Distribution of nonlinear wave crests

The distribution of nonlinear wave crests is examined on the basis of a theoretical probability density previously given elsewhere (J. Eng. Mech. 120 (1994) 1009). Certain errors contained in the original theoretical density are corrected, and the corresponding exceedance distribution is derived. The resulting theoretical forms of the probability density and exceedance distribution are then slightly simplified and compared with nonlinear wave data gathered under hurricane conditions. The results indicate that the proposed theoretical forms describe the observed distributions of large wave crests better than the Rayleigh law. However, the quantitative accuracy of the predictions is somewhat poor, as is typical of approximate theories based on Gram–Charlier-type expansions.     

Application of wavelet transform analysis to landslide generated waves

The aim of this paper is to illustrate the results of a preliminary study on aerial landslide-generated waves, which has been mainly intended to establish a method for analyzing water surface records. Some simple physical experiments, reproducing the Scott Russell's wave generator, were carried out in a small two-dimensional wave flume; the Wavelet Transform (WT) is applied to analyze wave measurements and it is shown that useful information can be obtained by means of this technique. The celerity of impulsively generated waves, reflection by an overflow structure and seiching phenomena of the flume are studied. A discussion of the results along with some remarks about ongoing research is also given.     

Storms and shoreline retreat in the southern Gulf of St. Lawrence

Storms play a major role in shoreline recession on transgressive coasts. In the southern Gulf of St. Lawrence (GSL), southeastern Canada, long-term relative sea-level rise off the North Shore of Prince Edward Island has averaged 0.3 m/century over the past 6000 years (>0.2 m/century over 2000 years). This has driven long-term coastal retreat at mean rates >0.5 m/a but the variance and details of coastal profile response remain poorly understood. Despite extensive sandy shores, sediment supply is limited and sand is transferred landward into multidecadal to century-scale storage in coastal dunes, barrier washover deposits, and flood-tidal delta sinks. Charlottetown tide-gauge records show mean relative sea-level rise of 3.2 mm/a (0.32 m/century) since 1911. A further rise of 0.7±0.4 m is projected over the next 100 years. When differenced from tidal predictions, the water-level data provide a 90-year record of storm-surge occurrence. Combined with wind, wave hindcast, and sea-ice data, this provides a catalogue of potentially significant coastal storms. We also document coastal impacts from three recent storms of great severity in January and October 2000 and November 2001. Digital photogrammetry (1935–1990) and shore-zone surveys (1989–2001) show large spatial and temporal variance in coastal recession rates, weakly correlated with the storm record, in part because of wave suppression or coastal protection by sea ice. Large storms cause rapid erosion from which recovery depends in part on local sand supply, but barrier volume may be conserved by washover deposition. Barrier shores with dunes show high longshore and interdecadal variance, with extensive multidecadal healing of former inlet and overwash gaps. This reflects recovery from an episode of widespread overwash prior to 1935, possibly initiated by intense storms or groups of storms in the latter half of the 19th century. With evidence from the storms of 2000–2001, this points to the importance of storm clustering on scales of weeks to years in determining erosion vulnerability, as well as the need for a long-term, large-scale perspective in assessing coastal stability. The expected acceleration in relative sea-level rise, together with projections of increasing storm intensity and greatly diminished winter ice cover in the southern GSL, implies a significant increase in coastal erosion hazards in future.     

Experimental study of strong reflection of regular water waves over submerged breakwaters in tandem

A series of laboratory experiments was carried out to investigate the strong reflection of regular water waves over a train of submerged breakwaters. Rectangular and trapezoidal shapes of submerged breakwaters are employed and compared for reflecting capability of incident waves. Measured reflection coefficients of regular waves over impermeable submerged breakwaters are verified by comparing with those of the eigenfunction expansion method. A very good agreement is observed. Reflection coefficients of permeable submerged breakwaters are less than those of impermeable breakwaters. The trapezoidal shape is recommended for a submerged breakwater in terms of reflecting capability and practical application.     

New Numerical Scheme for Simulation of Hyperbolic Mild-Slope Equation

The original hyperbolic mild-slope equation can effectively take into account the combined effects of wave shoaling, refraction, diffraction and reflection, but does not consider the nonlinear effect of waves, and the existing numerical schemes for it show some deficiencies. Based on the original hyperbolic mild-slope equation, a nonlinear dispersion relation is introduced in present paper to effectively take the nonlinear effect of waves into account and a new numerical scheme is proposed. The weakly nonlinear dispersion relation and the improved numerical scheme are applied to the simulation of wave transformation over an elliptic shoal. Numerical tests show that the improvement of the numerical scheme makes efficient the solution to the hyperbolic mild-slope equation. A comparison of numerical results with experimental data indicates that the results obtained by use of the new scheme are satisfactory.     

