Interaction Between Gravity Waves and Finite Turbulent Flow Fields.

A laboratory study of the interaction of deep water gravity waves progressing into a turbulent flow field produced by a finite width grid towed in a wide tank showed wave height attenuations of nearly 90 in the grid wake and wave height amplifications of nearly 75 in the still water outside the wake. The transverse gradient of longitudinal flow in the wake was predominantly responsible for the large wave deformations and precluded an evaluation of direct turbulence effects. A simple, analytical solution using wave refraction, defraction and superposition concepts is developed which qualitatively reproduces the measured results. Author