On the Formation of Whitecaps by a Threshold Mechanism. Part III: Field Experiment and Comparison with Theory

Abstract

Nova Univ., Dania, FL 33004, USA J (Journal-Article) M (Marine) This paper is the third in a series of papers which seek to evaluate the hypothesis that deep water whitecapping is predictable in terms of threshold mechanism involving the vertical acceleration. In Part III, the authors describe a field experiment designed to study the statistical geometry of the whitecap field and to test the theoretical predictions of Parts I and II. This experiment, conducted at an experimental site in the Bight of Abaco, Bahamas, combines a series of photographs of whitecap events with simultaneous array measurements of waves. The photographs were taken from above the water surface and cover an area nominally 10 m on a side. A total of 2292 whitecap events ( similar to 10,000 frames), obtained in winds to 10 m s super(-1), were analyzed Ocean Technology, Policy and Non Living Resources (Q2) Atlantic-Southwest (ASW) 0622335 -------------------------...