Wave breaking
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
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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.
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
- 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
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