New research reveals how wave direction affects wave breaking characteristics.
The study looked at how waves break in different directions in a wave basin. They used two types of wave spectrums and water depths to create the waves. They found that the characteristics of breaking waves are influenced by the wave spectrum, water depth, and wave direction. The higher frequency waves change a lot as the wave packet moves, with higher frequencies shifting noticeably. When waves break, most of the energy loss comes from the higher frequency waves.