Estimating Wave Generation on Restricted Fetches

The applicability of one-dimensional wave generation models to fetches that are restricted in width as well as length is considered. An analytical estimation approach, the spectral contribution method, is developed and compared with the established effective fetch method. Estimated wave fields are compared with measured results from four sites with varying degrees of fetch restriction. For width restricted fetches, the spectral contribution method is a more efficient estimator than the effective fetch method. Two one-dimensional wave generation models and two directional distribution models are investigated. For limited fetches, the JONSWAP spectrum appears slightly superior to the Bretschneider spectrum and the Pierson, Neumann, and James distribution yields better estimates than the Longuet-Higgins, Cartwright, and Smith distribution.