The use of a towed side-scan sonar to investigate processes near the sea surface

Side-scan sonars directed upwards from beneath the sea surface have been towed in waters off the west coast of Scotland. The sonographs show echoes from targets identified as subsurface bubble clouds produced by breaking wind-waves. In some conditions organised patterns are seen in the bubble clouds and, in particular, bubbles are accumulated in parallel rows by the effect of Langmuir circulations. The sonar is useful as a diagnostic tool to recognise and quantify these dynamical processes in the upper ocean boundary layer.     

Some characteristics of atmospheric gravity waves observed by radio-interferometry

Observations of atmospheric acoustic-gravity waves (AGWs) are considered through their effect on the horizontal gradient G of the slant total electron content (slant TEC), which can be directly obtained from two-dimensional radio-interferometric observations of cosmic radio-sources with the Nançay radioheligraph (2.2^°E, 47.3^°N). Azimuths of propagation can be deduced (modulo 180^°). The total database amounts to about 800 h of observations at various elevations, local time and seasons. The main results are:a) AGWs are partially directive, confirming our previous results.b) The propagation azimuths considered globally are widely scattered with a preference towards the south.c) They show a bimodal time distribution with preferential directions towards the SE during daytime and towards the SW during night-time (rather than a clockwise rotation as reported by previous authors).d) The periods are scattered but are larger during night-time than during daytime by about 60%.e) The effects observed with the solar radio-sources are significantly stronger than with other radio-sources (particularly at higher elevations), showing the role of the geometry in line of sight-integrated observations.     

Coastal currents caused by superposition of coastal-trapped waves and near-inertial oscillations observed near the Noto Peninsula, Japan

Current observations were made from 14 July 2006 to 31 March 2007, using an acoustic Doppler current profiler mounted on the seafloor near the eastern coast of the Noto Peninsula, Japan, to investigate strong coastal currents induced by large-amplitude coastal-trapped waves (CTWs) and near-inertial fluctuations (NIFs). The CTWs were generated by the winter monsoon and the passage of a typhoon during the observation period. Two types of strong currents with velocities higher than 50 cm s^-1 were observed. One type, the strong current in winter (SCW), had the coast on the left to its direction of flow. This current was observed after a strengthening of the winter monsoon in January 2007. The other type, the strong current in fall (SCF), had the coast on the right to its direction of flow and was observed after the passage of a typhoon in September 2006. The SCW was inferred to be formed mainly by low-mode CTWs without NIFs. Compared to the SCW, the SCF had a more complicated vertical structure and time variations. The SCF was inferred to be generated by low-mode CTWs strengthened by NIFs. The contributions of NIFs to the strong coastal currents became important when the wind stress direction was rotating clockwise.     

The characteristics of mountain waves observed by radar near the west coast of Wales

Radar observations at 46.5 MHz of vertical-velocity perturbations at Aberystwyth (52.4^○N, 4.1^○W) have been used to examine the incidence of mountain waves and their dependence on local topography and the wind vector at low heights. A contrast is drawn between the effects of easterly winds passing over major topographical features to the east of the radar site and those of westerly winds crossing low coastal topographical features to the west. Estimates are made of the vertical flux of horizontal momentum associated with mountain waves, and the general influence of mountain-wave activity on vertical-velocity measurements at the site is assessed.     

The reflection of water waves by shear currents

The refraction and reflection of linear water waves entering a following jet-type current is considered. A short-wave asymptotic solution is presented and the reflection coefficient found. This varies continuously from zero when the waves are normal to the current to unity when they are very oblique to it. The trapping of waves by an opposing current is also considered.     

Hindcast of breaking waves and its impact at an island sheltered coast,Karwar

Variability in the characteristics of depth-induced wave breakers along a non-uniform coastal topography and its impact on the morpho-sedimentary processes is examined at the island sheltered wave-dominated micro-tidal coast, Karwar, west coast of India. Waves are simulated using the coupled wind wave model, SWAN nested in WAVEWATCH III, forced by the reanalysis winds from different sources (NCEP/NCAR, ECMWF, and NCEP/CFSR). Impact of the wave breakers is evaluated through mean longshore current and sediment transport for various wave energy conditions across different coastal morphology. Study revealed that the NCEP/CFSR wind is comparatively reasonable in simulation of nearshore waves using the SWAN model nested by 2D wave spectra generated from WAVEWATCH III. The Galvin formula for estimating mean longshore current using the crest wave period and the Kamphuis approximation for longshore sediment transport is observed realistically at the sheltered coastal environment while the coast interacts with spilling and plunging breakers.     

