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Lecture 10

The document discusses wave analysis and predictions, highlighting the complexity of real waves and methods for predicting them based on meteorological conditions. It covers concepts such as significant wave height, wave climate, and factors affecting wave development, including wind strength, duration, and fetch. Additionally, it compares wave energy to wind energy, emphasizing the greater energy concentration in waves and the importance of accurate wind forecasts for wave predictions.

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eberber05
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2 views

Lecture 10

The document discusses wave analysis and predictions, highlighting the complexity of real waves and methods for predicting them based on meteorological conditions. It covers concepts such as significant wave height, wave climate, and factors affecting wave development, including wind strength, duration, and fetch. Additionally, it compares wave energy to wind energy, emphasizing the greater energy concentration in waves and the importance of accurate wind forecasts for wave predictions.

Uploaded by

eberber05
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Wave Analysis

and
Predictions
Introduction
• Characteristics of real waves are much
complex
• Not regular (sine/cosine) or
monochromatic
Wave Prediction
We can predict wave on the meteorological
conditions;
• Hindcasting:
– Based on past meteorological information

• Forecasting:
– Based on predicted meteorological
information
IRREGULAR WAVES
• Real waves are not sinusoidal.
• However, they can be represented with
good approximation as superpositions of
sinusoidal (regular) waves.
N
 ( x, t )   An sin( n t  k n x   n )
n 1

If N   , we have a continous spectrum.

Frequently a power spectum S ( ) is defined (rather than for amplitude).


Example power spectrum
0.2

0.15
S ( )
0.1
( m 2 s)
0.05

0
0 0.5 1 1.5 2
 (rad/s)
Power Spectrum
In practice, for numerical simulations, the spectrum has to be
discretized

N max
 ( x, t )   An sin  n t  k n x   n 
n  N min

n  n0
kn corresponding wave number
0 small frequency interval
An  40 S (n0 )

 n (0   n  2 ) random phase
Significant Wave Height and Period
• Defines the characteristics of real sea with
monochromatic wave form
• Need observations
Significant Wave Height:
– The average height of the one-third highest
waves (H1/3 or Hs )
Wave Height Variability
• When wave data records are sorted from
highest to lowest frequency of occurrence
of waves above any given value is
represented by Rayleigh Distribution
Root-Mean-Square Height
• Hrms is a statistical wave height quantity
that other wave height probabilities can be
described upon
• Used as a measure of average wave
energy
Height of the wave with given
probability
• Using the Hrms value of a wave record, we
can find the height of wave with any given
probability
• Or using the probability (n/N), we can
back calculate the wave height exceeding
a certain probability
RMS Dependent Statistics

• Average Wave
Height

• Significant Wave
Height
WAVE CLIMATE
• The wave climate may be regarded as a
set of sea states, each sea state
characterized by
• spectral distribution (e.g. Pierson-Moskowitz)
• significant wave height, H s,i
• (energy) period, Te, j
• frequency of occurrence, Fi, j
Similarities and contrasts between
wind energy and the wave energy
• Comparison between time-averages (over
tens of minutes to one hour):
– Waves result from the integrated action of the
wind over large ocean areas (thousands of
square km) and several hours or days
their variability is less than for wind, and they
are more predictable
Similarities and contrasts between
wind energy and the wave energy
• Over time-scales of a few wave periods,
the waves are largely random, to a larger
extent than wind turbulence.

• Due to the own nature of waves, the


absorbable power is highly oscillating and
practically discontinuous.
Similarities and contrasts between
wind energy and the wave energy
• Typically, the energy flux per unit vertical area for waves near the surface is
about 5 times larger than for wind.
• Waves are a more concentrated form of energy than wind.

WAVES
WIND
several 20m
km

<200m

The atmospheric boundary layer is Most of the wave energy flux is


several km thick. concentrated near the surface
A wind farm explores a tiny sublayer A wave farm can absorb a large part of
the wave energy flux.
Why Forecast Waves?
The Wave Spectrum

Fourier Analysis of wave trains:


n
  0   a j sin( j0t   j )
j 1
E
Variance of the wave record is
obtained by averaging the squares of
the deviations of each of the wave
components from the mean - gives
wave spectrum (Energy spectrum)

Frequency
Wave Growth
• Basic concepts
• Manual forecasting techniques
• Changing Wind
• Swell Forecasting
Fetch
• the area of contact between the wind and
the water and is where wind-generated
waves begin.
Fetch
• Seas is the term applied when the fetch
has a chaotic jumble of new waves.

• Waves continue to grow until the sea is


fully developed or becomes limited by
fetch restriction or wind duration.
Wave Generation
Wind Waves
Wave Heights, Wind and
Fetch
• Energy from the wind is transferred
to waves
• Waves lose energy Wave height
– Whitecapping depends on a
– Interaction with sea floor etc
balance
• The greater the wind speed, the
higher the waves between
• The longer the duration of the wind, energy in and
the higher the waves energy out
• The greater the distance over which
the wind blows (the FETCH) the
higher the waves.
Wave Height and Period for
General Conditions
• Need to take the fetch and duration (time for
which the wind is blowing) into account
• Can use the general curves
• May need to take into account varying wind
conditions (changes in direction and/or speed)
Manual Wave Forecasting Diagram
(Gröen and Dorrestein, 1976)

Assume wind speed = 15 m/s, and wind duration of 6 hours, and 25km fetch

Need fetch
>80km
2.8m
5.8s
Fetch=25km

1.8m 4s
Wave Measurements
• Visual observations
• Instruments for measuring waves
– Buoys
– Sub-surface pressure sensors
– Laser
• Remote sensing
– Radar Altimeter
– Synthetic Aperture Radar
Visual Observations
• Guide only as visual observations are not
generally reliable
• Observations of height tend to
approximate to the significant wave height
Instruments
• Wave buoys
– Vertical acceleration measured – can be
converted to wave height
• Wave staff
– Attached to platforms – wave height
measured by change in resistance or
capacitance of the wave staff
Instruments
• Pressure sensors
– Mounted from platforms below surface –
change in pressure is measure of wave height
• Laser
– Attached to platforms – pointing downward
Quality of Forecast
• The accuracy of any wave forecast is
dependant on the accuracy of the
wind forecast.
Factors Affecting Wind Wave Development

What factors affect wind wave development?

Wind strength - wind must be moving faster than the wave crests for
energy transfer to continue

Wind duration - winds that blow for a short time will not generate large
waves

Fetch - the uninterrupted distance over which the wind blows without
changing direction

© 2002 Brooks/Cole, a division of Thomson Learning, Inc.


Factors Affecting Wind Wave Development

© 2002 Brooks/Cole, a division of Thomson Learning, Inc.


Wave Hindcasting Models
• Parametric Models
• Spectral Models
• Complex Hindcast Models
Parametric Wave Hindcasting
Parametric Methods: That determine wave
height and period from Fetch (F), storm
duration (t) and wave generation depth (d);
• SMB Method (Sverdrup-Munk-
Bretshneider)
• Joint North Sea Wave Project (JONSWAP)
Wave Hindcasting
• Wind speed at 10 m high is used;
• Infinite F, t and d means fully developed
sea
Fetch Limited Fully Developed
Wave Hindcasting
Wave Hindcasting
(Shallow Water)
References
• Manual, Shore Protection. "Coastal
Engineering Research Center." (1984).
• Sorensen, Robert M. Basic coastal
engineering. Vol. 10. (2005).
• Kamphuis, J. William. Introduction to
coastal engineering and management. Vol.
30. (2010).

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