Non-Gaussian properties of shallow water waves in crossing seas

Abstract

The Kadomtsev-Petviashvili equation, an extension of the Korteweg-de Vries equation in two horizontal dimensions, is here used to study the statistical properties of random shallow water waves in constant depth for crossing sea states. Numerical simulations indicate that the interaction of two crossing wave trains generates steep and high amplitude peaks, thus enhancing the deviation of the surface elevation from the Gaussian statistics. The analysis of the skewness and the kurtosis shows that the statistical properties depend on the angle between the two wave trains. © 2008 Springer Netherlands.