A METHOD FOR CALCULATING AND PLOTTING SURFACE WAVE RAYS.
Abstract
A method using a digital computer and an incremental plotter for calculating and plotting wave rays is described. Given a grid of depth values, the initial position of a wave ray, and the direction of travel and the period of the wave, successive points along the ray path are calculated. For each point on the path, water depth and bottom slope are estimated from the depth grid by linear interpolation, wave speed and curvature are computed according to classic theory, and the location of the next successive point is approximated by an iteration procedure. The numerical results may be plotted automatically. An example of the results, obtained from an application of the method to Virginia Beach, Virginia, is presented. Unless the bathymetry of an area is unusually smooth, this method calculates and plots wave rays faster than they can be manually constructed. (Author)
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Feb 01, 1966
- Accession Number
- AD0636771
Entities
People
- W. Stanley Wilson
Organizations
- Virginia Institute of Marine Science