Modulational instability of nonuniformly damped, broad-banded waves: Applications to waves in sea ice

Abstract

This paper sets out to explore the modulational (or Benjamin-Feir) instability of a monochromatic wave propagating in the presence of damping such as that induced by sea ice on the ocean surface. The fundamental wave motion is modelled using the spatial Zakharov equation, to which either uniform or nonuniform (frequency-dependent) damping is added. By means of mode truncation the spatial analog of the classical Benjamin-Feir instability can be studied analytically using dynamical systems techniques. The formulation readily yields the free surface and its envelope, giving insight into the physical implications of damping on the modulational instability. The evolution of an initially unstable mode is also studied numerically by integrating the damped, spatial Zakharov equation, in order to complement the analytical theory. This sheds light on the effects of damping on spectral broadening arising from this instability.