E-Book Overview
This is the first book to describe in detail the two-way interaction between wind and ocean waves and shows how ocean waves affect weather forecasting on timescales of 5 to 90 days. Winds generate ocean waves, but at the same time airflow is modified due to the loss of energy and momentum to the waves; thus, momentum loss from the atmosphere to the ocean depends on the state of the waves. This volume discusses ocean wave evolution according to the energy balance equation. An extensive overview of nonlinear transfer is given, and as a by-product the role of four-wave interactions in the generation of extreme events, such as freak waves, is discussed. Effects on ocean circulation are described. Coupled ocean-wave, atmosphere modelling gives improved weather and wave forecasts. This volume will interest ocean wave modellers, physicists and applied mathematicians, and engineers interested in shipping and coastal protection.
E-Book Content
THE INTERACTION OF OCEAN WAVES AND WIND
Peter JANSSEN
ii
PETER A.E.M. JANSSEN
Preface This is a book about ocean waves, their evolution and their interaction with the environment. It presents a summary and unification of my knowledge of wave growth, nonlinear interactions and dissipation of surface gravity waves, and this knowledge is applied to the problem of the two-way interaction of wind and waves, with consequences for atmosphere and ocean circulation. The material of this book is, apart from my own contributions, based on a number of sources, ranging from the works of Whitham and Phillips to the most recent authorative overview in the field of ocean waves, namely the work written by the WAM group, Dynamics and Modelling of Ocean Waves. Nevertheless, this book is limited in its scope because it will hardly address interesting issues such as the assimilation of observations, the interpretation of satellite