Records of deep water sea surface elevation, even taken at high sampling rates, do not provide evidence for which waves in the record are breaking. Although a visual observation of steep random waves clearly shows even the beginning of a breaking event, the white capping and collapse of the front face of a breaking wave do not appear in any meaningful way in the output of an elevation gauge. Much research has been conducted in an attempt to find a way of detecting breaking events in an wave elevation record. Some criteria have been advanced, but most of them show quite low accuracy. Huang et al. [1992] suggested that an analytical method, which they called the Phase-Time Method, might be used to detect breaking events. This study evaluates the power of the Phase-Time method in breaking wave detection. Large scale laboratory experiments are used to obtain a quality data set under a variety of deep water wave conditions. The physics of the Hilbert transform used in the Phase-Time Method are studied, and the method is explored as a breaking wave detection tool. A model of deep water breaking wave detection is developed and its limits are stated.
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