wave spectra.md
For the complete documentation index, see llms.txt. Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending .md to page URLs; this page is available as Markdown.
Wave Spectra
Operational Wave Spectra Forecast
GET https://api.sofarocean.com/api/op-wave-spectra/:lat/:lon
This endpoint returns a list of locations you have access to, or retrieves NetCDF data for a target location.
Path Parameters
| Name | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|
| lat | number | latitude of location in decimal degrees. |
| lon | number | longitude of location in decimal degrees. |
Example List Request
curl https://api.sofarocean.com/api/op-wave-spectra -H 'token: YOUR_API_TOKEN'
Example Data File Request
Content-Type: application/octet-stream
Content-Disposition: attachment; filename="34.50_200.00_2019-12-19T12:00:00Z_data.netcdf"
curl https://api.sofarocean.com/api/op-wave-spectra/34.5/200 -H 'token: YOUR_API_TOKEN' -J -O
Spectral File Description
A Sofar Spectral File contains the variance density spectrum at a single grid point of the Sofar global wave model at an hourly resolution for the duration of the forecast. The data is stored in NetCDF format, and the variables contained in each file are listed in Table 1. A detailed description of the variables is given below.
| Variable Name | Shape | Type | Units |
|---|---|---|---|
| directions | ( Nd , ) | float | Degrees |
| frequencies | ( Nf , ) | float | Hertz |
| time | ( Nt , ) | integer | Seconds |
| latitude | ( 1 , ) | float | Decimal degrees |
| longitude | ( 1, ) | float | Decimal degrees |
| depth | ( 1, ) | float | Meters |
| frequency direction spectrum | ( Nt , Nd , Nf ) | float | Meters2/Hertz/Degree |
Directions
The direction vector contains the model directions at which the spectrum is stored. The directions are stored as a single vector of Nd=36 entries. Directions are measured counterclockwise from East. Each direction is given in degrees and indicates the direction the waves are traveling in. The directional grid has a constant resolution of 10 degrees ranging between [0,360].
Frequencies
The frequency vector contains the model frequencies at which the spectrum is stored. The frequencies are stored as a single vector of Nf=36 entries. Frequencies are measured in Hertz. The frequencies are defined on a logarithmic grid (1.1 growth factor) with minimum frequency f=0.035 Hz and maximum frequency f=0.98 Hz.
Time
The time vector denotes the time of the spectral entries. Time is denoted in Unix Epoch time, i.e. as seconds elapsed since Jan 1, 1970 (UTC). The time vector will be different lengths depending on the forecast initialization time. The first time denotes the initialization of the forecast.
Latitude, Longitude
The latitude and longitude are denoted in decimal degrees and indicate the location of the model grid point where the spectra were output.
Depth
Depth denotes the depth in meters at the location considered.
Frequency Direction Spectrum
The frequency direction spectrum contains the variance density as a function of time, direction, and frequency. Spectra are stored as a three-dimensional array where the first dimension is time, the second dimension is direction, and the third is frequency. Entries are stored as density values with units m2/Hz/deg.