Showing papers on "Swell published in 2014"

Swell and sea in the emerging Arctic Ocean

Abstract: Ocean surface waves (sea and swell) are generated by winds blowing over a distance (fetch) for a duration of time. In the Arctic Ocean, fetch varies seasonally from essentially zero in winter to hundreds of kilometers in recent summers. Using in situ observations of waves in the central Beaufort Sea, combined with a numerical wave model and satellite sea ice observations, we show that wave energy scales with fetch throughout the seasonal ice cycle. Furthermore, we show that the increased open water of 2012 allowed waves to develop beyond pure wind seas and evolve into swells. The swells remain tied to the available fetch, however, because fetch is a proxy for the basin size in which the wave evolution occurs. Thus, both sea and swell depend on the open water fetch in the Arctic, because the swell is regionally driven. This suggests that further reductions in seasonal ice cover in the future will result in larger waves, which in turn provide a mechanism to break up sea ice and accelerate ice retreat.

Large-Eddy Simulation of Marine Atmospheric Boundary Layers above a Spectrum of Moving Waves

Abstract: Momentum and scalar transport in the marine atmospheric boundary layer (MABL) is driven by a turbulent mix of winds, buoyancy, and surface gravity waves. To investigate the interaction between these processes, a large-eddy simulation (LES) model is developed with the capability to impose a broadband spectrum of time-varying finite-amplitude surface waves at its lower boundary. The LES model adopts a Boussinesq flow model and integrates the governing equations on a time-varying, surface-fitted, nonorthogonal mesh using cell-centered variables with special attention paid to the solution of the pressure Poisson equation near the wavy boundary. Weakly unstable MABLs are simulated with geostrophic winds increasing from 5 to 25 m s−1 and wave age varying from swell-dominated to wind-wave equilibrium. The simulations illustrate cross-scale coupling as wave-impacted near-surface turbulence transitions into shear-convective rolls with increasing distance from the water. In a regime with swell, low winds, a...

Langmuir Turbulence in Swell

Abstract: The problem is posed and solved for the oceanic surface boundary layer in the presence of wind stress, stable density stratification, equilibrium wind-waves, and remotely generated swell-waves. The addition of swell causes an amplification of the Lagrangian-mean current and rotation toward the swell-wave direction, a fattening of the Ekman velocity spiral and associated vertical Reynolds stress profile, an amplification of the inertial current response, an enhancement of turbulent variance and buoyancy entrainment rate from the pycnocline, and—for very large swell—an upscaling of the coherent Langmuir circulation patterns. Implications are discussed for the parameterization of Langmuir turbulence influences on the mean current profile and the material entrainment rate in oceanic circulation models. In particular, even though the turbulent kinetic energy monotonically increases with wave amplitude inversely expressed by the turbulent Langmuir number La, the Lagrangian shear eddy viscosity profile κ...

Simulated Global Swell and Wind-Sea Climate and Their Responses to Anthropogenic Climate Change at the End of the Twenty-First Century

Abstract: The seasonal structure of the wind sea and swell is analyzed from the existing 29-yr surface gravity wave climatology produced using a coupled atmosphere–wave model. The swell energy fraction analysis shows that swell dominates most of the World Ocean basins for all four seasons, and the Southern Ocean swells dominate swell in the global ocean. The swells are loosely correlated with the surface wind in the midlatitude storm region in both hemispheres, while their energy distribution and propagation direction do not show any relation with local winds and vary significantly with season because of nonlinear interactions. The same coupled system is then used to investigate the projected future change in wind-sea and swell climate through a time-slice simulation. Forcing of the coupled model was obtained by perturbing the model sea surface temperatures and sea ice with anomalies generated by representative Working Group on Coupled Modelling (WGCM) phase 3 of the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project (C...

Observations and estimates of wave-driven water level extremes at the Marshall Islands

Abstract: Wave-driven extreme water levels are examined for coastlines protected by fringing reefs using field observations obtained in the Republic of the Marshall Islands. The 2% exceedence water level near the shoreline due to waves is estimated empirically for the study sites from breaking wave height at the outer reef and by combining separate contributions from setup, sea and swell, and infragravity waves, which are estimated based on breaking wave height and water level over the reef flat. Although each component exhibits a tidal dependence, they sum to yield a 2% exceedence level that does not. A hindcast based on the breaking wave height parameterization is used to assess factors leading to flooding at Roi-Namur caused by an energetic swell event during December 2008. Extreme water levels similar to December 2008 are projected to increase significantly with rising sea level as more wave and tide events combine to exceed inundation threshold levels.

