Wave parameters in the nearshore: A clarification

In this paper, the conventional techniques used to analyze free surface fluctuations induced by wave disturbance will be supplemented by two algorithms which are particular to the nearshore. The first consists in eliminating long waves, most of which are free, from the raw signal. The aim of the second is to eliminate high-frequency turbulent fluctuations which may significantly distort the temporal analyses. The definitions of the significant and root-mean-square wave heights in the spectral and temporal domains are then clarified and proposed in addition to the recommendations of IAHR/PIANC, 1986. Sea state parameters, Supplement to bulletin No. 52 of the Permanent International Association of Navigation Congresses, Brussels, 25 p. By adopting these definitions and using the proposed algorithms, it should be possible to improve the quality of experimental data published in the literature and to promote better validation of numerical models of wave transformation in the surf zone.