Waves Waves: Dr. Rer Nat. Wiwin Windupranata

Hydrographic Science and Engineering Working Group
Faculty of Earth Science and Technology

Institute of Technology, Bandung
WAVES
Dr. rer nat. Wiwin Windupranata
coastal environmental survey windupranata@2010

WHY STUDY WAVES ?

Shipping

Coastal Constructions

Offshore Constructions

Beach Erosion and Sediment

Transport

Recreations

FUNDAMENTAL PRINCIPLES

Wave Parameters
Wave Period = Time it Takes a Wave Crest to Travel one

Wavelength (units of time)
Wave Frequency = Number of Crest per Unit Time Passing A Fixed
Location (units of 1/time)
Wave Speed = Distance a Wave Crest Travels per Unit Time (units
of distance/time)

Wave Spectrum

Wave Classification

Wave Classification
Most of the waves present on the ocean’s
surface are wind-generated waves.
Size and type of wind-generated waves are controlled by Wind
velocity, Wind duration, Fetch, and Original state of sea surface
As wind velocity increases wave length, period and height increase,
but only if wind duration and fetch are sufficient
Significant wave height is the average wave height of the highest
1/3 of the waves present and is a good indicator of potential for
wave damage

Addition of Waves
Constructive
Destructive
Mixed
Ideal Waves
Propagate Energy not
Water Mass

Wave Movement
Note that the water molecules in the crest of the wave move in
the same direction as the wave, but molecules in the trough
move in the opposite direction

Wave Movement
Note the importance of the

relationship between
wavelength and depth in
determining wave type.

Wave Regions

Wave Speeds
Deep-Water Waves (Bottom Depth > L/2)
– Speed is a Function of Wavelength Only
– Waves with Longer Wavelength move faster than Waves
with Shorter Wavelength
Shallow-Water Waves (Bottom Depth < L/20)

– Speed is a Function of Depth Only
– Waves (of any Wavelength) Travel Slower in Shallower
Water
Intermediate region (L/20 < Depth < L/2)

– Speed is a Function of Wavelength and Depth Only

Wave Speed as a Function of

Wavelength

Wave Speed as a Function of

Water Depth

Factors Affecting Wind Wave

Developments
Wind speed - wind must be moving faster than the

wave crests for energy transfer to continue
Wind duration - winds that blow for a short time will

not generate large waves
Fetch - the uninterrupted distance over which the wind

blows without changing direction

Factors Affecting Wind Wave

Developments

Wind Wave Developments
Wind waves are gravity waves formed by the transfer of wind energy
into water. Wind forces convert capillary waves to wind waves.

Lateral Spreading of Wave Energy

from a Storm Source
(95% of Energy Contained Within ±45o of Storm Direction)

The Importance of Fetch

Life History of Ocean Waves

Fetch is the area of contact between the wind and the water
and is where wind-
wind-generated waves begin
Seas is the term applied when the fetch has a chaotic jumble
of new waves
Waves continue to grow until the sea is fully developed or
becomes limited by fetch restriction or wind duration
Wave interference is the momentary interaction between
waves as they pass through each other. Wave interference can
be constructive or destructive
Because celerity increases as wave length increases, longer
waves travel faster than short waves

Wave
Interference

Wave Transformations

Wave
Transformations
Wave separation, or dispersion, is a

function of wavelength. Waves with
the longest wavelength move the
fastest and leave the area of wave
formation sooner. The smooth
undulation of ocean water caused
by wave dispersion is called swell.
The process known as a wave train.

The shallower the water, the greater the interaction

between the wave and the bottom alters the wave
properties, eventually causing the wave to collapse
Celerity decreases as depth decreases
Wave length decreases as depth decreases
Wave height increases as depth decreases
Troughs become flattened and wave profile becomes extremely
asymmetrical
Period remains unchanged. Period is a fundamental property of
a wave
Refraction is the bending of a wave into an area where it
travels more slowly


Wave steepness (stability) is a ratio of wave height

divided by wave length
wave stability = H/L
In shallow water, wave height increases and wave length

decreases
When H/L is larger than or equals to 1/7 (H/L ≥ 1/7), the
wave becomes unstable
There are three types of breakers:, Spilling breakers,
Plunging breakers, and Surging breakers

Waves Approaching Shore
Spilling waves occur on gradually sloping ocean bottoms.

The crest of a spilling wave slides down the face of the wave as it
breaks on shore
Plunging waves break violently against the shore, leaving an air-filled

tube, or channel, between the crest and foot of the wave.
Plunging waves are formed when waves approach a shore over a
steeply sloped bottom
Surging waves occur on a very steep sloped bottom where the beach
slope exceeds wave steepness.
The wave does not really curl and break but runs up against the shore
while producing foam and large surges of water


Wave refraction - the slowing and bending of waves

in shallow water
Wave diffraction - propagation of a wave around an

obstacle
Wave reflection - occurs when waves “bounce back”

from an obstacle they encounter. Reflected waves
can cause interference with oncoming waves,
creating standing waves

Waves Refraction
Bending of shallow-
shallow-water wave
fronts due to change in bottom
depth
The leading edge of a wave front

enters shallower water and slows
while the remaining front
continues at higher speed
The net result is a rotation of

wave fronts toward being parallel
with bottom depth contours.

