Types of surface waves

wind-driven waves
Types of surface waves

Ship waves
Tsunami
Wind waves

Philips 1957:
Wave generated by resonance
between wind turbulence and
surface waves

Miles 1957:
Rate of wind energy to wave
energy transfer depend on wave
speed and profile curvature at
elevation where wind velocity
As waves develop, they offer more surface area for the wind to equals phase velocity
press against (wind stress) – depending upon fetch length and
time, the size of the waves increases!
Wave Description
Regular waves
Irregular waves
Wave Description

•Irregular ocean waves = Sum of many

independent harmonic waves

•Understanding irregular waves means

understanding the individual harmonic
waves

•Linear wave theory describes in detail

such harmonic waves
Wave Measurements
⚫ In situ techniques (floating, submerged, surface-
piercing)
- wave buoy
- wave pole
- pressure transducers/current meter

⚫ Remote-sensing techniques
- stereo-photography
- altimetry (laser, acoustic, radar)
Wave Description
Wave Description

Nonlinear waves

Linear waves
Propagating energy, not particle

Coordinate: x-z plane

Wave velocity (phase velocity, celerity)
𝜆 𝜔
𝑐= =
𝑇 𝑘
Linear waves
Boundary value problem
Irrotational and incompressible fluid satisfies the
continuity equation:

𝜕𝑢 𝜕𝑣 𝜕𝑤
𝜕𝑥
+ 𝜕𝑦
+ 𝜕𝑧
= 0 ∇2 𝜙 = 0

or

𝜕2 𝜙 𝜕2 𝜙 𝜕2 𝜙
𝜕𝑥2
+ 𝜕𝑥2 + 𝜕𝑥2 =0

Laplace equation

Many solutions exist, we need to find the one

applicable to water waves.
Linear waves
Laplace equation

∇2 𝜙 = 0

is linear, which means, if 𝜙1 and 𝜙2 are solutions for the equation, then 𝐴𝜙1 + 𝐵𝜙2 is
also a solution to the Laplace equation.

To solve it we need boundary conditions.

Linear waves
Kinematic Free surface boundary condition:

Equation of the free surface:

𝐹 𝑥, 𝑦, 𝑧, 𝑡 = 𝑧 − 𝜂 𝑥, 𝑦, 𝑡 = 0

where 𝜂 𝑥, 𝑦, 𝑡 is the displacement of the free surface, about

𝑧 = 0.

The component of fluid velocity normal to the surface be related to the local surface velocity.

if we see the surface in a Lagrange coordinate, as we move with the surface, it should not change.
That is :

𝐷𝐹(𝑥, 𝑦, 𝑧, 𝑡) 𝜕𝐹 𝜕𝐹 𝜕𝐹 𝜕𝐹
= +𝑢 +𝑣 +𝑤 = 0. 𝑜𝑛 𝐹 𝑥, 𝑦, 𝑧, 𝑡 = 𝑧 − 𝜂 𝑥, 𝑦, 𝑡 = 0
𝐷𝑡 𝜕𝑡 𝜕𝑥 𝜕𝑦 𝜕𝑧
 Linear waves
𝐷𝐹(𝑥, 𝑦, 𝑧, 𝑡) 𝜕𝐹 𝜕𝐹 𝜕𝐹 𝜕𝐹
= +𝑢 +𝑣 +𝑤 = 0. 𝑜𝑛 𝐹 𝑥, 𝑦, 𝑧, 𝑡 = 𝑧 − 𝜂 𝑥, 𝑦, 𝑡 = 0
𝐷𝑡 𝜕𝑡 𝜕𝑥 𝜕𝑦 𝜕𝑧

