Abstract

A field study of whitecap coverage generated by breaking wind waves has been performed from MHI's Black Sea Research Platform. It is revealed that the main contribution to the whitecap coverage of the sea surface results from breaking of short wind waves, which are more than 3 times shorter than the wavelength of the spectral peak. The energy containing waves strongly modulate the whitecap coverage. Zones of enhanced wave breaking are located on the modulating waves' crests. The effect is described in terms of a modulation transfer function for whitecap coverage. Its magnitude equals about 24, and decreases with the increase of inverse wave age of the energy containing waves.

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