Alternative Environmental Contours for Marine Structural Design—A Comparison Study¹

A new approach to estimate environmental contours in the original physical space by direct Monte Carlo simulations rather than applying the Rosenblatt transformation has recently been proposed. In this paper, the new and the traditional approach to estimating the contours are presented and the assumptions on which they are based are discussed. The different results given by these two methods are then compared in a number of case studies. Simultaneous probability density functions are fitted to the joint distribution of significant wave height and wave period for selected ocean locations and environmental contours are estimated for both methods. Thus, the practical consequences of the choice of approach are assessed. Particular attention is given to mixed sea systems. In these situations, the two approaches to environmental contours may be very different while for other wave conditions the contours are similar.