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Updated: Dec 24, 2025

Measurements of Waves in a Wind-wave Tank Under Steady and Time-varying Wind Forcing
Published on: February 13, 2018
Wave-breaking modulation by infragravity waves during an extreme typhoon
Yoshinao Matsuba1, Takenori Shimozono1, Shinji Sato2
1Department of Civil Engineering, University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan.
Abstract:
Herein, we present coastal-wave records under historically extreme conditions caused by a strong typhoon in Japan in 2017. The extreme typhoon generated large infragravity waves, reaching a height of 2 m in shallow water. We took advantage of the extraordinary conditions to analyze the effect of the energetic infragravity waves on the nearshore evolution of relatively short waves. Individual wave analyses clearly demonstrate that the instantaneous water-level rise and drawdown caused by the infragravity waves alternately decelerated and accelerated the breaking of short waves under extreme conditions. This mechanism transmitted the large short-wave energy on the infragravity wave crests to the shore, eventually increasing the height of the nearshore waves. This study provides in situ evidence that the infragravity waves significantly affect nearshore wave characteristics under extreme conditions.
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