A maximum entropy distribution for wave heights of non-linear sea waves

Based on the maximum entropy principle,a probability density function (PDF) for the zero-crossing wave height (H) of random waves is derived as the simple form fn(H)=αHγe-βHn (n is a selectable positive integer) through solving a variational problem subject to some quite general constraints. This PDF maximizes the information entropy of H, and its parameters α, γ and β are expressed explicitly in terms of the distribution moments m, m=1,2,…,n, so it is well competent for describing the distribution of H of nonlinear sea waves with large uncertainty, and its parameters can be simply determined from available data. Comparisons between the PDF with n=3 and n=4 and the observed distributions of H from wave records measured in the East China Sea and in a wind-wave tunnel show fairly satisfying agreements.

A maximum entropy distribution for wave heights of non-linear sea waves