Wave–current interactions: an experimental and numerical study. Part 2. Nonlinear waves

The interaction between a regular wavetrain and a current possessing an arbitrary distribution of vorticity, in two dimensions, is considered for waves of finite amplitude. A numerical model is constructed, primarily for use in the finite depth regime, extending the work of Dalrymple (1973, 1977) and this is used to predict the wavelength and the particle velocities under the waves. These predictions agree very well with experimentally obtained data and the importance of the vorticity in the wave–current interaction is clarified. Amplitude and wavelength modulations are considered for finite amplitude waves on a slowly varying irrotational current; moderate agreement is found between theory and experiment.