On the energy of nonlinear water waves

Abstract

This article presents results concerning the excess kinetic and potential energies for exact nonlinear water waves. In particular, it is proven, for periodic travelling irrotational water waves, that the excess kinetic energy density is always negative, whereas the excess potential energy density is always positive, in the steady reference frame. A characterization of the total excess energy density as a weighted mean of the kinetic energy along the wave surface profile is also presented.