Introduction
Motivation:
I had heard of some people getting involved in surfing in Lake Michigan
before taking this class and was very skeptical about it. After learning so much about the factors
involved in the size of waves created in various locations, I thought
investigating the feasibility of surfing in Lake Michigan would be a very
interesting project. The specific area I
had heard about the surfing taking place was in Sheboygan, WI, specifically the
Sheboygan Harbor, so that is where I focused my study.
Objectives:
We have studied many factors that lead to various wave heights and waves breaking. In order to successfully surf, the wave height and wave break height are of the utmost importance. There are two main goals to this project:
- Determine what features Sheboygan Harbor has that make it a good surfing spot
- Determine what weather factors lead to the best surfing conditions including wind speed, wind direction, and time of year
- Develop a program to allow a user to enter key weather data to determine if a day will be a good surf day
Importance:
By undertaking this study I hope to further understand the workings of
Lake Michigan. This will help to inform
people about the coast of Lake Michigan near the Sheboygan area. It also provides a useful tool for use in
recreation activities in the harbor area.
Since a lot of coastal engineering is used to help people interact with
bodies of water, hopefully this will get people more involved in using coastal
facilities.