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Effects of nonlinearity and spectral bandwidth on the dispersion relation and component phase speeds of surface gravity waves

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 April 2006

Donald R. Crawford
Affiliation:
Fluid Mechanics Department, TRW Defense and Space Systems Group, One Space Park, Redondo Beach, California 90278
Bruce M. Lake
Affiliation:
Fluid Mechanics Department, TRW Defense and Space Systems Group, One Space Park, Redondo Beach, California 90278
Affiliation:
Fluid Mechanics Department, TRW Defense and Space Systems Group, One Space Park, Redondo Beach, California 90278
Henry C. Yuen
Affiliation:
Fluid Mechanics Department, TRW Defense and Space Systems Group, One Space Park, Redondo Beach, California 90278

Abstract

The dispersion relation and component phase speeds of surface gravity wavefields and modulated wavetrains are calculated. A parametric study is performed for a range of nonlinearity and spectral bandwidths. It is found that the amount of departure from linear theory increases with the ratio of nonlinearity to spectral bandwidth. The calculated results are compared quantitatively with laboratory and ocean measurements of wavetrains and wavefields with and without wind. The good agreement between theory and experiment suggests that the nonlinearity–dispersion balance is a likely candidate to account for the observed discrepancy between linear theory and data, as well as for the difference in behaviour between laboratory and oceanic wave measurements.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
© 1981 Cambridge University Press

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