Critical movement of large rocks in currents and waves

Cobbles, boulders, and rocks often are used in a bed protection layer near a structure to protect the underlying sand bed against erosion by combined current and waves. The design of a bed protection layer consisting of loose rocks (rubble mound) requires knowledge of the stability and movement (as bed load) of very coarse materials. If some movement (or damage) is acceptable, the rock diameter can be designed to be smaller. This paper addresses the stability and movement of very coarse materials (cobbles, boulders, and rocks) based on the concept of the critical Shields mobility number. It is shown that the bed load transport of large cobbles, boulders, and rocks can be described by the equations of Meyer-Peter and Mueller (MPM) and Cheng. Both are valid for relatively small Shields mobility numbers. New and general equations for the design of a bed protection layer (including some permissible damage) in conditions with a current with or without waves are proposed based on the Shields mobility parameter and the bed load transport equation of Cheng. Laboratory and field data of critical velocities for pebbles, cobbles, boulders, and rocks have been analyzed and compared to the computed results of the proposed equations. Practical applications are given to demonstrate the general applicability of the proposed equations.     

Simulation of breaking waves using the high-order spectral method with laboratory experiments: wave-breaking energy dissipation

We examine the implementation of a wave-breaking mechanism into a nonlinear potential flow solver. The success of the mechanism will be studied by implementing it into the numerical model HOS-NWT, which is a computationally efficient, open source code that solves for the free surface in a numerical wave tank using the high-order spectral (HOS) method. Once the breaking mechanism is validated, it can be implemented into other nonlinear potential flow models. To solve for wave-breaking, first a wave-breaking onset parameter is identified, and then a method for computing wave-breaking associated energy loss is determined. Wave-breaking onset is calculated using a breaking criteria introduced by Barthelemy et al. (J Fluid Mech https://arxiv.org/pdf/1508.06002.pdf, submitted) and validated with the experiments of Saket et al. (J Fluid Mech 811:642–658, 2017). Wave-breaking energy dissipation is calculated by adding a viscous diffusion term computed using an eddy viscosity parameter introduced by Tian et al. (Phys Fluids 20(6): 066,604, 2008, Phys Fluids 24(3), 2012), which is estimated based on the pre-breaking wave geometry. A set of two-dimensional experiments is conducted to validate the implemented wave breaking mechanism at a large scale. Breaking waves are generated by using traditional methods of evolution of focused waves and modulational instability, as well as irregular breaking waves with a range of primary frequencies, providing a wide range of breaking conditions to validate the solver. Furthermore, adjustments are made to the method of application and coefficient of the viscous diffusion term with negligible difference, supporting the robustness of the eddy viscosity parameter. The model is able to accurately predict surface elevation and corresponding frequency/amplitude spectrum, as well as energy dissipation when compared with the experimental measurements. This suggests the model is capable of calculating wave-breaking onset and energy dissipation successfully for a wide range of breaking conditions. The model is also able to successfully calculate the transfer of energy between frequencies due to wave focusing and wave breaking. This study is limited to unidirectional waves but provides a valuable basis for future application of the wave-breaking model to a multidirectional wave field. By including parameters for removing energy due to wave-breaking into a nonlinear potential flow solver, the risk of developing numerical instabilities due to an overturning wave is decreased, thereby increasing the application range of the model, including calculating more extreme sea states. A computationally efficient and accurate model for the generation of a nonlinear random wave field is useful for predicting the dynamic response of offshore vessels and marine renewable energy devices, predicting loads on marine structures, and in the study of open ocean wave generation and propagation in a realistic environment.     

Oil slicks on water surface: Breakup,coalescence, and droplet formation under breaking waves

The ability to calculate the oil droplet size distribution (DSD) and its dynamic behavior in the water column is important in oil spill modeling. Breaking waves disperse oil from a surface slick into the water column as droplets of varying sizes. Oil droplets undergo further breakup and coalescence in the water column due to the turbulence. Available models simulate oil DSD based on empirical/equilibrium equations. However, the oil DSD evolution due to subsequent droplet breakup and coalescence in the water column can be best represented by a dynamic population model. This paper develops a phenomenological model to calculate the oil DSD in wave breaking conditions and ocean turbulence and is based on droplet breakup and coalescence. Its results are compared with data from laboratory experiments that include different oil types, different weathering times, and different breaking wave heights. The model comparisons showed a good agreement with experimental data.     

