Groupiness Factor and Wave Height Distribution

Abstract
This paper examines wave height distributions in connection with wave grouping. The relationship between the groupiness factor, GF, calculated from Smoothed Instantaneous Wave Energy History (SIWEH) and the shape factor, m, of the one parameter Weibull distribution adopted to represent observed wave height distributions is examined by analyzing two field wave data sets and laboratory experimental data of transformation of wave grouping and wave height distributions over a plane beach of 1/20 slope. There is a moderate linear correlation between GF and m with a correlation coefficient of -0.93, and the standard deviation of the difference between the observations and the results of the equation obtained by the least squares fit is 0.12. The value of GF becomes small in shoaling water, taking a minimum value around 0.8 times the still water depth normalized by the deep water significant wave height, while the value of m becomes maximum there.

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