Modulational instability and rogue waves in finite water depth

Abstract

Abstract. The mechanism of side band perturbations to a uniform wave train is known to produce modulational instability and in deep water conditions it is accepted as a plausible cause for rogue wave formation. In a condition of finite water depth, however, the interaction with the sea floor generates a wave-induced current that subtracts energy from the wave field and consequently attenuates this instability mechanism. As a result, a plane wave remains stable under the influence of collinear side bands for relative water depths kh ≤ 1.36 (where k represents the wavenumber of the plane wave and h the water depth), but it can still destabilise due to oblique perturbations. Using direct numerical simulations of the Euler equations, it is here demonstrated that oblique side bands are capable of triggering modulational instability and eventually leading to the formation of rogue waves also for kh ≤ 1.36. Results, nonetheless, indicates that modulational instability cannot sustain a substantial wave growth for kh < 0.8.