The influence of bed forms on reference concentration and suspension under waves and currents

Hydrodynamic, suspension and bed-form measurements were made 2 km off the Dutch coast near Noordwijk aan Zee in ∼14 m water depth for a period of 32 days in 2003. Tidal currents were just able to suspend sand at the bed at peak spring tide but most suspension and transport occurred as a result of the combination of waves and currents. Burst-average (17 min) sand concentration profiles (C¯-profiles) from an acoustic backscatter instrument were used to define the (varying) location of the sea-bed, following the method used by Green et al. [Green, M.O., Dolphin, T.J., Swales, A., Vincent, C.E., 1999. Transport of mixed-size sediments in a tidal channel. Coastal Sediments ‘99, edited by N.C. Kraus, and W.G. McDougal, ASCE, Long Island, New York, pp. 644–658]. Reference concentrations at the sea-bed (C₀) and at 1 cm (C₁) were examined in relation to both the hydrodynamic conditions and the type of bed forms present. The C₀ predictive equations of Green and Black [Green, M.O., Black, K.P., Suspended sediment reference concentration under waves: field measurements and critical analysis of two predictive models, Coastal Engineering, 38, 115–141, 1999](short-wave ripples) and Nielsen [Nielsen, P., Suspended sediment concentrations under waves, Coastal Engineering, 10, 23–31, 1986](all bed forms; includes ripple steepness), both of which require knowledge of the bed-form type, were not as successful in explaining the variance in our C₀ data as a regression of C₀ against the skin-friction Shields parameter θ′_cw that ignored bed-form type (73% of variance explained). The values of the reference concentration C₁ were compared with the Lee et al. [Lee, G.-H., Dade, W.B., Friedrichs, C.T., Vincent, C.E., Examination of Reference Concentration Under Waves and Currents on the Inner Shelf., Journal of Geophysical Research, 109, 1–10, 2004] equation which predicts C₁ from the product of the Shields parameter and the inverse Rouse parameter; 51% of the variance in C₁ was explained.     

VHF radar observed characteristics of convectively generated gravity waves during wet and dry spells of Indian summer monsoon

A powerful VHF radar observed characteristics of Convectively generated Gravity Waves (CGW) excited during the wet and dry spells of Indian summer monsoon over a tropical station Gadanki (13.5°N, 79.2°E) are discussed. The characteristics of gravity waves in the lower stratosphere during these two spells are discussed in terms of their wavelet spectra along with height–time sections of vertical velocity. A total of 31 events are analyzed and in more than 50% of the events, the lower stratospheric gravity wave amplitudes were found to be relatively large in dry spell compared to that in the wet spell. The wavelet analysis of lower stratospheric vertical velocities showed a dominant periodicity of about ～20–40 min in wet spell and ～10–20 min in dry spell. The analysis also indicates that wet spell is found to be more conducive for the generation of gravity waves. However, the propagation of these waves into the stratosphere is found to be more efficient in dry spell of monsoon. The strengthening/weakening of the tropical easterly jet during wet/dry spell of monsoon is found to be the main reason for the inhibited/enhanced wave activity in the lower stratosphere during wet/dry spell. The present analysis also suggests that the static stability of the mid- and upper-troposphere during these two spells have implications in the observed frequency of the CGW. Thus, the present analyses brought out for the first time the features of CGW during two distinctive regimes of convective systems and emphasized the importance of prevailing background conditions in exciting/filtering them.     

The geometrical and fractal properties of visible radiances associated with breaking waves in the ocean

We consider the natural processes of wind-wave-breaking in the ocean in terms of fractal dimension. Digital algorithms for the analysis of aircraft optical images are employed to investigate spatial and statistical characteristics of foam streaks and whitecaps. The new results are as follows: 1. the fractal dimension of the wave-breaking set (foam streaks and whitecaps) depends on the ocean surface state and changes from d_H=1.05 to 1.25; 2. the fractal dimension differs from foam streaks and whitecaps - d_s=1.23 and 1.39, respectively.     

