Showing papers on "Breaking wave published in 2021"

Sub-Hinze scale bubble production in turbulent bubble break-up

Abstract: We study bubble break-up in homogeneous and isotropic turbulence by direct numerical simulations of the two-phase incompressible Navier–Stokes equations. We create the turbulence by forcing in physical space and introduce the bubble once a statistically stationary state is reached. We perform a large ensemble of simulations to investigate the effect of the Weber number (the ratio of turbulent and surface tension forces) on bubble break-up dynamics and statistics, including the child bubble size distribution, and discuss the numerical requirements to obtain results independent of grid size. We characterize the critical Weber number below which no break-up occurs and the associated Hinze scale , an order of magnitude smaller than the parent bubble. The separation of scales between the parent and child bubble is a signature of a production process non-local in scale. The formation mechanism of these sub-Hinze scale bubbles relates to rapid large deformation and successive break-ups: the first break-up in a sequence leaves highly deformed bubbles which will break again, without recovering a spherical shape and creating an array of much smaller bubbles. We discuss the application of this scenario to the production of sub-Hinze bubbles under breaking waves.

Breaking theory of solitary waves for the Riemann wave equation in fluid dynamics

Abstract: In this study, analytical solutions and physical interpretations are presented for the Riemann wave equation (RWE), which has an important physical property in fluid dynamics. The solutions of the ...

Potential short wave attenuation function of disturbed mangroves

Abstract: Mangroves are able to protect coastal communities through their ability to attenuate incoming long and short waves. Evidence of wave attenuation function and the factors contributing to wave attenuation by mangroves are now well established, especially for undisturbed mangrove stands. However, as tropical coastlines continue to urbanize rapidly, there is interest in understanding the ability of mangroves in wave attenuation along such disturbed coastlines. This study models the potential wave attenuation capacity of disturbed mangroves along the urban coastline of Singapore. Short wave attenuation is estimated under both average and storm (elevated water level) conditions. The percentage of wave height reduction is higher under storm events compared to average conditions. Vegetation drag is the main mechanism of wave energy dissipation under both average and storm conditions, with additional wave dissipation caused by wave breaking under the latter. Mangrove density and width were found to be positively correlated to the percentage of wave height reduction during a storm event. Compared to trunks and canopies, mangrove roots contributed to a larger percentage of wave height reduction. No statistical differences in wave height reduction extent were found between mangrove types, incident wave heights, and water levels respectively. This study has illustrated the potential for the attenuation of short waves by disturbed mangroves, especially during elevated water levels associated with storm events. The findings imply the potential of disturbed mangroves in wave attenuation, and should encourage the stronger incorporation of mangroves into coastal management strategies designed to protect urban communities against coastal hazards.

Quantifying Optically Derived Two-Dimensional Wave-Averaged Currents in the Surf Zone

Abstract: Complex two-dimensional nearshore current patterns are generated by feedbacks between sub-aqueous morphology and momentum imparted on the water column by breaking waves, winds, and tides. These non-stationary features, such as rip currents and circulation cells, respond to changing environmental conditions and underlying morphology. However, using fixed instruments to observe nearshore currents is limiting due to the high costs and logistics necessary to achieve adequate spatial sampling resolution. A new technique for processing surf-zone imagery, WAMFlow, quantifies fluid velocities to reveal complex, multi-scale (10 s–1000 s meters) nearshore surface circulation patterns. We apply the concept of a wave-averaged movie (WAM) to measure surf-zone circulation patterns on spatial scales of kilometers in the alongshore and 100 s of meters in the cross-shore. The approach uses a rolling average of 2 Hz optical imagery, removing the dominant optical clutter of incident waves, to leave the residual foam or water turbidity features carried by the flow. These residual features are tracked as quasi-passive tracers in space and time using optical flow, which solves for u and v as a function of image intensity gradients in x, y, and t. Surf zone drifters were deployed over multiple days with varying nearshore circulations to validate the optically derived flow patterns. Root mean square error are reduced to 0.1 m per second after filtering based on image attributes. The optically derived patterns captured longshore currents, rip currents, and gyres within the surf zone. Quantifying nearshore circulation patterns using low-cost image platforms and open-source computer vision algorithms presents the potential to further our understanding of fundamental surf zone dynamics.

