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The surface velocity field in steep and breaking waves

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  21 April 2006

W. K. Melville  and
Ronald J. Rapp
W. K. Melville
Affiliation:
Department of Civil Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, MA 02139, USA
Ronald J. Rapp
Affiliation:
Department of Civil Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, MA 02139, USA
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Abstract

Coincident simultaneous measurements of the surface displacement and the horizontal velocity at the surface of steep and breaking waves are presented. The measurements involve a novel use of laser anemometry at the fluctuating air-water interface and clearly show the limitations of surface displacement measurements in characterizing steep and breaking wave fields. The measurements are used to examine the evolution of the surface drift velocity, spectra, wave envelopes, and forced long waves in unstable deep-water waves. Preliminary results of this work were reported by Melville & Rapp (1983).

Information

Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of Fluid Mechanics , Volume 189 , April 1988 , pp. 1 - 22
Copyright
© 1988 Cambridge University Press

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