Wave crest and trough distributions in a broad-banded directional wave field

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Title: Wave crest and trough distributions in a broad-banded directional wave field
Author(s): Toffoli, Alessandro; Bitner-Gregersen, Elzbieta; Onorato, Miguel; Babanin, Alexander V.
Abstract: It is well established that the modulational instability enhances the probability of occurrence for extreme events in long crested wave fields. Recent studies, however, have shown that the coexistence of directional wave components can reduce the effects related to the modulational instability. Here, numerical simulations of the Euler equations are used to investigate whether the modulational instability may produce significant deviations from second-order statistical properties of surface gravity waves when short crestness (i.e., directionality) is accounted for. The case of a broad-banded directional wave field (i.e. wind sea) is investigated. The analysis is concentrated on the wave crest and trough distribution. For completeness a comparison with a unidirectional wave field is presented also. Results will show that the distributions based on second-order theory provide a good estimate for the simulated crest and trough height also at low probability levels.
Publication type: Journal article
Research centre: Swinburne University of Technology. Faculty of Engineering and Industrial Sciences
Source: Ocean Engineering, Vol. 35, no. 17-18 (Dec 2008), pp. 1784-1792
Publication year: 2008
FOR Code(s): 0905 Civil Engineering; 0911 Maritime Engineering
Keyword(s): Directional wave field; Euler equations; Nonlinear waves; Wave crest distribution; Wave trough distribution
Publisher: Pergamon
ISSN: 0029-8018
Publisher URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.oceaneng.2008.08.010
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