The theory of fifth-order Stokes waves in a linear shear current

Abstract

In this study, a new set of fifth-order Stokes wave solutions, incorporating the effects of a linear shear current, is derived by using the perturbation method originally proposed for pure waves that was recently published. The present solutions are checked against the existing experimental data, the third-order stream function solutions, as well as the numerical results. The comparisons demonstrate that the present solutions are more accurate in describing the velocity distributions during wave propagation, especially in strong following currents and negative vorticity conditions. Subsequently, the present solutions are used to investigate the fluid particle trajectories for different wave–current interaction conditions. The results indicate that the background vorticity can alter the patterns of fluid particle trajectories and the direction of Stokes drifts.