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Wind-generated gravity-capillary waves: laboratory measurements of temporal growth rates using microwave backscatter

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  29 March 2006

T. R. Larson  and
J. W. Wright
T. R. Larson
Affiliation:
Ocean Sciences Division, Naval Research Laboratory, Washington, D.C. 20375 Present address: Ball Brothers Research Corp., P.O. Box 1062, Boulder, Colorado 80303.
J. W. Wright
Affiliation:
Ocean Sciences Division, Naval Research Laboratory, Washington, D.C. 20375
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Abstract

The growth rates of wind-induced water waves at fixed fetch were measured in a laboratory wave tank using microwave backscatter. The technique strongly filters out all wavenumber component pairs except for a narrow window at the resonant Bragg scattering conditions. For these waves the spectral amplitude was measured as a function of the time after a fixed wind was abruptly started. The radars were aligned to respond to waves travelling in the downwind direction at wavelengths of 0·7-7 cm. Wind speeds ranged from 0·5 to 15 m/s. Fetches of 1·0, 3·0 and 8·4 m were used. In every case, the spectral amplitude initially grew at a single exponential rate β over several orders of magnitude, and then abruptly ceased growing. No dependence of the growth rate on fetch was observed. For all wavelengths and wind speeds the data can be fitted by\[\beta (k,u_{*},{\rm fetch})=f(k)\,u^n_{*},\]with n = 1·484 ± 0·027. Here u* is the friction velocity obtained from vertical profiles of mean horizontal velocity. For each wind speed, f(k) had a relative maximum near k = kn ≃ 3·6 cm−1. Rough estimates of β/2ω, where ω is the water wave frequency, and of the wind stress supported by short waves indicate that the observed growth rates are qualitatively very large. These waves are tightly coupled to the wind, and play a significant role in the transfer of momentum from wind to water.

Information

Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of Fluid Mechanics , Volume 70 , Issue 3 , 12 August 1975 , pp. 417 - 436
Copyright
© 1975 Cambridge University Press

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