Ocean wave spectrum

Summary

The ocean wave spectrum describes a random sea as a sum of many water waves of different frequencies and directions. It tells how the energy of the sea surface is shared among them. It is the spectral density of the elevation of the sea surface, viewed as a stationary random process. From it one computes the significant wave height, the dominant period and the loads on ships and offshore structures. Wave forecasting models predict the evolution of the spectrum rather than of individual waves.