Wave height

About: Wave height is a research topic. Over the lifetime, 5920 publications have been published within this topic receiving 100257 citations.

Finite-amplitude interfacial waves in the presence of a current

Abstract: Solutions for interfacial waves of permanent form in the presence of a current wcre obtained for small-to-moderate wave amplitudes. A weakly nonlinear approximation was used to give simple analytical solutions to second order in wave height. Numerical methods were usctl to obtain solutions for larger wave amplitudes, details are reported for a number of selected cases. A special class of finite-amplitude solutions, closely related to the well-known Stokes surface waves, were identified. Factors limiting the existence of steady solutions are examined.

Model for decay of random waves in surf zone

Abstract: A model for the decay of random waves in the surf zone that requires transformation of only one representative wave height [root-mean square (RMS)] without making any assumption about the shape of the probability-density function is presented. The breaker decay model proposed by Dally is used as a starting point in the derivation of the new model. It is assumed that random wave properties in the surf zone may be obtained by individually transforming a large number of waves across shore and adding together the effect from each single-wave component. In deeper water, outside the surf zone, where wave breaking is negligible, a Rayleigh distribution is employed to characterize the randomness of the sea. This semianalytic model is compared with a complete Monte Carlo–simulation approach for different beach profile shapes, including barred profiles, and macrofeatures of wave height and energy flux transformation across the surf zone are similar for the two approaches. Comparisons are made in the paper with labo...

Surface Stress over the Ocean in Swell-Dominated Conditions during Moderate Winds

Abstract: Atmospheric and surface wave data from several oceanic experiments carried out on the Floating Instrument Platform (FLIP) and the Air–Sea Interaction Spar (ASIS) have been analyzed with the purpose of identifying swell-related effects on the surface momentum exchange during near-neutral atmospheric conditions and wind-following or crosswind seas. All data have a pronounced negative maximum in uw cospectra centered at the frequency of the dominant swell np, meaning a positive contribution to the stress. A similar contribution at this frequency is also obtained for the corresponding crosswind cospectrum. The magnitude of the cospectral maximum is shown to be linearly related to the square of the orbital motion, being equal to , where Hsd is the swell-significant wave height, the effect tentatively being due to strong correlation between the surface component of the orbital motion and the pattern of capillary waves over long swell waves.A model for prediction of the friction velocity from measurement...

Modeling Waves in Surfzones and Around Islands

Abstract: A semi-empirical model for surf zone wave height decay is adapted to the parabolic equation method in order to include the effect of depth-limited wave breaking in combined refraction/diffraction calculations. Several exam­ ples for plane beaches are presented in order to show correspondence between the empirical model, its numerical formulation, and previous laboratory data. The model is then applied to the study of wave breaking and diffraction around offshore islands of various planforms. An analytic method for constant depth, which can be used to extend computed solutions to the farfield downwave of the island, is provided, and several simple examples treating the island as a finite width breakwater are examined.