EM 1110-2-1100 (Part II)
30 Apr 02
Figure II-1-8. Variation of shoaling coefficient with wave steepness (Sakai and Battjes 1980)
d. Nonlinear wave theories.
(1) Introduction.
(a) Linear waves as well as finite-amplitude waves may be described by specifying two dimensionless
parameters, the wave steepness H/L and the relative water depth d/L. The relative water depth has been
discussed extensively earlier in this chapter with regard to linear waves. The Relative depth determines
whether waves are dispersive or nondispersive and whether the celerity, length, and height are influenced by
water depth. Wave steepness is a measure of how large a wave is relative to its height and whether the linear
wave assumption is valid. Large values of the wave steepness suggest that the small-amplitude
II-1-30
Water Wave Mechanics
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