Wave-Island Interactions About Circular Artificial Islands

Abstract

The behavior of waves interacting with islands has gained renewed interest with the construction of exploratory drilling islands in the Arctic. This paper focuses upon the behavior of waves incident upon axisymmetric islands characterized by circular contours which vary with water depth. The island profiles of Arthur and Pocinki, which have closed form solutions, and a single tier conical island are examined. A new dimensionless formulation of Arthur’s ray theory and an extremely accurate numerical procedure to evaluate the ray integrals are presented. It is shown that each island profile leads to a distinct wave pattern about the island. These wave patterns are presented in figures which portray the wave capture and wave breaking about circular islands. It is intended that the methodology presented be used to initially assess trends and to evaluate the need for more refined analyses.