Deformation of a plane wind wave by vortices at the beginning of amplification

A hypothesis relating the deformation of a plane wind wave with the action of vortices that are periodically formed in a viscous layer of air on the forward face has been experimentally verified. According to this hypothesis, vortices pull the water surface, increasing the amplitude of the wave and changing its shape. The deformation was detected experimentally and calculated from the distribution of the wind velocity along the wave. The calculated and experimental data are in agreement. © Allerton Press, Inc. 2008.