Wave modulation in a strong tidal current and its impact on extreme waves

Abstract Accurate estimates of extreme waves are central for maritime activities, and stochastic wave models are the best option available for practical applications. However, the way currents influence the statistics of space-time extremes in spectral wave models has not been properly assessed. Here we demonstrate impacts of the wave modulation caused by one of the world’s strongest open ocean tidal currents, which reaches speeds of at least 3 m s −1 . For a bimodal swell and wind sea state, we find that most intense interactions occur when the wind sea opposes the tidal current, with an increase in significant wave height and spectral steepness up to 45 % and 167 %, respectively. The steepness modulation strengthen the second-order Stokes contribution for the normalized extreme crests, which increases between 5–14 % during opposing wind sea and current. The normalized extreme wave heights have a strong dependence on the narrow-bandedness parameter, which is sensitive to the variance distribution in the bimodal spectrum, and we find an increase up to 12 % with currents opposing the wind sea. In another case of swell opposing a tidal jet, we find the spectral steepness to exceed the increase predicted by a simplified modulation model. We find support in single-point observations that using tidal currents as forcing in wave models improves the representation of the expected maximum waves, but that action must be taken to close the gap of measurements in strong currents.