Energy transfer between wind waves and low‐frequency oscillations on a fringing reef, Ipan, Guam

Abstract: Field observations from a Guam fringing reef are used to examine the cross-reef energy exchange between high-frequency sea and swell (SS) and low-frequency infragravity (IG) and far infragravity (fIG) waves. Energetic SS waves (significant wave heights 2–4 m) break at the outer reef, leading to weak (<1 m) conditions on the shallow reef flat. As SS waves shoal on the reef face before breaking, IG and fIG energy fluxes both increase through nonlinear energy transfer from the SS waves. In contrast, through the surf zone, the IG energy flux decreases whereas fIG flux increases. The decrease in IG energy flux through the surf zone is attributed to breaking SS waves working against the incident bound IG wave energy, which dominates breakpoint forced IG waves, yielding a net flux decrease. In contrast, fIG energy flux increases through the surf zone, consistent with breakpoint forcing and the absence of an energetic bound fIG component on the reef face. IG and fIG energy fluxes decay on the shallow reef flat due primarily to frictional dissipation, with tidal modulations attributed to nonlinear conversion and friction. Forcing at fIG frequencies may lead to a normal mode response on the reef with comparable incoming and outgoing fIG energy fluxes at the outer reef flat, depending on water level over the reef flat and the degree of frictional dissipation.

Sea state dependence of the wind stress over the ocean under hurricane winds

Abstract: [1] The impact of the surface wave field (sea state) on the wind stress over the ocean is investigated with fetch-dependent seas under uniform wind and with complex seas under idealized tropical cyclone winds. Two different approaches are employed to calculate the wind stress and the mean wind profile. The near-peak frequency range of the surface wave field is simulated using the WAVEWATCH III model. The high-frequency part of the surface wave field is empirically determined using a range of different tail levels. The results suggest that the drag coefficient magnitude is very sensitive to the spectral tail level but is not as sensitive to the drag coefficient calculation methods. The drag coefficients at 40 m/s vary from 1×10−3 to 4×10−3 depending on the saturation level. The misalignment angle between the wind stress vector and the wind vector is sensitive to the stress calculation method used. In particular, if the cross-wind swell is allowed to contribute to the wind stress, it tends to increase the misalignment angle. Our results predict enhanced sea state dependence of the drag coefficient for a fast moving tropical cyclone than for a slow moving storm or for simple fetch-dependent seas. This may be attributed to swell that is significantly misaligned with local wind.

Periodicity and patterns of ocean wind and wave climate

Abstract: The Climate Forecast System Reanalysis (CFSR) provides a wealth of information spanning 1979–2009 for investigation of ocean wind and wave climate. Preprocessing of the data is necessary to remove the dominant seasonal signals and to create time series of semimonthly averaged wind speed and significant wave height over a 0.5° global grid. We perform an empirical orthogonal function (EOF) analysis to extract the dominant space-time patterns. The results for the three major ocean basins show strong zonal structures in the winds and saturation of the swells corroborating prior works with various data sets. We reexamine the CFSR data in the frequency domain to identify periodic signals associated with published climate indices. The Fourier transform of the preprocessed time series generates spectra ranging from 1 month to 15 years period for an EOF analysis. The results demonstrate the spatial structures and periods of climate phenomena. The Arctic Oscillation dominates the Atlantic basin with a broad range of intra-annual signals off the European coasts. The Indian and Pacific Oceans are strongly influenced by inter-annual cycles of the El Nino Southern Oscillation (ENSO) and the Antarctica Oscillation. The Indian Ocean also has strong intra-annual components ranging from 50 to 80 days period. The ENSO proves to be a ubiquitous signal around the globe, and in particular, saturates the Pacific with strong influences in the equatorial region and the Southern Hemisphere Westerlies. A commonality of all basins is that the magnitude and the spatial structure of the intra-annual and inter-annual signals are similar suggesting a wide range of periods in each of the climate cycles examined.

Occurrence of rogue sea states and consequences for marine structures

Abstract: The frequency of occurrence of combined wave systems like wind sea and swell may increase in some ocean areas due to the observed change of storm tracks. These combined sea states, when crossing at a particular angle, may lead to more frequent occurrence of rogue events. The present study addresses these rogue-wave-prone sea states and their probabilities of occurrence. The analysis is based on hindcast data from the North Atlantic, the North Sea, the Norwegian Sea, Nigeria and Australia and supported by numerical simulations performed by the Higher Order Spectral Method (HOSM, West et al. J Geophys Res 92:11803–11824, 1987). The hindcast data have been generated by the wave model WAM. Long-term probabilistic description of significant wave height and spectral peak period is established for the selected locations and probability of occurrence of crossing rogue-wave-prone sea states is indicated. Further, the occurrence of individual rogue waves in low, intermediate and high sea states is also evaluated. The results are discussed from the perspective of design and operations of ships and offshore structures.

