Special Session 125: Models of Fluid Motion

Modeling Broadband Water-Wave Experiments with Generalizations of NLS
John Carter
Seattle University
USA
Co-Author(s):    Joanna Van Liew and Diane Henderson
Abstract:
Water waves generated by storms gradually disperse, forming swells that can travel thousands of kilometers across the ocean`s surface. The evolution of such swells on deep water can be modeled by the nonlinear Schrodinger (NLS) equation and its generalizations. However, most of these models assume a narrow range of wave frequencies and do not account for any form of energy loss. We compare predictions from new NLS generalizations that include dissipation and allow for broad ranges of frequencies with measurements from new laboratory experiments in which the frequency broadbandedness was varied.