater than 2 m in height). December was generally calmer, with recorded waves not exceeding 3 m (Figure A33).

Note for 2007

Data were downloaded the Gulf of Maine Ocean Observing System's Buoy C02 (Casco Bay) for January 2007 to April 2007. The NDBC Station 44007 was damaged during the winter of 2007.

Winter, 2007

Figure A34

The winter of 2007 had a mean wave height of 1.19 m. About 49% of waves recorded were less than or equal to 1 m in height, with 36% between 1-2 m. Of the remaining 15%, about 4% of waves were greater than 3 m. The month of January had a mean value just over 1 m, with 49% less than 1 m and 44% between 1-2 m. 2 events exceeded 3 m in height. February saw a relatively powerful, but short, storm that caused wave heights to reach 6 m on 2/15. 56% of waves were below 1 m, and 38% between 1-2 m. March began with large waves, in excess of 6 m from 3/2-3/4. A second storm hit between 3/17-3/18, with waves between 4-5 m. The month of April was dominated by the "Patriots' Day" storm, which battered many areas of the Maine coastline with large waves. During this storm, wave heights reached over 8 m around 4/17, and were above the 3 m mark from 4/16-4/19. The latter part of the month was generally calm (Figure A34).

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Last updated on January 3, 2008