Soft computing approach for real-time estimation of missing wave heights

This paper presents soft computing approach for estimation of missing wave heights at a particular location on a real-time basis using wave heights at other locations. Six such buoy networks are developed in Eastern Gulf of Mexico using soft computing techniques of Artificial Neural Networks (ANN) and Genetic Programming (GP). Wave heights at five stations are used to estimate wave height at the sixth station. Though ANN is now an established tool in time series analysis, use of GP in the field of time series forecasting/analysis particularly in the area of Ocean Engineering is relatively new and needs to be explored further. Both ANN and GP approach perform well in terms of accuracy of estimation as evident from values of various statistical parameters employed. The GP models work better in case of extreme events. Results of both approaches are also compared with the performance of large-scale continuous wave modeling/forecasting system WAVEWATCH III. The models are also applied on real time basis for 3 months in the year 2007. A software is developed using evolved GP codes (C++) as back end with Visual Basic as the Front End tool for real-time application of wave estimation model.     

Tsunami-like solitary waves impinging and overtopping an impermeable seawall: Experiment and RANS modeling

This study investigates tsunami-like solitary waves impinging and overtopping an impermeable trapezoidal seawall on a 1:20 sloping beach. New laboratory experiments are performed for describing three typical cases: a turbulent bore rushes inland and subsequently impacts and overtops the seawall (Type 1); a wave directly collapses on the seawall and then generates overtopping flow (Type 2); and, a wave straightforwardly overtops the seawall crown and collapses behind the seawall (Type 3). A two-dimensional volume of fluid (VOF) type model called the COBRAS (COrnell BReaking And Structure) model, which is based on the Reynolds-Averaged Navier–Stokes (RANS) equations and the k–ε turbulence closure solver, is validated by experimental data and then applied to investigate wave dynamics for which laboratory data are unavailable. Additionally, a set of numerical experiments is conducted to examine the dynamic wave acting force due to waves impacting the seawall. Effects of wave nonlinearity and freeboard are elucidated. Special attention is given to a distinct vortex evolutionary behavior behind the seawall, in which the dynamic properties of entrapped air-bubbles are briefly addressed experimentally and numerically.     

Some statistical characteristics of large deepwater waves around the Korean Peninsula

The relationship between significant wave height and period, the variability of significant wave period, the spectral peak enhancement factor, and the directional spreading parameter of large deepwater waves around the Korean Peninsula have been investigated using various sources of wave measurement and hindcasting data. For very large waves comparable to design waves, it is recommended to use the average value of the empirical formulas proposed by Shore Protection Manual in 1977 and by Goda in 2003 for the relationship between significant wave height and period. The standard deviation of significant wave periods non-dimensionalized with respect to the mean value for a certain significant wave height varies between 0.04 and 0.21 with a typical value of 0.1 depending upon different regions and different ranges of significant wave heights. The probability density function of the peak enhancement factor is expressed as a lognormal distribution, with its mean value of 2.14, which is somewhat smaller than the value in the North Sea. For relatively large waves, the probability density function of the directional spreading parameter at peak frequency is also expressed as a lognormal distribution.     

长江口沙波统计特征及输移规律

利用多波束测深系统对长江口南港、北槽、横沙通道和北港水下地貌进行测量,对沙波波高、波长、迎流倾角、背流倾角、水深和沉积物特征进行统计,并根据流速、沉积物粒径及水深估算其潮周期内净位移。结果表明:长江口沙波基本都为大型沙波,且沙波大小与其所在区域沉积物粒径呈正比关系;长江口各个区域沙波的对称性不同,涨、落潮优势流越明显,则沙波对称性越差,净位移越大;沙波对称性能反映此区域水动力强弱及潮周期内沙波净位移大小。     

Internal tides and waves near the continental shelf edge

Abstract

The subject is reviewed from the viewpoints of theory, internal tide and wave structure and their implications.

A wider theoretical context suggests scope for further investigation of natural or nearly-trapped forms above the inertial frequency.

Although internal tides in many locations are observed to have first-mode vertical structure, higher modes are seen offshore from shallow shelf-break forcing and for particular Froude numbers, and may be expected locally near generation. Bottom intensification is often observed where the sea floor matches the characteristic slope. Solitons form from internal tides of large amplitude or at large changes of depth.

Internal tides and solitons are observed also at many sills and in straits, and to intensify in canyons.

Non-linear effects of the waves, especially solitons, include the conveyance of water, nutrients, ‘‘mixing potential'’ etc. away from their source to other locations, and the generation of mean currents. The waves transfer energy and possibly heat between the ocean and shelf, may be a source of medium frequency waves on the shelf (periods of minutes) and can contribute to interior mixing and overturning, bottom stirring and sediment movement.