Summary

(Waves)

Waves are moving of a water surface. Waves are divided into two categories;

progressive waves and standing waves. Which includes progressive waves are surface waves,

internal waves, and tsunamis. Surface waves is a wave that is affected by the wind. Internal

waves is a wave that is affected by differences in salinity. Which includes standing waves is

seiches.

In ocean engineering, there is no term about ‘tidal wave’. Ocean engineering know

about tides and waves. When disscusing about tides, we do not count the tides. We count about

the elevation of water. The elevation of water is the sum of the tides and non tides.

Characteristics of wave are has crest, trough, wave height (H), wave length (L), still

water level, and orbital motion.

Characteristic of wave

Gravity waves formed by the transfer of wind energy into water. Wind waves has a

wave height less than 3 m and wave length 60-150 m. Factor that affect wind wave

development are wind strength, wind duration, and fetch. Free waves is a wave that is formed

by a disturbing force such as a storm. Waves continue to move without additional wind energy.

Forced wave is a wave that is maintained by its disturbing force, e.g., tides. Wave length
determines the size of the orbits of water molecules within a wave. Water depth determines the

shape of the orbits. Water depth divided into 3; deep-water waves, shallow-water waves, and

transitional waves.

Waves originate in a “sea” area. Swell have traveled out of their area of origination.

Swell exhibit a uniform and symmetrical shape. Wave size increases as the strength and

duration of the wind, and distance over which it blows increases. Wind-generated waves are

progressive waves because they travel across the sea surface. Type of progressive wave divided

into 3; sea, swell, and surf. Sea has irregular waves in the area of generation. Swell has more

regular waves beyond area of generation. Surf has waves that have reached the coast, grow in

height, and break.

Internal waves display all the properties of surface progressive waves including

reflection, refraction, interference, breaking, etc. Because of the small density difference

between the water masses above and below the pycnocline, wave properties are different

compared to surface waves. Any disturbance to the pycnoclinecan generate internal waves,

including: flow of water related to the tides, flow of water masses past each other, storms, or

submarine landslides.

Internal Waves- at thermocline/pycnocline layer

 Linear theory of ocean surface waves;

Assumed that:

 The amplitude of waves on the water surface is infinitely small so the surface is almost

exactly a plane.

 The flow is 2-dimensional with waves traveling in the x-direction.

 The Coriolis force and viscosity can be neglected.

Dispersion Equation:

 𝜔2 = 𝑔 𝑘 tanh(𝑘𝑑)

 𝜔2 = 𝑔 𝑘 (deep water approximation)

 𝜔2 = 𝑔 𝑘 2 𝑑 (shallow water approximation)

Significant wave height is calculated from measured wave displacement.

: A practical definition that is often used is the height of the highest 1/3 of

the waves, H1/3.

That waves on the sea surface are not sinusoids. The surface appears to be composed

of random waves of various lengths and periods. We can describe this surface with some

simplifications. The simplifications lead to the concept of the spectrum of ocean waves. The

spectrum gives the distribution of wave energy among different wave frequencies or wave

lengths on the sea surface.

Tsunami is a series of ocean waves commonly caused by violent movement of the sea

floor by submarine faulting, landslides, or volcanic activity. A tsunami travels at the speed of

nearly 500 miles per hour outward from the site of the violent movement. Tsunami created by
movement of the ocean floor by; underwate fault movement, underwater avalanches, and

underwater volcanic eruptions.

Type of break water divided into 3; spilling breaker, plunging breaker, and surging

breaker. When spilling breaker happen, top of wave crest ‘spills over’ wave. Energy released

gradually across entire surf zone. When plunging breaker happen, crest ‘curls over’ front of

wave. Energy dissipates quickly. Common at shorelines with steep slopes. When surging

breaker happen, never breaks as it never attains critical wave steepness. Common along

upwardly sloping beach faces or seawalls. Energy released seaward.