The turbulent bubble break-up cascade. Part 1. Theoretical developments

Abstract: Breaking waves entrain gas beneath the surface. The wave-breaking process energizes turbulent fluctuations that break bubbles in quick succession to generate a wide range of bubble sizes. Understanding this generation mechanism paves the way towards the development of predictive models for large-scale maritime and climate simulations. Garrett et al. (J. Phys. Oceanogr., vol. 30, 2000, pp. 2163–2171) suggested that super-Hinze-scale turbulent break-up transfers entrained gas from large- to small-bubble sizes in the manner of a cascade. We provide a theoretical basis for this bubble-mass cascade by appealing to how energy is transferred from large to small scales in the energy cascade central to single-phase turbulence theories. A bubble break-up cascade requires that break-up events predominantly transfer bubble mass from a certain bubble size to a slightly smaller size on average. This property is called locality. In this paper, we analytically quantify locality by extending the population balance equation in conservative form to derive the bubble-mass-transfer rate from large to small sizes. Using our proposed measures of locality, we show that scalings relevant to turbulent bubbly flows, including those postulated by Garrett et al. (J. Phys. Oceanogr., vol. 30, 2000, pp. 2163–2171) and observed in breaking-wave experiments and simulations, are consistent with a strongly local transfer rate, where the influence of non-local contributions decays in a power-law fashion. These theoretical predictions are confirmed using numerical simulations in Part 2 (Chan et al., J. Fluid. Mech. vol. 912, 2021, A43), revealing key physical aspects of the bubble break-up cascade phenomenology. Locality supports the universality of turbulent small-bubble break-up, which simplifies the development of cascade-based subgrid-scale models to predict oceanic small-bubble statistics of practical importance.

Wave Dissipation and Sediment Transport Patterns during Shoreface Nourishment towards Equilibrium

Abstract: Implementing shoreface nourishment is an effective method to protect sandy beaches. A better understanding of the equilibrium mechanism of shoreface nourishments is necessary for coastal engineering designs and constructions. Two experiments on the beach profile equilibrium of the shoreface nourishment are carried out under mild wave conditions on the reflective and intermediate beach. It is observed that the shoreface nourishment increases local wave height and strengthens wave nonlinearity by its shallow water depth. The most intense wave breaking dissipation has been found on the crest of the shoreface nourishment, and the distribution of wave energy dissipation rate is more uniform on the quasi-equilibrium profile than that on the initial profile. A process-based numerical model is used to reproduce bed profile evolution successfully. On that basis, it is found that onshore bedload transport is the primary cause for the onshore migration of the shoreface nourishment. The magnitude of bedload transport decreases during the evolution of the shoreface nourishment towards equilibrium. The most intense sediment transport rate occurs over the shoreface nourishment or in front of the shoreline, depending on the ’lee effect’ of the nourishment. Furthermore, the effects of incident wave height, wave period, and sea-level rise on the equilibrium profile of the shoreface nourishment under mild wave conditions are analyzed.

Response of Point-Absorbing Wave Energy Conversion System in 50-Years Return Period Extreme Focused Waves

Abstract: This work evaluates the survivability of a point-absorbing wave energy converter at sea states along and inside the 50-year environmental contour for a selected-site in North Sea, by utilizing CFD simulations. Focused wave groups based on NewWave theory are used to model the extreme waves. The numerical breaking waves have been previously predicted by the analytical breaking criterion, showing that the latter provides an accurate estimate for the breaking state. The forces on key components of the device and the system’s dynamics are studied and compared. Slamming loads are identified in the interaction with extreme waves, particularly with breaking waves, and compared with the analytical formulas for slamming estimation as suggested by industrial standards. Considering the extreme wave characteristics, the accompanied phenomena and the resulting WEC’s response, this work contributes to the identification of the design-waves given the environmental contour of the selected site. The top-left side of the contour is identified as the more critical area as it consists of steep and high waves inducing significant nonlinear phenomena, resulting in high loads.

