Dynamic-pressure distributions under Stokes waves with and without a current

To investigate changes in the instability of Stokes waves prior to wave breaking in shallow water, pressure data were recorded vertically over the entire water depth, except in the near-surface layer (from 0 cm to -3 cm), in a recirculating channel. In addition, we checked the pressure asymmetry under several conditions. The phase-averaged dynamic-pressure values for the wave-current motion appear to increase compared with those for the wave-alone motion; however, they scatter in the experimental range. The measured vertical distributions of the dynamic pressure were plotted over one wave cycle and compared to the corresponding predictions on the basis of third-order Stokes wave theory. The dynamic-pressure pattern was not the same during the acceleration and deceleration periods. Spatially, the dynamic pressure varies according to the faces of the wave, i.e. the pressure on the front face is lower than that on the rear face. The direction of wave propagation with respect to the current directly influences the essential features of the resulting dynamic pressure. The results demonstrate that interactions between travelling waves and a current lead more quickly to asymmetry. This article is part of the theme issue 'Nonlinear water waves'.