Characteristics of long-term distribution of wave heights and periods in the eastern Arabian Sea

Abstract

Long-term distribution of wave heights from 348 sets of data of averaged visual wave information for the eastern Arabian Sea is tested with Weibull model using approximate and revised parameters of the model. Empirical support for the validation of Weibull distribution for modelling wave heights is established. Its supremacy over other competing theoretical models and a mathematical justification for the validity of the model are investigated. The averaged visual wave period patterns are compared with gamma, exponential, Bretschneider and Rayleigh distributions. The gamma distribution provides a better fit for the wave period patterns of sea and swell combined state and Bretschneider model explains the swell period patterns better than the other three.