This book introduces a mathematical theory for the interaction of oceanic surface gravity waves and oceanic currents. This theory is formulated using the quasi-linear approximation for a uniform density fluid with a free surface and it provides wave-averaged expressions for the wave amplitudes and for the dynamical evolution of the currents. The surface gravity wave–current interaction theory is a more complete theory than previous with respect to an asymptotic expansion in the small parameter V/C, where V is a current speed and C is a wave speed. This book also illustrates the formal theory with several examples, and the path for its implementation in more realistic wave and circulation models is envisioned. This book is appealing to oceanic research scientists and mathematicians interested in geophysical fluid dynamics.
Waves in Oceanic and Coastal Waters describes the observation, analysis and prediction of wind-generated waves in the open ocean, in shelf seas, and in coastal regions with islands, channels, tidal flats and inlets, estuaries, fjords and lagoons. Most of this richly illustrated book is devoted to the physical aspects of waves. After introducing observation techniques for waves, both at sea and from space, the book defines the parameters that characterise waves. Using basic statistical and physical concepts, the author discusses the prediction of waves in oceanic and coastal waters, first in terms of generalised observations, and then in terms of the more theoretical framework of the spectral energy balance. He gives the results of established theories and also the direction in which research is developing. The book ends with a description of SWAN (Simulating Waves Nearshore), the preferred computer model of the engineering community for predicting waves in coastal waters.
This book was published in 2004. The Interaction of Ocean Waves and Wind describes 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.
This special volume contains a selection of papers that were presented as part of the Seventh International Symposium on Natural and Man-Made Hazards (HAZARDS-98), held in Chania, Crete Island, Greece, during May 1998. The Symposium attracted broad international interest because many cases of natural disaster events, such as earthquakes, tsunamis, storm surges, forest fires, etc., that occurred in several parts of the world during the 1990s were presented not only for their physics but also from the point of view of their impact on society and their environmental consequences. Among these cases are the 1997 Red River Valley flood in Canada and the large earthquake of 18 November 1997, in Zakynthos, Greece. In addition, the volume contains contributions that apply advanced statistical methods and artificial intelligence techniques, such as GIS, and systems analysis to approach the description of physical processes, the discrimination of experimental data and the assessment and management of risk. Audience: This volume forms an excellent reference for scientists, students, engineers, the insurance industry, authorities specializing in public safety and natural hazards preparedness and mitigation plans.
Passive Microwave Remote Sensing of Oceans Igor V. Cherny and Victor Yu. Raizer In Passive Microwave Remote Sensing of Oceans, the detailed results of more than 20 years of experimental and theoretical investigations in the field of ocean remote sensing, utilising microwave radiometric techniques and multi-frequency aerospace instruments, are presented. Experimental results presented in this book to some extent contradict the traditional view that microwave radiometry and, in particular, millimetre-wave frequencies are not useful for remote sensing of oceans. The authors show that studies of the ocean and atmosphere as a coupled system, and of processes occurring at the ocean surface and in deep water, can be reliably evolved using compact passive radiometric sensors. They further demonstrate that for studies of global, large-scale and local processes in the ocean-atmosphere system, only the combination of microwave and optical techniques will reveal the spatial structure and dynamics of the ocean surface at scales from centimetres to several hundred metres. The text first introduces ocean surface phenomena, discussing the ocean-atmosphere interface, the classification of surface waves, the generation and statistics of wind waves, and wave-breaking and foaming processes. The microwave emission characteristics of the ocean surface are then described, and the influence of wind waves, bubble-foam-spray coverage, oil spills and sea ice are discussed. The instruments and methods used for passive microwave remote sensing of the oceans from both aircraft and from satellites are reviewed. Microwave observations of processes in the ocean-atmosphere system are then described in detail, incorporating a new approach for microwave diagnostics of deep-ocean processes. Examples presented include the Rossby soliton, frontal zone in the Kurosio region, influence of brief showers on the subsurface layer, and interaction of tropical cyclones with the ocean during their origin and subsequent trajectories over the ocean surface. Readership: Undergraduate and postgraduate students studying remote sensing, marine science, oceanography, geography, geophysics, meteorology, climatology, atmospheric physics and environmental science. Professional oceanographers and those interested in oceanographic remote sensing processes and their applications, marine scientists and engineers, environmental scientists, and those studying the ocean-atmosphere system.
