OCEN 201

Introduction to Ocean &

Coastal Engineering
Ocean Environment &Waves
Jun Zhang
Jun-zhang@tamu.edu
General Information
71% of the Earth surface is covered by Oceans
Major Oceans
1. Pacific Ocean (46%)
2. Atlantic Ocean (23%)
3. Indian Ocean (20%)
4. Remaining Oceans (11%)

Average Ocean Depth is 3800 m
Maximum Depth is 11,524 m
Ocean Floor
Reading assignment pp17-19
P18
Physical Properties of Ocean Water
Reading assignment pp19-20

Primary sea water elements
1. Chlorine (55%)
2. Sodium (30.6)
3. Sulfate (7.7%)
4. Sodium (30.6)
5. Magnesium (3.7%)
6. Potassium (1.1%)
Salinity: amount (grams) of dissolved solid
materials (salts) in grams contained in a
kilogram seawater (ppt). e.g. Sea Water 35 ppt
Ocean Currents
Reading assignment pp19-25
Geostrophic Current (pressure gradients &
Coriolis force)
Ekman Current (Surface wind friction force &
Coriolis force)
Tides
Reading assignment pp23-25

1. Diurnal tide (once in a tidal day)
2. Semi-diurnal tide (twice in a tidal day)
3. Mixed tide (tidal day 24.84 hr)

Tidal day: rotation of the Earth with respect to
the Moon, ~24.84 hr

Fields Related to Ocean Wave


Ocean Engineering: Ship, water borne transport,
offshore structures (fixed and
floating platforms).

Navy: Military activity, amphibious operation,
WW II Allies landing.

Coastal Engineering: Harbor and ports, dredging, coastal
structures,
beach erosion, sediment transport.


Oceanography: Ocean environment, atmosphere,
fishing, oil spilling, mixing, pollutant
transport.

Environmental Eng.: Capping contaminated dredged
material.
Diffusion and dispersion of toxic
material in ocean and costal water.

Regular and Irregular Waves

Ocean waves are almost always irregular and often
directional (short-crested).

Irregular waves can be viewed as the superposition of a
number of regular waves.

Regular waves have the same frequency, wavelength and
amplitude (height).
0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 20
-1
-0.8
-0.6
-0.4
-0.2
0
0.2
0.4
0.6
0.8
1
T
Time t
Regular Waves
1
; -- frequency (1/s) and -- Wave period
/ 2 a -- amplitude and -- Wave height
f f T
T
a H H
=
=
Ocean (Irregular) Waves
Definitions of Zero-Upcrossing & Downcrossing
Wave Pattern Combining Four Regular Waves
FFT & IFFT (Inverse) Fast Fourier Transform.
Irregular wave Regular Waves (Frequency Domain Analysis)
Pierson-Moskowitz Spectrum
( )
4
2
4
5
5
( ) exp
4
2
where --- constant depending on wind
PM
p
g f
E f
f
f
o
t
o

(
| |
(
=
|
|
(
\ .

JONSWAP Spectrum
( )
( )
2
2
4
exp
2
2
4
5

5
( ) exp
4
2
where --- constant depending on wind

sharp factor =1 - 7 (average 3.3)

p
p
f f
f
PM
p
a p
b p
g f
E f
f
f
f f
f f
o
o

t
o
o
o
o
(

(

(
| |
(
=
|
|
(
\ .

s

=

>

Ocean Wave Spectra: P-M & JONSWAP Types

Actual Versus Design Seas
Wave Pressure and Kinematics
Linear Wave Theory: Simple, good approximation for
70-80 % engineering applications.

Nonlinear Wave Theory: Complicated, necessary for about
20-30 % engineering applications.

Both results are based on the assumption of non-viscous
flow.

Examples, see animations.