Shallow water wave spectral characteristics along the eastern Arabian Sea

Abstract: The spectral characteristics of shallow water waves were studied at two locations along the eastern Arabian Sea during 2011. Wave spectra were single-peaked from June to October and predominantly double-peaked during the rest of the year. Even though both locations were subjected to open sea conditions, the percentage of single-peaked spectra was large (63 %) in the southern location compared to a location 350 km north (46 %), because of variation in local winds. Throughout the year, the double-peaked spectra were mostly swell dominated in the southern location. In the northern location, the double-peaked spectra during January to May and December were sea dominated due to the strong local winds blowing from north-west. For the double-peaked wave spectra, the average difference between the spectral peaks was 0.11 Hz, and the average ratio of the spectral energy density at the two peaks was 0.5. Significant wave heights up to 4.2 m and a maximum wave height of 7 m were observed during the south-west monsoon period. Fifty per cent of the waves recorded had spectral peak wave periods between 6 and 12 s. The narrowest directional spectra were found for waves with 10–12-s peak wave periods. Inverse wave age values were biased towards lower values with peaks in the range of 0.2–0.6, indicating a swell-driven wave regime along the eastern Arabian Sea.

Refraction of swell by surface currents

Abstract: Using recordings of swell from pitch-and-roll buoys, we have reproduced the classic observations of long-range surface wave propagation originally made by Munk et al. (1963) using a triangular array of bottom pressure measurements. In the modern data, the direction of the incoming swell fluctuates by about ±10∘ on a time scale of one hour. But if the incoming direction is averaged over the duration of an event then, in contrast with the observations by Munk et al. (1963), the sources inferred by great-circle backtracking are most often in good agreement with the location of large storms on weather maps of the Southern Ocean. However there are a few puzzling failures of great-circle backtracking e.g., in one case, the direct great-circle route is blocked by the Tuamoto Islands and the inferred source falls on New Zealand. Mirages like this occur more frequently in the bottom-pressure observations of Munk et al. (1963), where several inferred sources fell on the Antarctic continent. Using spherical ray tracing we investigate the hypothesis that the refraction of waves by surface currents produces the mirages. With reconstructions of surface currents inferred from satellite altimetry, we show that mesoscale vorticity significantly deflects swell away from great-circle propagation so that the source and receiver are connected by a bundle of many rays, none of which precisely follow a great circle. The ±10∘ directional fluctuations at the receiver result from the arrival of wave packets that have travelled along the different rays within this multipath. The occasional failure of great-circle backtracking, and the associated mirages, probably results from partial topographic obstruction of the multipath, which biases the directional average at the receiver.

Observations of large infragravity wave runup at Banneg Island, France

Abstract: On Banneg Island, France, very high water-level events (6.5 m above the astronomical tide) have been observed on the western cliff, exposed to large swells from the North Atlantic. The analysis of hydrodynamic measurements collected during the storm of 10 February 2009 shows unusually high (over 2 m) infragravity wave runup events. By comparing runup observations to measurements in approximately 7 m of water and numerical simulations with a simplified nonlinear model, two distinct infragravity bands may be identified: an 80 s infragravity wave, produced by nonlinear shoaling of the storm swell; and a 300 s wave, trapped on the intertidal platform of the island and generating intermittent, low-frequency inundation. Our analysis shows that the 300 s waves are a key component of the extreme water levels recorded on the island.

Refraction of swell by surface currents

Abstract: Using recordings of swell from pitch-and-roll buoys, we have reproduced the classic observations of long-range surface wave propagation originally made by Munk et al. (1963) using a triangular array of bottom pressure measurements. In the modern data, the direction of the incoming swell fluctuates by about $\pm 10^\circ$ on a time scale of one hour. But if the incoming direction is averaged over the duration of an event then, in contrast with the observations by Munk et al. (1963), the sources inferred by great-circle backtracking are most often in good agreement with the location of large storms on weather maps of the Southern Ocean. However there are a few puzzling failures of great-circle backtracking e.g., in one case, the direct great-circle route is blocked by the Tuamoto Islands and the inferred source falls on New Zealand. Mirages like this occur more frequently in the bottom-pressure observations of Munk et al. (1963), where several inferred sources fell on the Antarctic continent. Using spherical ray tracing we investigate the hypothesis that the refraction of waves by surface currents produces the mirages. With reconstructions of surface currents inferred from satellite altimetry, we show that mesoscale vorticity significantly deflects swell away from great-circle propagation so that the source and receiver are connected by a bundle of many rays, none of which precisely follow a great circle. The $\pm 10^\circ$ directional fluctuations at the receiver result from the arrival of wave packets that have travelled along the different rays within this multipath. The occasional failure of great-circle backtracking, and the associated mirages, probably results from partial topographic obstruction of the multipath, which biases the directional average at the receiver.

