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Experiments on Breaking Waves

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Sea Surface Sound

Part of the book series: NATO ASI Series ((ASIC,volume 238))

Abstract

Laboratory experiments on controlled deep-water breaking are reviewed. Following Longuet-Higgins (1974), breaking events were produced in a modulated wave packet generated by a computer-controlled wavemaker. Measurements of surface displacement, mixing down of surface material, and the velocity field due to breaking are presented. The repeatability of the wave generation procedure permitted the collection of ensemble-averaged data and the separation of the turbulent and average fields. It was found that the breaking process may be separated temporally into two periods: a fast initial period followed by a slower asymptotic evolution. Power laws in time were found to describe the evolution of the primary variables describing the evolution of the flow.

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References

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, 02139, USA

    W. K. Melville & R. J. Rapp

Authors
  1. W. K. Melville
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  2. R. J. Rapp
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Atmospheric Environment Service, 4905 Dufferin Street, Downsview, Toronto, Ontario, M3H 5T4, Canada

    Bryan R. Kerman

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© 1988 Kluwer Academic Publishers

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Melville, W.K., Rapp, R.J. (1988). Experiments on Breaking Waves. In: Kerman, B.R. (eds) Sea Surface Sound. NATO ASI Series, vol 238. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-009-3017-9_3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-009-3017-9_3

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht

  • Print ISBN: 978-94-010-7856-6

  • Online ISBN: 978-94-009-3017-9

  • eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive

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