A representation for the frequency spectrum of wind-generated waves

This paper proposes the following generalized representation for a wind-wave frequency spectrum:

Full-size image (1K)

where E = ∫S(f)df is the variance of the surface displacement; f_m is the frequency of the spectral peak; and C_i's, i = 1,2,3, are dimensionless parameters that can be determined from the internal spectral parameters of a given spectrum.When applied to 234 sets of wave spectra recorded in the Great Lakes, this representation has been realistic, accurate, and capable of representing widely varied wave processes. The C_i's are clearly related to wave growth processes; they are large during early growth, decrease as waves grow, and reach approximate equilibrium when waves are fully developed.