Linear water wave theory

From Glossary of Meteorology



linear water wave theory

The development of wave equations from the full equations of motion, based on the assumption that the wave height to wavelength ratio (wave steepness) is small.

From this theory it is possible to calculate quantities such as the phase velocities and group velocities of the waves.


Copyright 2024 American Meteorological Society (AMS). For permission to reuse any portion of this work, please contact [email protected]. Any use of material in this work that is determined to be “fair use” under Section 107 of the U.S. Copyright Act (17 U.S. Code § 107) or that satisfies the conditions specified in Section 108 of the U.S.Copyright Act (17 USC § 108) does not require AMS’s permission. Republication, systematic reproduction, posting in electronic form, such as on a website or in a searchable database, or other uses of this material, except as exempted by the above statement, require written permission or a license from AMS. Additional details are provided in the AMS Copyright Policy statement.