Numerical evidence is presented for the existence of unsteady periodic gravity waves of large height in deep water whose shape changes cyclically as they propagate. It is found that, for a given wavelength and maximum wave height, cyclic waves with a range of cyclic periods exist, with a steady wave of permanent shape being an extreme member of the range. The method of solution, using Fourier transforms of the nonlinear surface boundary conditions, determines the irrotational velocity field in the water and the water surface displacement as functions of space and time, from which properties of the waves are demonstrated. In particular, it is shown that cyclic waves are closer to the point of wave breaking than are steady permanent waves of the same wave height and wavelength.

Equations governing modulations of weakly nonlinear water waves are described. The modulations are coupled with wave-induced mean flows except in the case of water deeper than the modulation length scale. Equations suitable for water depths of the order the modulation length scale are deduced from those derived by Davey and Stewartson [5] and Dysthe [6]. A number of ases in which these equations reduce to a one dimensional nonlinear Schrödinger (NLS) equation are enumerated.

Several analytical solutions of NLS equations are presented, with discussion of some of their implications for describing the propagation of water waves. Some of the solutions have not been presented in detail, or in convenient form before. One is new, a “rational” solution describing an “amplitude peak” which is isolated in space-time. Ma's [13] soli ton is particularly relevant to the recurrence of uniform wave trains in the experiment of Lake et al.[10].

In further discussion it is pointed out that although water waves are unstable to three-dimensional disturbances, an effective description of weakly nonlinear two-dimensional waves would be a useful step towards describing ocean wave propagation.

The Zakharov-Shabat scattering transform is an exact solution technique for the nonlinear Schrödinger equation, which describes the time evolution of weakly nonlinear wave trains. Envelope soliton and uniform wave train solutions of the nonlinear Schrödinger equation are separable in scattering transform space. The scattering transform is a potential analysis and synthesis technique for natural wave trains. Discrete versions of the direct and inverse scattering transform are presented, together with proven algorithms for their numerical computation from typical ocean wave records. The consequences of discrete resolution are considered.

Assuming a travelling oscillating pressure source model, this paper sets out to investigate the observation of surface gravity waves generated by a cyclone moving with constant speed v. It is shown that when the source frequency is near the critical resonant value g/4ν, large amplitude waves may be generated. There is some agreement with observations of waves from cyclone Pam of February, 1974.

The interaction of a surface wave of angular frequency ω with a deeply submerged, vertical open-mouthed, circular duct of radius a is considered. The resulting boundary- value problem is solved by the Wiener-Hopf technique. The pressure-amplification factor (the ratio of the complex amplitude of the pressure in the depths of the duct to that of the incident wave in the plane of the mouth) is determined in closed form as a function of the dimensionless wave number K = ω2a/g.

Weak nonlinear interactions are studied for systems of internal waves when the Brunt-Väisälä frequency is proportional to sech z, where z = 0 is the centre of the thermocline. Explicit results expressed in terms of gamma functions have been obtained for the interaction coefficients appearing in the amplitude evolution equations. The cases considered include resonant triads as well as second and third harmonic resonance. In the non-resonant situation, the Stokes frequency correction due to finite-amplitude effects has been computed and the extension to wave packets is outlined. Finally, the effect of a mean shear on resonant interactions is discussed.

A new type of first baroclinic mode wave which propagates on an anti-cyclonic vorticity field in identified. It is of the vorticity class of waves which contains Rossby waves amongst others. This anti-cyclonic shear wave is produced by pressure variations distorting the vertical stratification in such a manner that the associated vortex stretching generates the velocity variation required for Bernoulli compatibility with the initial pressure variation. The wave travels at a speed characteristic of particles within the undisturbed shear flow and is a low frequency and low wavenumber wave, In the present study this wave is considered in the presence of a wark anti-cyclonic shear.

The effect of an isolated topographic bump in a two-layer fluid on a β-plane is investigated. An analytical solution is derived in terms of the appropriate Green's function for arbitrary topography of finite horizontal extent. It is found that the disturbances generated by the bump are composed of two fundamental modes which may be wave-like or evanescent. The wave-like modes are topographically induced Rossby waves which occur only when there is eastward flow in at least one of the layers. These waves are always confined to the downstream (eastward) side of the bump. Whereas previous studies of this type have concentrated on eastward flow over topography, the theory has been extended here to include a wide range of vertically sheared flows. Particularly important is the case of low level westward flow combined with upper level eastward flow, as it has direct application, for example, to the summertime atmospheric circulation over the sub-tropical regions of the continental land.masses. In this case a wave-like disturbance extends far downstream from the bump for sufficiently large shear, and is of smaller amplitude in the upper layer than in the lower layer because of the effects of the stratification. For small shears, the wave-like mode in the lower layer is small and the character of the disturbance is evanescent, confining it to the immediate neighbourhood of the bump. A stability analysis of the solutions shows that the disturbances may be baroclinically unstable for sufficiently large mean shear.