Ocean Waves

The unit Ocean Waves covers the dynamics of wind-generated waves in the open ocean and in coastal waters.

The Ocean Waves Unit focuses in the first part on the description of regular (monochromatic) waves before extending the results to realistic wind-generated wave fields that consist of wave components of varying frequencies and directions. It starts with linear wave theory which gives the interrelation between physical characteristics as the surface motion, the wave-induced pressure in the water and the motion of water particles. Commonly used nonlinear wave theories are then briefly introduced. We then discuss how the main properties of regular waves change when they propagate over varying depths and how they are affected by currents. In the second part of the Unit, we transition to irregular and directionally spread wave fields. We discuss how such wave fields can be measured and subsequently characterized, both in the time- and frequency-domain. We finally discuss how the wave field develops in the open ocean and coastal waters, and how an energy balance can be used to predict spectral wave evolution.