Measurements of short ocean waves during the MBL ARI West Coast Experiment

Within the framework of the Marine Boundary Layers Accelerated Research Initiative (MBL ARI) a buoy-mounted optical system was developed for the measurement of the small-scale structure of the ocean surface with high spatio-temporal resolution. The system is capable of measuring two wave slope components in an area of 15 x 20 cm with a dynamic slope range of more than +-1.25 at a sampling rate of 30 Hz. Wave number spectra up to a maximum wave number of 8000 rad/m can be measured with the instrument. During the MBL ARI West Coast Experiment the system was successfully deployed in the field for the first time. Here, we provide a detailed description of the instrument and present first results from the West Coast Experiment 1995.