Laser-plasma acceleration beyond wave breaking

Abstract: Laser wakefield accelerators rely on the extremely high electric fields of nonlinear plasma waves to trap and accelerate electrons to relativistic energies over short distances. When driven strongly enough, plasma waves break, trapping a large population of the background electrons that support their motion. Aside from limiting the maximum electric field, this trapping can lead to accelerated electron bunches with large energy spreads. Here, we introduce a novel regime of plasma wave excitation and wakefield acceleration that allows for arbitrarily high electric fields while avoiding the deleterious effects of unwanted trapping. The regime, enabled by spatiotemporal shaping of laser pulses, exploits the property that nonlinear plasma waves with superluminal phase velocities cannot trap charged particles and are therefore immune to wave breaking.

Strong free-surface turbulence in breaking bores: a physical study on the free-surface dynamics and air–water interfacial features

Abstract: Highly turbulent free-surface flows are characterised by complex and rapidly varying air–water surface features, leading to enhanced surface roughness, breakup and disintegration processes. Such a strong free-surface turbulence has an impact on a number of environmental flows, and a deeper understanding of its physical nature is fundamental. Unsteady breaking bores are of particular interest because of their recirculating motion, with large air entrainment and splashes, resulting in highly fluctuating and rapidly varying free-surface flows. Herein, new methodologies and innovative approaches are used in support of a deeper understanding of the physical processes within a breaking roller, inclusive of a comprehensive assessment of its free-surface dynamics. Because of the unsteadiness of the flow, multiple repetitions were necessary and all results were based upon an ensemble statistical analysis. Ultra-high-speed videos recorded from both top and side views allowed for a detailed characterisation of the roller's free surface, providing a description and classification of the most recurring air–water surface features. A quantification of their main properties in terms of geometry, duration and frequency of appearance revealed an evolution of these features during their lifespans. In parallel, the use of optical flow techniques provided a characterisation of the surface velocity fields, yielding information on the free-surface kinematic properties and revealing a strong link between air–water surface features, energy dissipation and time/length scales.

Global Wave Hindcasts Using the Observation-Based Source Terms: Description and Validation

Abstract: Global wave hindcasts are developed using the third generation spectral wave model WAVEWATCH III with the observation-based source terms (ST6) and a hybrid rectilinear-curvilinear, irregular-regular-irregular grid system (approximately at (Formula presented.)). Three distinct global hindcasts are produced: (a) a long-term hindcast (1979–2019) forced by the ERA5 conventional winds (Formula presented.) and (b) two short-term hindcasts (2011–2019) driven by the NCEP climate forecast system (CFS)v2 (Formula presented.) and the ERA5 neutral winds (Formula presented.), respectively. The input field for ice is sourced from the Ocean and Sea Ice Satellite Application Facility (OSI SAF) sea-ice concentration climate data records. These wave simulations, together with the driving wind forcing, are validated against extensive in-situ observations and satellite altimeter records. The performance of the ST6 wave hindcasts shows promising results across multiple wave parameters, including the conventional wave characteristics (e.g., wave height (Formula presented.) and wave period) and high-order spectral moments (e.g., the surface Stokes drift and mean square slope). The ERA5-based simulations generally present lower random errors, but the CFS-based run represents extreme sea states (e.g., (Formula presented.) m) considerably better. Novel wave parameters available in our hindcasts, namely the dominant wave breaking probability, wave-induced mixed layer depth, freak wave indexes and wave-spreading factor, are further described and briefly discussed. Inter-comparisons of (Formula presented.) from the long-term (41 years) wave hindcast, buoy measurements and two different calibrated altimeter data sets highlight the inconsistency in these altimeter records arising from different calibration methodology. Significant errors in the low-frequency bins (period (Formula presented.) s) for both wave energy and directionality call for further model development.