Spectral Density Analysis for Wave Characteristics in Pohang New Harbor

Abstract: The Pohang New Harbor (PNH), located at the Yongil bay in the northeastern part of Pohang city, South Korea, has experienced extreme wave hazards of about 3.0–5.0 m in elevation due to the seasonal swell from the far ocean. In this paper, both analytical and numerical studies are performed to investigate the wave-induced oscillations in an arbitrary shaped harbor with corner point consideration. By taking the consideration of the actual topography and bathymetry data, the boundary of PNH is constructed. Our theoretical model is based on the assumptions of inviscid, irrotational fluid, infinitesimal wave amplitude, and finally, the Helmholtz equation and its Weber’s solution. The numerical simulations are conducted to analyze the spectral density of the standing waves in PNH at eight respective synthetic record points. The simulation results are validated with real-time measurement data, which is obtained by wave heights and tide gauges at the specified record points within and outside the PNH. To improve the harbor’s design, a tactic such as building the breakwater at the entrance of the harbor is implemented and then spectral density is estimated in the modified geometry of the PNH. The consequential effects are proposed at the same time, suggesting the feasibility of the improvement measures.

Estimation of Coastal Bathymetry Using RISAT-1 C-Band Microwave SAR Data

Abstract: The study of swell wave refraction phenomena using synthetic aperture radar (SAR) data has been found to be very useful in estimating the underwater topography (seabed structure). Near-shore water regions generate a wide range of surface signatures due to rapidly changing underwater depths, which cause waves to refract and finally align parallel to the shoreline. Another significant change, which is observed as gravity waves approach the shoreline, is that their wavelength decreases and, as the energy of the wave is constant in the absence of dissipating forces, amplitude increases. The strong correlation between the change in wavelength and the underlying topography makes it possible to estimate the bathymetry from the measured wavelength. Normally available global bathymetric maps (e.g., ETOPO-1 bathymetry toposheets) are out of date and provide bathymetry at a very coarse resolution. In this letter, swell wave refraction phenomena using Radar Imaging Satellite C-band SAR data over coastal regions of Mumbai have been studied. The wave-tracing technique has been used to derive the wavelength of swell waves in near-shore regions and analyze the wavelength change in order to retrieve underwater topography using dispersion relation with swell wave properties. This SAR-based technique can be used to derive high-resolution bathymetric maps for near-coastal regions. Also, with this technique, temporal variations in the seabed can be measured to infer geological processes.

Spectral wave characteristics off Gangavaram, Bay of Bengal.

Abstract: Spectral wave characteristics were studied based on waves measured for 1 year during 2010 off Gangavaram, Bay of Bengal. Maximum wave height of 5.2 m was observed on 19 May 2010 due to the influence of cyclonic storm LAILA. The wave spectrum was single-peaked during 57 % of the time and the double-peaked spectrum observed was mainly swell-dominated. Low-frequency waves (0.05–0.15 Hz) were predominantly from 150° to 180°, whereas high-frequency waves (>0.15 Hz) during November–January were mainly from 90° to 120°, and during July and August from 180° to 210°. Annual average significant wave height was similar to the value (1 m) observed in the eastern Arabian Sea.

Infragravity waves across the oceans

Abstract: Ocean infragravity (IG) waves are low-frequency waves generated along shorelines by incident seas and swell and with heights of the order of 1 cm in the open ocean. Despite these small amplitudes, they can be of much importance for ice shelf break up and errors in measurements of sea level by future satellite altimeters. A combination of numerical model results and in situ data is used to show that bottom pressure signals in the infragravity frequency band can be dominated by bursts of energy that travel across ocean basins, and can last for several days. Two particularly strong events recorded in 2008 are studied, one in the North-Pacific and the other in the North-Atlantic. It is shown that infragravity waves can travel across whole oceans basins with the signal recorded on the western shores often dominated by IG waves coming from the opposite shore of that same ocean basin.

Global surface wave drift climate from ERA-40: the contributions from wind-sea and swell

Abstract: By using 45 years of reanalysis data from the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts, ERA-40, we present and discuss the global climatological wave-induced velocity, surface Stokes drift (SD), and its vertically integrated transport for deep water waves. We find that in most of the oceanic basins, the global surface SD is mainly wind-sea-driven while its vertically integrated transport is mainly swell-driven. The total surface SD does not always coincide in orientation with its vertically integrated transport. We suggest that such regions of misalignment are linked to “wave-driven wind” regimes. Coastal wave-induced transport divergences are mostly linked to wind-sea while divergences in the interior of the oceans basins are linked to swell. Analysis of trends indicates that the vertically integrated transport has generally increased during the 45 years analyzed. The largest increases are due to wind-sea in limited high-latitude areas while the swell has a minor increase, but over larger areas.