ABSTRACT
To characterize atolls, the following chapters describe measurements of areas and distances on atolls and the character of winds, waves, and tides. This part of the book describes the methodology for these descriptions. Combining the biological and geomorphic coding of the Allen Coral Atlas with our observations of remote-sensing data provided the basis for measuring various components of each atoll system, such as atoll area, reef width, and lagoon area. Synoptic wind rose data, derived from a long-term climate re-analysis, show the direction and intensity of winds of representative atolls in each region. Wave data derived from a global wave model captured from hourly data over a 5-year window represent the summary of the waves with highest energy. Finally, descriptions of tidal range and period are derived from a global tide model calculated using the harmonic constituents through a full lunar month.
