Surface Waves

Abstract

The various problems of fluid motion treated in this article have in common the property that the fluid is subject to a gravitational force. In addition, in almost all cases they also have in common the presence of surfaces separating two fluids of different densities or, if only one fluid is present, of so-called free surfaces. However, not all fluid flows falling into this category are treated here: tidal motion is treated in Vol. XLVIII in the article by A. Defant. The observed properties of ocean waves and their generation by wind are treated in the article by H. U. Roll, also in Vol. XLVIII. Closely related problems concerning flows with free surfaces are treated in the article by D. Gilbarg in this volume.