A discrete wave displacement time-series record is usually analyzed by a Di
screte Fourier Transform (DFT), which represents the record as the sum of a
finite number of harmonic sinusoids. When the dominant sinusoid of the rec
ord is not one of these harmonics, DFT "leakage" produces a distorted pictu
re of the dominant wave, particularly for records not much longer than the
largest period in the record. This paper proposes a non-Fourier method for
determining the dominant wave period that is applicable even when the recor
d is short relative to the largest period present in the record. (C) 1998 E
lsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.