Difference between revisions of "Wave breaking"

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(Removed redirect to Breaker index)
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When waves approach shallow water, wave propagation becomes non-linear. This contrasts with linear wave propagation, where wave propagation does not depend on wave height, as is almost the case with waves propagating in deep water. In shallow water, wave propagation is influenced by the ratio wave height to water depth; the wave crest and the wave trough propagate at different speeds. The wave is therefore transformed, losing its sinusoidal shape. The wave front becomes steeper as the wave crest propagates faster than the trough, ultimately leading to wave breaking. In some cases the wave crest tilts gently over the wave front (spilling breaker) and in other cases the wave crest crashes spectacularly into the wave trough (plunging breaker). Several Coastal Wiki articles listed below discuss the complex phenomenon of wave transformation and wave breaking in shallow water.    
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As waves approach shallow water, wave propagation becomes nonlinear. This is in contrast to linear wave propagation, where wave propagation does not depend on wave height. In deep water, wave propagation can be well described by linear theory. In shallow water, wave propagation is influenced by the ratio of wave height to water depth; the wave crest and the wave trough propagate at different speeds. The wave is therefore transformed and loses its sinusoidal shape. The wave front becomes steeper as the wave crest propagates faster than the wave trough, eventually leading to breaking of the wave. In some cases, the wave crest gently tilts over the wave front (spilling breaker) and in other cases, the wave crest spectacularly crashes into the wave trough (plunging breaker). Several Coastal Wiki articles listed below discuss the complex phenomenon of wave transformation and breaking in shallow water.
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An important contribution to the understanding of the wave breaking phenomenon was made by Miche (1944<ref>Miche, R. 1944. Mouvements ondulatoires de l’océan pour une eau profonde vaste et décroissante. Annales des Ponts et Chaussées 114: 369-406</ref>), who established a relationship for the wave steepness at which waves will break, see the article [[Breaker index]].
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:[[Breaker index]]
 
:[[Breaker index]]
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:[[Waves on a sloping bed]]
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:[[Wave run-up]]
 
:[[Wave transformation]]
 
:[[Wave transformation]]
:[[Wave collision on a vertical wall]]
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:[[Swash]]
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:[[Swash zone dynamics]]
 
:[[Shallow-water wave theory]]
 
:[[Shallow-water wave theory]]
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:[[Wave set-up]]
 
:[[Shoreface profile]]
 
:[[Shoreface profile]]
:[[Wave set-up]]
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:[[Wave collision on a vertical wall]]
:[[Wave run-up]]
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:[[Swash]]
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:[[Swash zone dynamics]]
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==References==
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<references/>
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Latest revision as of 15:22, 11 January 2025

Definition of Wave breaking:
the overturning of the wave crest over the wave front.
This is the common definition for Wave breaking, other definitions can be discussed in the article


As waves approach shallow water, wave propagation becomes nonlinear. This is in contrast to linear wave propagation, where wave propagation does not depend on wave height. In deep water, wave propagation can be well described by linear theory. In shallow water, wave propagation is influenced by the ratio of wave height to water depth; the wave crest and the wave trough propagate at different speeds. The wave is therefore transformed and loses its sinusoidal shape. The wave front becomes steeper as the wave crest propagates faster than the wave trough, eventually leading to breaking of the wave. In some cases, the wave crest gently tilts over the wave front (spilling breaker) and in other cases, the wave crest spectacularly crashes into the wave trough (plunging breaker). Several Coastal Wiki articles listed below discuss the complex phenomenon of wave transformation and breaking in shallow water.

An important contribution to the understanding of the wave breaking phenomenon was made by Miche (1944[1]), who established a relationship for the wave steepness at which waves will break, see the article Breaker index.


Breaker index
Waves on a sloping bed
Wave run-up
Wave transformation
Swash
Swash zone dynamics
Shallow-water wave theory
Wave set-up
Shoreface profile
Wave collision on a vertical wall


References

  1. Jump up Miche, R. 1944. Mouvements ondulatoires de l’océan pour une eau profonde vaste et décroissante. Annales des Ponts et Chaussées 114: 369-406


The main author of this article is Job Dronkers
Please note that others may also have edited the contents of this article.

Citation: Job Dronkers (2025): Wave breaking. Available from http://www.coastalwiki.org/wiki/Wave_breaking [accessed on 8-05-2025]