Abstract
Laboratory experiments and field observations show that the equilibrium range of wind wave spectra presents a −4 power law when it is scaled properly. This feature has been attributed to energy balance in spectral space by many researchers. In this paper we point out that white noise on an oscillation system can also lead to a similar inverse power law in the corresponding displacement spectrum, implying that the −4 power law for the equilibrium range of wind wave spectra may probably only reflect the randomicity of the wind waves rather than any other dynamical processes in physical space. This explanation may shed light on the mechanism of other physical processes with spectra also showing an inverse power law, such as isotropic turbulence, internal waves, etc.
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Dai, D., Wang, W., Qiao, F. et al. The equilibrium range of wind wave spectra: an explanation based on white noise. J Ocean Univ. China 6, 345–348 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11802-007-0345-6
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11802-007-0345-6