Rogue waves in wind seas: An experimental model in an annular wind-wave flume

Abstract

The probability of occurrence of rogue waves in windgenerated fields is investigated experimentally in an annular wind-wave flume. Unlike many experiments on rogue waves, where waves are mechanically generated, here the wave field is forced naturally by wind as it is in the ocean. The peculiar geometry of the flume makes waves propagating circularly in an unlimited-fetch condition. Water surface elevation was measured at specific cross-sections under the effect of different wind speeds to monitor the temporal evolution of the wave field. Results show that the kurtosis of the surface elevation, the fourth order moment of the probability density function and a measure of the percentage of extr..