Wind Generated Ocean Waves

The goals of wind wave research are relatively well defined: to be able to predict the wind wave field and its effect on the environment. That environment could be natural (beaches, the atmosphere etc.) or imposed by human endeavour (ports, harbours, coastal settlements etc.). Although the goals are similar, the specific requirements of these various fields differ considerably.

This book attempts to summarise the current state of this knowledge and to place this understanding into a common frame work. It attempts to take a balanced approach between the pragmatic engineering view of requiring a short term result and the scientific quest for detailed understanding. Thus, it attempts to provide a rigorous description of the physical processes involved as well as practical predictive tools.

Chapter headings and selected papers: Introduction. Wave Theory. Introduction. Small amplitude or linear theory. Wave transformation. Limitations of linear wave theory. Stochastic Properties of Ocean Waves. Introduction. Probability distribution of wave heights. Global distribution of wave properties. Limitations of global statistics. Physical Mechanisms of Wave Evolution. Introduction. Radiative transfer equation. Atmospheric input, Sin. Nonlinear quadruplet interactions, Snl. White-cap dissipation, Sds. The spectral balance. Fetch and Duration Limited Growth. Introduction. Similarity theory and dimensionless scaling. Growth curves for energy and peak frequency. One-dimensional spectrum. Directional spreading. Non-Stationary Wind Fields. Introduction. The interaction of swell and wind sea. Rapid change in wind speed. Rapid change in wind direction. Hurricane wind and wave fields. Finite Depth Effects. Introduction. Physical processes. Finite depth growth curves. Finite depth one-dimensional spectra. Finite depth directional spreading. Numerical Modelling of Waves. Introduction. Phase resolving models. Phase averaging models. Source term representation. Computational aspects. The WAM model. Data assimilation. Ocean Wave Measurement. Introduction. In situ methods. Data analysis. Remote sensing techniques.