LOCAL APPROXIMATIONS : A NEW WAY OF DEALING WITH IRREGULAR WAVES

Abstract

The concept of local approximations via locally defined frequencies is introduced as a tool for dealing with irregular, non linear waves. Practical testing has been performed on the problem of estimating surface elevations from measured bottom pressures. In these tests the new method even in its simplest form proves more accurate than the linear spectral method. With respect to computational effort the new method requires orders of magnitude less than spectral methods, or wave by wave analysis of similar accuracy.