A finite-depth wind-wave model. Part I: model description.

Abstract

A parametric wind sea model for arbitrary water depths is presented. The model was derived from a conservation of energy flux formulation and includes shoaling, refraction, dissipation by bottom friction, as well as finite depth modifications of the atmospheric input and nonlinear wave/wave interaction source terms. The importance of dissipation due to a rough ocean floor on the migration of the spectral peak frequency is discussed and compared with that caused by nonlinear energy transfer. Numerical simulations are used to systematically examine wave growth and the development of the spectral peak in a depth limited ocean.