Wind-induced growth of water waves

Abstract

Spatial growth of mechanically generated water waves under the action of wind has been measured in a laboratory wind-wave flume both for pure water and for water containing a surfactant (sodium lauryl sulphate, concentration 2.6 x 10-2%). In the latter case, no wind waves develop on the surface of the mechanically generated waves as well as on the still water surface for wind speeds up to U10 ~ 15 m/s, where U10 is the wind velocity at the height Z = 10 m. Therefore we can study the wind-induced growth of monochromatic waves without the effects of co-existing short wind waves. © 1982, Cambridge University Press. All rights reserved.