Bimodal directional propagation of wind-generated ocean surface waves

TL;DR

This paper reveals that wind-generated ocean surface waves often propagate in bimodal directions, especially in young and mature wave fields, challenging the traditional unimodal assumption and highlighting complex wave dynamics.

Contribution

It provides new observational evidence of bimodal directional wave propagation and links it to resonant and nonlinear wave interaction mechanisms.

Findings

Young wave fields show two dominant wave systems traveling obliquely to the wind.

Mature wave fields exhibit bimodal distributions due to nonlinear interactions.

Directional properties influence remote sensing and air-sea interaction studies.

Abstract

Over the years, the directional distribution functions of wind-generated wave field have been assumed to be unimodal. While details of various functional forms differ, these directional models suggest that waves of all spectral components propagate primarily in the wind direction. The beamwidth of the directional distribution is narrowest near the spectral peak frequency, and increases toward both higher and lower frequencies. Recent advances in global positioning, laser ranging and computer technologies have made it possible to acquire high-resolution 3D topography of ocean surface waves. Directional spectral analysis of the ocean surface topography clearly shows that in a young wave field, two dominant wave systems travel at oblique angles to the wind and the ocean surface display a crosshatched pattern. One possible mechanism generating this bimodal directional wave field is resonant propagation as suggested by Phillips resonance theory of wind wave generation. For a more mature wave field, wave components shorter than the peak wavelength also show bimodal directional distributions symmetric to the dominant wave direction. The latter bimodal directionality is produced by Hasselmann nonlinear wave-wave interaction mechanism. The implications of these directional observations on remote sensing (directional characteristics of ocean surface roughness) and air-sea interaction studies (directional properties of mass, momentum and energy transfers) are significant.