Source spectral phases of surface waves recovered from observed spectral amplitudes by using Hilbert transforms

Spectral phases of surface waves radiated at the seismic source are recovered by means of the Hilbert transform of spectral amplitudes. Through numerical simulations as well as the study of an earthquake with well known focal mechanism, it is shown that the recovered phases satisfy a criterion of coherency, so that they can be used in an inversion process for the retrieval of the seismic moment tensor.     

The bubble chamber and mechanism of bubble growth

Summary Although the bubble chamber was only invented byGlaser in 1952, there are today over a hundred chambers in use in physics laboratories throughout the world. In the field of high energy physics they have proved to be an invaluable tool and already much information has been obtained concerning very energetic particle interactions and properties of «strange» particles by the use of both hydrocarbon and liquid hydrogen chambers.     

Interaction of waves,currents and tides,and wave-energy impact on the beach area of Sylt Island

Erosion due to waves is an important and actual problem for most coastal areas of the North Sea. The objective of this study was to estimate the impact of wave action on the coastline of Sylt Island. From a 2-year time series (November 1999 to October 2001) of hydrological and wave parameters generated with a coupled wave–current modelling system, a period comprising storm ‘Anatol’ (3–4 December 1999) is used to investigate the effects of waves on currents and water levels and the input of wave energy into the coastline. The wave-induced stress causes an increase of the current velocity of 1 m/s over sand and an additional drift along the coast of about 20 cm/s. This produces a water level increase of more than 20 cm in parts of the tidal basin. The model system also calculates the wave energy input into the coastline. Scenario runs for December 1999 with a water level increase of 50 cm and wind velocity increased by 10% show that the input of the wave energy into the west coast of Sylt Island increases by 30% compared to present conditions. With regard to the forecasted near-future (Woth et al., Ocean Dyn 56:3–15, 2006) increase of strong storm surges, the scenario results indicate an increased risk of coastal erosion in the surf zone of Sylt Island.     

Numerical studies of large-amplitude internal waves shoaling and breaking at shelf slopes

Hydro carbon fields beyond the shelf break are presently being explored and developed, which has increased the scientific focus in this area. Measurements from the slopes reveal large variability in temperature and velocity, and some of the observed events are due to interactions between large-amplitude oscillations of the thermocline and the topography. The present study focuses on the strong currents that are generated near the seabed during shoaling and breaking of internal waves along shelf slopes. The parameter regime used is similar to the one for the Nordic Seas. The results show that, during shoaling of large internal waves along (gentle) slopes, the energy is transferred towards smaller scales and strong velocities (over 1 m s^− 1) can be generated. To resolve all scales involved is still not feasible, and therefore, the model results are sensitive to the grid size and the subgrid scale closure.     

Preliminary laboratory investigations into the attenuation of compressional and shear waves on near-surface marine sediments

The attenuation of compressional and shear waves ( Q _p and Q _s) has been studied by several authors but most of these investigations were performed on deep buried reservoir sandstones in order to distinguish between gas and condensate reservoirs and water-saturated sandstones. We present a preliminary investigation into the use of seismic wave attenuation as a measure of the geotechnical parameters of the near-surface marine sediments, a little-studied geological setting. A 6.9 m-long gravity core was taken from the continental slope of the Barents Sea at a water depth of 2227 m. The core was primarily composed of brown to olive-grey clayey mud, having a high content of foraminifers and being locally bioturbated. The values of Q _p and Q _s were determined using the rise-time method at 19 and 18 different points of the core, respectively, and they were correlated with geotechnical parameters such as wet bulk density, porosity, water content, shear strength and C/P ratio (the ratio of shear strength to overburden pressure). The calculated correlation coefficients for all correlations ranged from −0.39 to 0.41, suggesting that the attenuation characteristics of seismic waves could not be used to derive geotechnical parameters of marine sediments. However, with such a small data set it is difficult to determine clearly whether attenuation is primarily a frequency-dependent parameter and consequently not related to sediment properties, or whether the limited number of data points is the main factor responsible for the low correlation coefficients observed. Moreover, several different methods are available for the computation of the quality factor Q , and the rise-time method may not be the most appropriate means of determining the attenuation on near-surface marine sediments.