High resolution computations of ocean wave spectral modulations due to two-dimensional wave-current interactions

A new nesting technique has been developed for computing solutions of the steady-state form of the wave action equation. The technique is especially useful for investigating the effects of resolution on the accuracy and stability of the computation. This has importance in the problem of determining ocean wave spectra under the influence of ambient wind fields and current distributions. The technique enables extremely high resolution computations to be performed with minimal computer storage requirements. It is especially useful for applications in modelling radar imagery of the ocean surface. Investigations of the convergence, stability, and accuracy of the procedure are made possible by introducing a fixed grid point location which is common to all the nested grids. In order to display the method, we apply it to a particular model of an oceanographic current rip feature that was recently observed during the first High Resolution Remote Sensing Experiment. Limitations of the method are also discussed. (C) 1997 Academic Press.