Hidden Equilibration Driven Losses in Whitecapping

TL;DR

This paper investigates whitecapping wave losses using a conservation law-based model, revealing that reequilibration processes can cause as much energy loss as the whitecapping events themselves.

Contribution

It introduces a simple conservation law-based model to analyze whitecapping losses and reequilibration effects in wave energy.

Findings

Reequilibration causes significant energy loss in waves.

Whitecapping and reequilibration losses are comparable in magnitude.

A narrow spectrum of frequencies reappears over time.

Abstract

The role of whitecapping losses of waves is investigated in a simple model based on conservation laws. It is shown that, for Airy waves, at least as much energy is lost in gradual reequilibration as is lost in the whitecapping events themselves. This model is based on the the notion that the waves and losses are small enough that some narrow spectrum of frequencies reappears over time.