Wave‐Height Distribution in Storm Sea: Effect of Wave Breaking

Burst‐pressure data from 25‐m water depth are used to test a model of wave‐height distribution that incorporates wave breaking. The measurements are of waves from a severe storm and from the periods of calmer weather bracketing the storm. Burst $H_{\mathrm{RMS}}$ ranged from 0.09 m to 5.42 m, the highest significant wave height $\left(H_{1/3}\right)$ was 7.41 m, and the highest burst‐maximum wave height $\left(H_{\max }\right)$ was 11.82 m. The Rayleigh model overestimated the number of observed high waves, and consequently the predicted $H_{1/3}$ and $H_{\max }$ were in error. Tayfun's model of the breaking‐limited wave‐height distribution, which is applicable to a narrow‐band free surface, more accurately reproduced the observed exceedance probabilities, although imperfect crest‐trough correlation, which is guaranteed in an irregular wave train, could also account for the paucity of high waves. Nevertheless, the data support the Stokes‐type breaking criterion that underpins Tayfun's model, and the breaking‐limited model produced significantly better predictions of $H_{1/3}$ and $H_{\max }$ at the height of the storm.