MODELLING OCEAN WAVES IN THE COLUMBIA RIVER ENTRANCE

摘要

Observations by Gonzalez et al. (1984) and Gonzalez (1984) of swell penetrating the entrance of the Columbia River provide an excellent opportunity to test linear wave theory for wave - current interactions. In the present study a two-dimensional wave model for short-crested waves based on the linear wave theory is used. The model includes the propagation effects of currents and also generation and dissipation of the waves. The results agree fairly well with the wave observations in the river entrance, in spite of an uncertainty in the bathymetry and currents. Numerical experiments show that waves from westerly directions are focused in the entrance by refraction on a bar in front of the entrance and that current induced wave guide effects enhance this focusing in ebb conditions.