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The evolution of the airflow instantaneous structure over an unsteady breaking wave propagating in a group is measured in detail using the digital particle image velocimetry technique. It is found that the boundary-layer over a breaking wave, the steepest in the group, separates at a point close to the sharp crest and reattaches in the front slope of the following wave. During breaking, the evolution of the turbulent vorticity is essentially unsteady and the recirculation zone of the separated flow takes the form of a large well-organized vortex. Links between the wave-crest geometry and geometrical features of the separation bubble have been established.
Reul et al. (1999) studied this question.