Deep neural networks for active wave breaking classification.

Abstract: Wave breaking is an important process for energy dissipation in the open ocean and coastal seas. It drives beach morphodynamics, controls air-sea interactions, determines when ship and offshore structure operations can occur safely, and influences on the retrieval of ocean properties from satellites. Still, wave breaking lacks a proper physical understanding mainly due to scarce observational field data. Consequently, new methods and data are required to improve our current understanding of this process. In this paper we present a novel machine learning method to detect active wave breaking, that is, waves that are actively generating visible bubble entrainment in video imagery data. The present method is based on classical machine learning and deep learning techniques and is made freely available to the community alongside this publication. The results indicate that our best performing model had a balanced classification accuracy score of $$\approx$$ 90% when classifying active wave breaking in the test dataset. An example of a direct application of the method includes a statistical description of geometrical and kinematic properties of breaking waves. We expect that the present method and the associated dataset will be crucial for future research related to wave breaking in several areas of research, which include but are not limited to: improving operational forecast models, developing risk assessment and coastal management tools, and refining the retrieval of remotely sensed ocean properties.

Shear-induced breaking of internal gravity waves

Abstract: Motivated by observations of turbulence in the strongly stratified ocean thermocline, we use direct numerical simulations to investigate the interaction of a sinusoidal shear flow and a large-amplitude internal gravity wave. Despite strong nonlinearities in the flow and a lack of scale separation, we find that linear ray-tracing theory is qualitatively useful in describing the early development of the flow as the wave is refracted by the shear. Consistent with the linear theory, the energy of the wave accumulates in regions of negative mean shear where we observe evidence of convective and shear instabilities. Streamwise-aligned convective rolls emerge the fastest, but their contribution to irreversible mixing is dwarfed by shear-driven billow structures that develop later. Although the wave strongly distorts the buoyancy field on which these billows develop, the mixing efficiency of the subsequent turbulence is similar to that arising from Kelvin–Helmholtz instability in a stratified shear layer. We run simulations at Reynolds numbers Re of 5000 and 8000, and vary the initial amplitude of the internal gravity wave. For high values of initial wave amplitude, the results are qualitatively independent of . Smaller initial wave amplitudes delay the onset of the instabilities, and allow for significant laminar diffusion of the internal wave, leading to reduced turbulent activity. We discuss the complex interaction between the mean flow, internal gravity wave and turbulence, and its implications for internal wave-driven mixing in the ocean.

The turbulent bubble break-up cascade. Part 2. Numerical simulations of breaking waves

Abstract: Breaking waves generate a distribution of bubble sizes that evolves over time. Knowledge of how this distribution evolves is of practical importance for maritime and climate studies. The analytical framework developed in Part 1 (Chan, Johnson & Moin, J. Fluid Mech., vol. 912, 2021, A42) examined how this evolution is governed by the bubble-mass flux from large- to small-bubble sizes which depends on the rate of break-up events and the distribution of child bubble sizes. These statistics are measured in Part 2 as ensemble-averaged functions of time by simulating ensembles of breaking waves, and identifying and tracking individual bubbles and their break-up events. The large-scale break-up dynamics is seen to be statistically unsteady, and two intervals with distinct characteristics were identified. In the first interval, the dissipation rate and bubble-mass flux are quasi-steady, and the theoretical analysis of Part 1 is supported by all observed statistics, including the expected as small bubbles are also depleted more quickly. This suggests the emergence of different physical mechanisms during different phases of the breaking-wave evolution, although size-local break-up remains a dominant theme. Parts 1 and 2 present an analytical toolkit for population balance analysis in two-phase flows.