THE KELVIN-HELMHOLTZ INSTABILITY OF WAVES ON THE SURFACE OF THE SEA
PDF

Keywords

wind-generated waves
Kelvin Helmholtz instability
wave growth

How to Cite

Francis, J. (1954). THE KELVIN-HELMHOLTZ INSTABILITY OF WAVES ON THE SURFACE OF THE SEA. Coastal Engineering Proceedings, 1(5), 2. https://doi.org/10.9753/icce.v5.2

Abstract

The initiation of waves on the sea's surface by wind has been a subject of interest for many years. There are two ways in which a wave can become unstable and grow. The first is that investigated by Kelvin and Helmholtz many years ago: both air and water are assumed perfect fluids and, if a wave is to grow, the upward force due to the reduction of pressure on the wave crests is greater than the weight of the wave. The pressure reduction is due to the local acceleration of the wind over the wave.
https://doi.org/10.9753/icce.v5.2
PDF
Authors retain copyright and grant the Proceedings right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this Proceedings.