A review of the sea state generated by hurricanes

Abstract

Data from four studies of waves generated by hurricanes are reviewed and compared. The combined dataset presents a consistent picture of the wave field within a hurricane. The wave field is more asymmetric than the corresponding wind field, mainly due to the "extended fetch" which exists to the right of a translating hurricane. This concept leads to the specification of an equivalent fetch for a hurricane which enables the use of fetch limited growth relations for the prediction of the significant wave height within a hurricane. Examination of spectra recorded within hurricanes indicates that they are remarkably similar to fetch limited forms. Relationships for the parameters defining fetch ..