Propagation of ocean waves in discrete spectral wave models (Q1819624)

When the propagation of waves across the ocean is calculated, an average group velocity is used to calculate the energy propagation for each spectral band. This ignores the linear spreading of energy due to dispersion of the wave components within the spectral band. It is shown how diffusive terms can be included in the calculation to allow for this spreading of energy, both along and transverse to the direction of propagation. The correcting terms include the effect of wave age, which is the time since the waves were generated or amplified.