ENVIRONMENT OVERVIEW
Picture showing wind, wave, current, and
seafloor for semisubmersible FPS
Linear Wave Theory ----- Dispersion Relation
2
tanh
where the gravitational acceleration
2
wave (radian) frequency 2
wavenumber 2 /
water depth
wave period

gk kh
g
f
T
k k L
h
T
L
e
t
e e t
t
=
= =
=
2
2 2
wave length
In deep water ( 1, / 1)
In shallow water ( / 1)
hk h L gk
h L gk h
e
e
=
=
Using the Dispersion Relation to Find T or L
2
tanh
Knowing (or ) and to comput is striaght forward.
However, knowing (or ) to comput (or ) is not.
It is usually done using method. For example,
Given = 0.62832 rad/s
gk kh
k L h
T k L
e
e
e
e
=
iteration
2
(1)
1
(1) (1) (1)
(1)
2
(2)
( = 10s) and = 20 m,
1st guess, (assuming deep water),
0.04024 m , 2 / 156.131 m
Check 2 , it is not deep water.
2nd guess,
T h
k
g
k L k
L h
k
e
t
e

=
= = =
>
=
1
(1)
0.06036 m
tanh( ) g k h

=
Use of Dispersion Relation
2
1
(3)
(2)
2
1
(4)
(3)
2
1
(9)
(8)
2
(10)
(9)
3rd guess 0.04814 m
tanh( )
4th guess 0.05397 m
tanh( )
.........
9th guess 0.05174 m
tanh( )
10th guess 0.05
tanh( )
k
g k h
k
g k h
k
g k h
k
g k h
e
e
e
e

= =
= =
= =
= =
1
2
1
(11)
(10)
187 m
11th guess 0.05180 m
tanh( )
k
g k h
e

= =
Definition of Deep, Intermediate and Shallow
Water Waves
Deep water 1 or / 1
Shallow water 1 or / 1
Deep water / 1/ 2
Shallow water / 1/ 20 or 1/25
Intermediate water 1/ 20 or 1
hk h L
hk h L
h L
h L
>
<
Scientific definition
Engineering Definition
/25 / 1/ 2 h L < <
Linear Wave Theory ----- Phase velocity (celerity)
( )
/ /
In intermediate water depth / tanh /
In deep water /
In shallow water
C L T k
C k g kh
C g
C gh
e
e e
e
= =
= =
=
=
Linear Wave Theory ----- Group (energy) velocity
Wave energy propagates at C
g

/
1
In intermediate water depth
2 sinh2
In deep water
2 2
In shallow water
g
g
g
g
C k
kh
C
k kh
C
C
k
C gh C
e
e
e
= c c
(
= +
(

= =
= =
Linear Regular (Periodic) Wave ----- Elevation & Potential
| |
cosh ( )
cos( ) sin( )
cosh( )
1
where the amplitude ( )
the initial phase ( 0, periodic wave)
the potential (computing wave kinematics
Ag k z h
A kx t kx t
kh
A
g t
q e | | e |
e
|
q
| |
|
+
= + = +
c
=
c
=
| |
| |
| |
& pressure)
In deep water = exp( )sin( )
cosh ( )
= cos( )
sinh( )
sinh ( )
= sin( )
sinh( )
cosh ( )
1
cos( )
cosh( )
Ag
kz kx t
A k z h
u kx t
x kh
A k z h
w kx t
z kh
A k z h
p
z z kx t
g g t kh
| e |
e
e
|
e
e
|
e
|
e

+
+
c
=
c
+
c
=
c
+
c
= = +
c
Linear Regular (Periodic) Wave
Energy Density: Average energy per
wavelength and per unit width.
2 2
Wave Energy = Potential Energy + Kinetic Energy
Energy Density ( ) =
(Total Wave Energy over one wavelength)/( *1)
1 1
2 8
density of water
gravitational acceleration
E
L
E gA gH
g

= =


Nonlinear Wave Theory

Stokes Expansion

Hybrid Wave Model

Boussinesq Equation (shallow water)

Finite amplitude wave theory
Web-site for animations
http://cavity.ce.utexas.edu/kinnas/wow/public_html/wavero
om/index.html

and Course OCEN 675
http://cavity.ce.utexas.edu/kinnas/wow/public_html/waver
oom/index.html