𝜕𝐹 2 2 2
− = 𝑢 ∙ ∇𝐹 = 𝑢 ∙ 𝑛 ∇𝐹 , ∇𝐹 = 𝜕𝐹 Τ𝜕𝑥 + 𝜕𝐹 Τ𝜕𝑦 + 𝜕𝐹 Τ𝜕𝑍
𝜕𝑡

∇𝐹
where 𝑛 = is the unit vector normal to the surface.
∇𝐹

− 𝜕𝐹 Τ𝜕𝑡
𝑢∙𝑛 = on 𝐹 𝑥, 𝑦, 𝑧, 𝑡 = 0
∇𝐹

𝜕𝜂 Τ𝜕𝑡 𝜕𝜂 Τ𝜕𝑡
𝑢∙𝑛 = = 𝑜𝑛 𝑧 = 𝜂 𝑥, 𝑦, 𝑡
∇𝐹 𝜕𝜂 Τ𝜕𝑥 2 + 𝜕𝜂 Τ𝜕𝑦 2 +1
 Linear waves
𝜕𝜂 Τ𝜕𝑡 𝜕𝜂 Τ𝜕𝑡
𝑢∙𝑛 = = 𝑜𝑛 𝑧 = 𝜂 𝑥, 𝑦, 𝑡
∇𝐹 𝜕𝜂 Τ𝜕𝑥 2 + 𝜕𝜂 Τ𝜕𝑦 2 +1

here
𝜕𝜂 𝜕𝜂
∇𝐹 − 𝑖റ − 𝑗റ + 1𝑘
𝜕𝑥 𝜕𝑦
𝑛= =
∇𝐹 𝜕𝜂 Τ𝜕𝑥 2 + 𝜕𝜂 Τ𝜕𝑦 2 +1

Thus

𝜕𝜙 𝜕𝜂 𝜕𝜂 𝜕𝜂
− =𝑤= +𝑢 +𝑣 , 𝑜𝑛 𝑧 = 𝜂 𝑥, 𝑦, 𝑡
𝜕𝑧 𝜕𝑡 𝜕𝑥 𝜕𝑦
 Linear waves
Bottom boundary condition:

The velocity component normal to the bottom should be zero,

i.e.

𝑢 ∙ 𝑛 = 0. 𝑎𝑡 𝑧 = −ℎ(𝑥)

or for flat bottom

𝜕𝜙
𝑤=− = 0. 𝑎𝑡 𝑧 = −ℎ 𝑧 = −ℎ
𝜕𝑧
 Linear waves
Dynamic Free surface boundary condition:

The pressure at free surface need to be uniform (no wind),

hence, the Bernoulli equation on the surface would be

𝜕𝜙 1 2 2
𝑝𝜂
− + 𝑢 + 𝑤 + + 𝑔𝑧 = 𝐶 𝑡 . 𝑎𝑡 𝑧 = 𝜂 𝑥, 𝑡
𝜕𝑡 2 𝜌

Usually, 𝑝𝜂 is to be gage pressure, i.e., 𝑝𝜂 = 0.

2 2
𝜕𝜙 1 𝜕𝜙 𝜕𝜙 𝑝𝜂
− + + + + 𝑔𝑧 = 𝐶 𝑡 . 𝑎𝑡 𝑧 = 𝜂 𝑥, 𝑡
𝜕𝑡 2 𝜕𝑥 𝜕𝑧 𝜌

𝑧 = −ℎ
 Linear waves
Lateral boundary condition:

For pure waves, i.e., no structures involved, this condition

is just a periodicity condition:

𝜙 𝑥, 𝑡 = 𝜙 𝑥 + 𝐿, 𝑡

𝜙 𝑥, 𝑡 = 𝜙 𝑥, 𝑡 + 𝑇

𝑧 = −ℎ
 Linear waves
Two-dimensional periodic water wave problem

Governing equation:

∇2 𝜙 = 0

Boundary conditions:

𝜕𝜙
− =0 𝑜𝑛 𝑧 = −ℎ
𝜕𝑧 𝑧 = −ℎ

𝜕𝜙 𝜕𝜂 𝜕𝜙 𝜕𝜂
− = − , 𝑜𝑛 𝑧 = 𝜂 𝑥, 𝑡
𝜕𝑧 𝜕𝑡 𝜕𝑥 𝜕𝑥
2 2 𝜙 𝑥, 𝑡 = 𝜙 𝑥 + 𝐿, 𝑡
𝜕𝜙 1 𝜕𝜙 𝜕𝜙
− + + + 𝑔𝜂 = 𝐶 𝑡 . 𝑜𝑛 𝑧 = 𝜂 𝑥, 𝑡
𝜕𝑡 2 𝜕𝑥 𝜕𝑧 𝜙 𝑥, 𝑡 = 𝜙 𝑥, 𝑡 + 𝑇