Data-driven models for significant wave height forecasting: Comparative analysis of machine learning techniques

• Study focuses on complex coastal dynamics of North Stradbroke Island. • Machine learning models trained and tested on 12 years of data. • Found data-driven approach surpasses conventional numerical models. • Random Forest model achieves top accuracy in wave height prediction. • Key predictors include Hmax, Tz, Tp, and SST. Accurate prediction of significant wave height (SWH) is critical for coastal safety, marine operations, and disaster management. Traditional numerical models for wave prediction are computationally intensive and often lack accuracy, prompting a shift towards data-driven methods. This study explores the efficacy of machine learning (ML) models in forecasting SWH in the coastline of North Stradbroke Island, Queensland, Australia. Using a dataset spanning 2010 to 2022, the study employs wave characteristics such as maximum wave height (Hmax), wave periods (Tz, Tp), peak direction, and sea surface temperature (SST) as predictors. Three ML models—Linear Regression, Decision Tree, and Random Forest—were trained and evaluated using performance metrics like Mean Squared Error (MSE), Root Mean Squared Error (RMSE), and R-squared (R²). The Random Forest model demonstrated the best predictive accuracy with the lowest MSE (0.0074) and highest R² (0.958), outperforming both Linear Regression and Decision Tree models. This improvement in prediction accuracy supports the model's application for coastal management, ensuring better forecasting of wave conditions. The proposed approach shows significant advantages, including better handling of non-linearities and reduced computational costs compared to conventional numerical methods, such as SWAN and WAM, making it highly applicable for real-time wave forecasting, particularly for regions with complex coastal dynamics such as North Stradbroke Island.