Data for: Ocean surface wave slopes and wind-wave alignment observed in Hurricane Idalia

Observational wave data and modeled wind data to accompany the article "Ocean surface wave slopes and wind-wave alignment observed in Hurricane Idalia" (https://doi.org/10.1029/2024JC021814). The data include wave buoy observations from targeted aerial deployments into Hurricane Idalia (2023) and colocated model 10-m winds. Winds are modeled using the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory’s Coupled Ocean-Atmosphere Mesoscale Prediction System for Tropical Cyclones (COAMPS-TC). The data are located offshore of the Big Bend region of Florida and span approximately 00Z on 29 August to 00Z on 31 August, as Idalia was making landfall along the Florida coast. Output datasets are in netCDF format (CF-1.11, ACDD-1.3) and are organized as single trajectory data indexed by observation time.  Each netCDF file is named according to the buoy ID.

Methods
This dataset contains wave measurements collected by free-drifting microSWIFT buoys (APL-UW) and Spotter buoys (Sofar Ocean) which use GPS-derived motions to report hourly records of surface wave statistics in the form of scalar energy spectra and directional moments. The observational data are combined with modeled surface winds from the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory’s Coupled Ocean-Atmosphere Mesoscale Prediction System for Tropical Cyclones (COAMPS-TC) which are interpolated onto the buoy observations in time and space.  Supporting data, also interpolated onto the buoy observation times, include best track data are from the International Best Track Archive for Climate Stewardship (IBTrACS) dataset and bathymetry data from the General Bathymetric Chart of the Oceans (GEBCO) 2023 grid.