Influence of Storm Tidal Current Field and Sea Bottom Slope on Coastal Ocean Waves during Typhoon Malakas

Abstract

Wave–current interaction in coastal regions is significant and complicated. Most wave models consider the influence of ocean current and water depth on waves, while the influence of the gradient of the sea bottom slope is not taken into account in most research. This study aimed to analyze and quantify the contribution of storm tidal currents to coastal ocean waves in a case where sea bottom slope was not ignored. Fourier analysis was applied to solve the governing equation and boundary conditions, and an analytic model for the calculation of the variation of amplitude of wave orbital motion was proposed. Ocean currents affect ocean waves through resonance. In this paper, an implemented instance of this analytic model was given, using the Shengsi area during Typhoon Malakas as an example. The results suggest that vertical variation in the amplitude of wave orbital motion is remarkable. The impact of wave–current interaction is noticeable where the gradient of the sea bottom slope is relatively large.