Wave‐Height Distribution in Storm Sea: Effect of Wave Breaking
Publication: Journal of Waterway, Port, Coastal, and Ocean Engineering
Volume 120, Issue 3
Abstract
Burst‐pressure data from 25‐m water depth are used to test a model of wave‐height distribution that incorporates wave breaking. The measurements are of waves from a severe storm and from the periods of calmer weather bracketing the storm. Burst ranged from 0.09 m to 5.42 m, the highest significant wave height was 7.41 m, and the highest burst‐maximum wave height was 11.82 m. The Rayleigh model overestimated the number of observed high waves, and consequently the predicted and were in error. Tayfun's model of the breaking‐limited wave‐height distribution, which is applicable to a narrow‐band free surface, more accurately reproduced the observed exceedance probabilities, although imperfect crest‐trough correlation, which is guaranteed in an irregular wave train, could also account for the paucity of high waves. Nevertheless, the data support the Stokes‐type breaking criterion that underpins Tayfun's model, and the breaking‐limited model produced significantly better predictions of and at the height of the storm.
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Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Journal of Waterway, Port, Coastal, and Ocean Engineering
Volume 120 • Issue 3 • May 1994
Pages: 283 - 301
Copyright
Copyright © 1994 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: May 24, 1993
Published online: May 1, 1994
Published in print: May 1994
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