The Interaction of Ocean Waves and Wind

Description

This is the first book to describe in detail the two-way interaction between wind and ocean waves and shows how ocean waves affect weather forecasting on timescales of 5 to 90 days. Winds generate ocean waves, but at the same time airflow is modified due to the loss of energy and momentum to the waves; thus, momentum loss from the atmosphere to the ocean depends on the state of the waves. This volume discusses ocean wave evolution according to the energy balance equation. An extensive overview of nonlinear transfer is given, and as a by-product the role of four-wave interactions in the generation of extreme events, such as freak waves, is discussed. Effects on ocean circulation are described. Coupled ocean-wave, atmosphere modelling gives improved weather and wave forecasts. This volume will interest ocean wave modellers, physicists and applied mathematicians, and engineers interested in shipping and coastal protection.

Peter Janssen is Head of Ocean Waves Section at the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF), Reading, UK.

'... the book succeeds in providing simple descriptions of not-so-simple processes, and practical applications that will be useful to wave modelers, meteorologists and oceanographers who work with air-sea interactions.' EOS