Deterministic wave model for short-crested ocean waves: Part I. Theory and numerical scheme

Abstract

A directional hybrid wave model (DHWM) has been developed for deterministic prediction of short-crested irregular ocean waves. In using the DHWM, a measured wave field is first decomposed into its free-wave components based on as few as three point measurements. Then the wave properties are predicted in the vicinity of the measurements based on the decomposed free-wave components. Effects of nonlinear interactions among the free-wave components up to second order in wave steepness are considered in both decomposition and prediction. While the prediction scheme is straightforward, the decomposition scheme is innovative and accomplished through an iterative process involving three major steps. The extended maximum likelihood method is employed to determine the directional wave spreading; the initial phases of directional free-wave components are determined using a least-square fitting scheme; and nonlinear effects are computed using both conventional and phase modulation methods to achieve fast convergence. The free-wave components are obtained after the nonlinear effects being decoupled from the measurements. Variety of numerical tests have been conducted, indicating that the DHWM is convergent and reliable.