Wavenumber Spectra of Wind Waves in the Range of l - 50 m

A new method of analysing wave directional data is applied to wave staff data from Lake Ontario during 106 episodes covering a range of wind speeds (up to 16 m/s) and significant heights (up to 2.5m). The method yields wavenumber spectra directly and examples are shown of downwind slices through the full 2-D wavenumber spectrum. These spectra are steeper than the conventional view would suggest, tending asymptotically to k" at high wavenumbers with respect to the peak. On the other hand, the spectral peaks of the individual runs follow a steepness limited k" pattern.