Internal flow structure of short wind waves

Abstract

For wind waves generated in a wind-wave tunnel, the surface pressure and also the pressure distribution along the internal streamlines were calculated from the measured internal velocity field. In distinct waves, with wave height comparable with or larger than the mean, the surface pressure is found to vary drastically in a narrow region around the crest, showing a dominant minimum near the crest. On the other hand, the pressure distribution along the streamline shows systematic variations that are nearly in phase with the streamline profile. It is shown that the occurrence of the pressure in phase with the streamline profile is linked with the internal vorticity distribution, especially with the presence of a high vorticity region below the crest described in Part I of this study. As a result of the occurrence of such pressure variations, the dispersion relation is modified by about 10% from that for linear irrotational waves. It is argued from the present measurements that the dispersion relation and also the energy transfer from wind into wind waves are strongly affected by the internal vortical structure so that the assumption of irrotational gravity waves cannot be applied to the wind waves being studied.