Observations of Wind Wave Development in Mixed Seas and Unsteady Wind Forcing*

Abstract

Abstract Theoretical study and experimental verification of wind wave generation and evolution focus generally on ideal conditions of steady state and quiescent initial background, of which the ideal fetch-limited wind wave growth is an important benchmark. In nature, unsteady winds and swell presence are more common. Here, the observations of wind wave development in mixed seas under unsteady and quasi-steady wind forcing are presented. With reference to the ideal fetch-limited growth functions established under steady wind forcing in the absence of swell, the analysis shows that the wind-steadiness factor impacts wave growth. The wind wave variance in mixed sea is enhanced in both accelerating and decelerating phases of an unsteady wind event, with a larger enhancement in the accelerating phase than in the decelerating phase. Spatial and temporal wind wave measurements under similar environmental conditions are also compared; the quantifiable differences in the wave development are attributable to the wind-steadiness factor. Coupled with the empirical observation that the average wind stress is decreased in mixed sea, these results suggest that wind wave generation and development are more efficient in mixed sea than in wind sea. Possible causes include (i) oscillatory modulation of surface roughness increases air–sea exchanges, (ii) background surface motion reduces energy waste for cold start of wind wave generation from a quiescent state, and (iii) breaking of short waves redistributes wind input and allows more of the available wind power to be directed to the longer waves for their continuous growth.