Kinematics of extreme waves in deep water

The velocity profiles under crest of a total of 62 different steep wave events in deep water are measured in laboratory using particle image velocimetry. The waves take place in the leading unsteady part of a wave train, focusing wave fields and random wave series. Complementary fully nonlinear theoretical/numerical wave computations are performed. The experimental velocities have been put on a nondimensional form in the following way: from the wave record (at a fixed point) the (local) trough-to-trough period, T-TT and the maximal elevation above mean water level, eta(m) of an individual steep wave event are identified. The local wavenumber, k and an estimate of the wave slope, epsilon are evaluated from omega(2)/(gk) = 1 + epsilon(2), keta(m) = epsilon + (1)/(2)epsilon(2) + (1)/(2)epsilon(3), where omega = 2pi/T-TT and g denotes the acceleration of gravity. A reference fluid velocity, epsilonrootg/k is then defined. Deep water waves with a fluid velocity up to 75% of the estimated wave speed are measured. The corresponding keta(m) is 0.62. A strong collapse of the nondimensional experimental velocity profiles is found. This is also true with the fully nonlinear computations of transient waves. There is excellent agreement between the present measurements and previously published Laser Doppler Anemometry data. A surprising result, obtained by comparison, is that the nondimensional experimental velocities fit with the exponential profile, i.e. e(ky), y the vertical coordinate, with y = 0 in the mean water level. (C) 2004 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.