Waves Refraction
Consequence of
wave refraction:
Focusing of wave
energy on
headlands
Defocusing of
wave energy on
bays

Waves Diffraction
Propagation of wave around an obstacle

Waves Reflection
Wave reflection - occurs when waves “bounce back” from an

obstacle they encounter.
When approaching a steep solid object, waves are bounced

back, creating a confused sea or interfering waves
Sometimes part of the energy is absorbed and the remaining

energy is reflected
Reflected waves can cause interference with oncoming waves,

creating standing waves

Waves Reflection

Storm Surge
Storm surge is the rise in sea level resulting from low
atmospheric pressure associated with storms and the
accumulation of water driven shoreward by the winds
Water is deeper at the shore area, allowing waves to

progress farther inland
Storm surge is especially severe when superimposed

upon a high tide

Standing Waves
Standing waves or seiches consist of a water surface
“seesawing” back and forth
A node is an imaginary line across the surface which experiences

no change in elevation as the standing wave oscillates. It is the
line about which the surface oscillates
Antinodes are where there is the maximum displacement of the
surface as it oscillates and are usually located at the edge of the
basin
Geometry of the basin controls the period of the standing wave
A basin can be closed or open
Standing waves can be generated by storm surges

Standing Waves
Resonance amplifies the displacement at the nodes and occurs when

the period of the basin is similar to the period of the force
producing the standing wave

Standing Waves

Internal Waves
Waves that occur at the boundaries of water layers

with different densities are called internal waves.

Internal Waves
Internal waves form within the water column on the
pycnocline
Because of the small density difference between the water masses
above and below the pycnocline
pycnocline,, wave properties are different
compared to surface waves
Internal waves display all the properties of surface progressive
waves including reflection, refraction, interference, breaking, etc
Any disturbance to the pycnocline can generate internal waves,
including: flow of water related to the tides, flow of water masses
past each other, storms, or submarine landslides

Internal Waves
Thin Layers of Phytoplankton Oscillating with an Internal Wave

Formed along the Continental Shelf

Internal Waves

Tsunami
Tsunamis were previously called tidal waves, but are

unrelated to tides
Tsunamis consist of a series of long-period waves characterized by
very long wave length (up to 100 km) and high speed (up to 760
km/hr) in the deep ocean
Because of their large wave length, tsunamis are shallow-water to
intermediate-water waves as they travel across the ocean basin
They become a danger when reaching coastal areas where wave
height can reach 10 m
Tsunamis originate from earthquakes, volcanic explosions, or
submarine landslides

Tsunami

Longshore Current and

Sediment Transport

Longshore Current and

Sediment Transport
Along-Shore Sediment Transport Obstructed by Groins

Waves Waves: Dr. Rer Nat. Wiwin Windupranata

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Hydrographic Science and Engineering Working Group

Faculty of Earth Science and Technology

coastal environmental survey windupranata@2010

WHY STUDY WAVES ?

coastal environmental survey windupranata@2010

coastal environmental survey windupranata@2010

coastal environmental survey windupranata@2010

coastal environmental survey windupranata@2010

Beach Erosion and Sediment

coastal environmental survey windupranata@2010

coastal environmental survey windupranata@2010

coastal environmental survey windupranata@2010

Wave Period = Time it Takes a Wave Crest to Travel one

coastal environmental survey windupranata@2010

coastal environmental survey windupranata@2010

coastal environmental survey windupranata@2010

coastal environmental survey windupranata@2010

coastal environmental survey windupranata@2010

coastal environmental survey windupranata@2010

Note the importance of the

coastal environmental survey windupranata@2010

coastal environmental survey windupranata@2010

Shallow-Water Waves (Bottom Depth < L/20)

Intermediate region (L/20 < Depth < L/2)

coastal environmental survey windupranata@2010

Wave Speed as a Function of

coastal environmental survey windupranata@2010

Wave Speed as a Function of

coastal environmental survey windupranata@2010

Factors Affecting Wind Wave

Wind speed - wind must be moving faster than the

Wind duration - winds that blow for a short time will

Fetch - the uninterrupted distance over which the wind

coastal environmental survey windupranata@2010

Factors Affecting Wind Wave

coastal environmental survey windupranata@2010

Wind Wave Developments

coastal environmental survey windupranata@2010

Lateral Spreading of Wave Energy

(95% of Energy Contained Within ±45o of Storm Direction)

coastal environmental survey windupranata@2010

The Importance of Fetch

coastal environmental survey windupranata@2010

Life History of Ocean Waves

coastal environmental survey windupranata@2010

coastal environmental survey windupranata@2010

coastal environmental survey windupranata@2010

Wave separation, or dispersion, is a

coastal environmental survey windupranata@2010

Life History of Ocean Waves

The shallower the water, the greater the interaction

coastal environmental survey windupranata@2010

Life History of Ocean Waves

coastal environmental survey windupranata@2010

Life History of Ocean Waves

Wave steepness (stability) is a ratio of wave height

wave stability = H/L

In shallow water, wave height increases and wave length

coastal environmental survey windupranata@2010

Waves Approaching Shore

Spilling waves occur on gradually sloping ocean bottoms.

Plunging waves break violently against the shore, leaving an air-filled

coastal environmental survey windupranata@2010