WAVE GROUPING IN LOCALLY GENERATED SEAS ON SHORT FETCHES

Wave staff data from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Floating Breakwa ter Prototype Test Program in Puget Sound, Wash., are analyzed for wav e grouping. Most previous studies have focussed on ocean conditions. w here fetches, propagation distances, and wave periods are much longer than in Puget Sound. Probabilities for groups of various length closel y match previous numerical simulations. Thus grouping in short-fetch, locally generated seas at this site is well predicted by linear combin ation of spectral components. Sequences of waves within groups show no strong, physically justifiable trends. There is no evidence that very high waves tend to occur together in the same groups. Data are includ ed on wave groups above the significant height and several other thres holds.