Open AccessIRREGULAR WAVE TRANSFORMATION AFFECTED BY OPPOSING CURRENTS
Author(s) -
Shigeki Sakai,
Kouestu Hiyamizu,
Hiroshi Saeki
Publication year - 1986
Publication title -
proceedings of conference on coastal engineering/proceedings of ... conference on coastal engineering
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 2156-1028
pISSN - 0589-087X
DOI - 10.9753/icce.v20.53
Subject(s) - transformation (genetics) , breaking wave , dimensionless quantity , wave shoaling , wave height , current (fluid) , mechanics , surf zone , wave setup , wind wave , physics , surface wave , wave propagation , significant wave height , rip current , geology , mechanical wave , geometry , longitudinal wave , optics , mathematics , chemistry , oceanography , biochemistry , shore , gene
Transformation of irregular waves affected by opposing currents on a sloping sea bed was discussed, experimentally and theoretically. It was found that representative values of wave height, such as a significant wave height, are larger before breaking and the wave height decaying occurs more promptly in a surf zone as opposing currents become dominant, and that characteristics of a irregular wave transformation are determined by the dimensionless unit width discharge q* and the deep water wave steepness. This means that the effects of opposing currents on irregular wave transformation are qualitatively identical to that on the regular waves. A transformation model of irregular waves affected by opposing currents was presented. In the model, formulations for a regular wave transformation, in which the effects of opposing currents were taken into account, were applied to individual waves defined by zero-down" cross-method from irregular wave profiles. Comparisons between experimental results and the prediction by the model showed that the present model gives a good explanation for wave height distributions and the experimental finding that the surf zone is moved offshore by opposing currents.