The response on the continental shelf of a baroclinic ocean to driving by an alongshore coastal wind stress and by barotropic and baroclinic wind forced interior motions is studied as a function of latitude. The relative excitation of continental shelf waves and internal Kelvin waves is studied. The response of a rotating stratified ocean with a vertical boundary, forced at the surface by an alongshore coastal wind stress, shows vertically propagating subinertial motions. Several examples which illustrate the basic properties of the response are presented. Changes in amplitude and frequency with depth are predicted. Components that decay with depth from the surface and components that represent coastal internal Kelvin waves with negative vertical group velocity and upward phase propagation are forced. The effect of bottom Ekman layer friction and slope topography on free internal Kelvin waves is examined, using both a steep and weak slope model. The steep slope represents the low latitude case while the weak slope represents the mid-latitude case. There are substantial differences between the results from the two models. Free waves are frictionally damped and offshore and vertical phase shifts are induced by friction, as well as an onshore flow. Topography induces changes to the wave frequency and alongshore phase speed. The modal amplitude is altered and an onshore flow is induced. Sea level and current velocity data from the equator to 17°S on the west coast of South America show that low frequency (0.1-0.2 cpd) fluctuations propagate poleward with phase speeds similar to those predicted for first mode baroclinic Kelvin waves. The sea level and currents are coherent and approximately 1800 out of phase. The waves do not appear to be the result of local atmospheric forcing. Empirical orthogonal functions show that the alongshore and vertical structure of alongshore velocity is consistent with first mode internal Kelvin waves. / Graduation date: 1983

The goal of this research project is to determine the fractal nature, if any, which certain surface water waves exhibit when viewed on a microscopic scale. We make use of the mathematical formulation of non-viscous fluids describing their physical properties. Using these expressions and including boundary conditions for free surfaces as well as taking the surface tension into consideration, we obtain a partial differential equation describing the dynamics of surface water waves. A brief introduction to the study of fractal geometry with several examples of well-known fractals is included. An important property of fractals is their non-integral dimension. Several methods of determining the dimension of a curve are described in this paper. Our wave equation is examined under different assumptions representing the conditions of a surface water wave near its breaking point. Solutions are developed using analytical and numerical methods. We determine the dimension of 'rough' solutions using one of the methods introduced and conclude that under certain conditions, surface water waves near their breaking point exhibit a fractal structure on a microscopic scale. / Graduation date: 1994

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Alberta, 2009. / Title from PDF file main screen (viewed on Nov. 27, 2009). "A thesis submitted to the Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy, Department of Physics, University of Alberta." Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (M.S. in Meteorology and Physical Oceanography)--Naval Postgraduate School, March 2003. / Thesis advisor(s): Wendell A. Nuss, David S. Brown. Includes bibliographical references (p. 103). Also available online.

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Diffraction of regular waves, focused wave groups, and random seas by arrays of vertical bottom mounted circular cylinders is investigated using theoretical, computational, and experimental methods. Free surface elevation η is the defining variable used to test the potential theory developed. In addition, the nonlinearity of focused wave groups is investigated through the Creamer nonlinear transform and analysis of numerical wave tank data. Linear focused wave group theory is reviewed as a method for predicting the probable shape of extreme events from random wave spectra. The Creamer nonlinear transform, a realistic model for steep waves on deep water, is applied in integral form to simulate nonlinear focused wave groups. In addition, the transform is used to facilitate analysis of nonlinear wave-wave interactions within focused wave groups from a uni-directional numerical wave tank developed at Imperial College London. Experiments in an offshore wave basin at HR Wallingford are designed to measure free surface elevation at multiple locations in the vicinity of a multicolumn structure subjected to regular and irregular waves for a range of frequencies and steepness. Results from regular wave data analysis for first order amplitudes are compared to analytical linear diffraction theory, which is shown to be accurate for predicting incident waves of low steepness. However, second and third order responses are also computed, and the effects in the vicinity of a second order near trapping frequency are compared to semi-analytical second order diffraction theory. Analytical linear diffraction theory is extended for application to focused wave groups and random seas. Experimental irregular wave data are analysed for comparison with this theory. Linear diffraction theory for random seas is shown to give an excellent prediction of incident wave spectral diffraction, while linear diffraction theory for focused wave groups works well for linearised extreme events.

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