An evaluation of directional analysis techniques for multidirectional, partially reflected waves .2. application to field data

Based on the findings of a numerical investigation, presented in the part 1 companion paper, two methods of directional analysis, the maximum likelihood method (MLM) and the Bayesian directional method (BDM) are applied to over 80 field data sets. These cover a wide range of environmental conditions, for which multidirectional, partially reflective sea states exist. The results show that trends similar to those found using the numerical simulations are observed in the field estimates of relative predictions of incident significant wave height, average reflection coefficients, main directions and directional spreading. It is concluded that overall the BDM produces the more accurate results when applied to real sea waves.