Observations on waveforms of capillary and gravity-capillary waves

Abstract

Due to extreme conditions in the field, there has not been any observational report on three-dimensional waveforms of short ocean surface waves. Three-dimensional waveforms of short wind waves can be found from integrating surface gradient image data (Zhang 1996a). Ocean surface gradient images are captured by an optical surface gradient detector mounted on a raft operating in the water offshore California (Cox and Zhang 1997). Waveforms and spatial structures of short wind waves are compared with early laboratory wind wave data (Zhang 1994, 1995). Although the large-scale wind and wave conditions are quite different, the waveforms are resoundingly similar at the small scale. It is very common, among steep short wind waves, that waves in the capillary range feature sharp troughs and flat crests. The observations show that most short waves are far less steep than the limiting waveform under weak wind conditions. Waveforms that resemble capillary-gravity solitons are observed with a close match to the form theoretically predicted for potential flows (Longuet-Higgins 1989, Vanden-Broeck and Dias 1992). Capillaries are mainly found as parasitic capillaries on the forward face of short gravity waves. The maximum wavelength in a parasitic wave train is less than a centimeter. The profiles of parasitic wave trains and longitudinal variations are shown. The phenomenon of capillary blockage (Phillips 1981) on dispersive freely traveling short waves is observed in the tank but not at sea. The short waves seen at sea propagate in all directions while waves in the tank are much more unidirectional.