Surface elevation distribution of sea waves based on the maximum entropy principle

A probability density function of surface elevation is obtained through imp rovement of the method introduced by Cieslikiewicz who employed the maximum entropy principle to investigate the surface elevation distribution. The d ensity function can be easily extended to higher order according to demand and is non-negative everywhere, satisfying the basic behavior of the probab ility, Moreover because the distribution is derived without any assumption about sea waves, it is found from comparison with several accepted distribu tions that the new form of distribution can be applied in a wider range of wave conditions, In addition, the density function can be used to fit some observed distributions of surface vertical acceleration although something remains unsolved.