A new wind-wave spectrum model for deep water

With the statistical relationships and equations, a new wind wave spectrum model for deep water is proposed in this study. In the new model, the total spectral energy level, the location of the maximum spectral energy (represented by location of spectral peak), and the width character of energy distribution (represented by the spectral steepness) at high frequencies located to the right of spectral peak of wind waves are all determined by the two basic parameters, i.e., the wind speed and the inverse wave age. The statistical relationships also show that with the same wind speed and wave age, the steepness of the wind wave spectrum at high frequencies located to the right of the spectral peak for field case is different from that for laboratory case. This is the main difference between field wind wave spectrum and laboratory spectrum. With the inverse spectral width, the new model is more appropriate to describe the real wind wave status. Compared with measurements in the Black Sea, the model calculated zeroth spectral moment m(0) and the spectral width are in both good agreements with measured data. Furthermore, the new model can match elevation spectrum data obtained by four-frequency microwave radar and other field measurements fairly well. The new model can describe better and explain the influence of the wind speed and wave age on the energy distribution of developing wind waves generated in open ocean, also it plays a significant role in the study of oceanic microwave remote sensing, especially for understanding the uncertainty of retrieved ocean environment variables.