DEVELOPMENT OF A METHOD FOR NUMERICAL 

 CALCULATION OF WAVE REFRACTION 



by 



W. Harrison 



U. S. Coast and Geodetic Survey, Washington, D. C.,-'- and 



Virginia Institute of Marine Science 



and 



W. S. Wilson 



The Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland 



ABSTRACT 



Steps in wave-ray construction are as follows: 



1. Select wave periods and approach angles for each 

 series of rays to be constructed. 



2. Prepare a grid of depth values for the area of 

 invest igation. 



3. Use a computer program to obtain a table of 

 water depths and related wave velocities for each wave period 

 selected in (1). 



4. Make a grid of wave-velocity values for each 

 wave period selected in (1), for the area of investigation, 

 using a second computer program which takes as input the depth 

 grid of (2) and the appropriate depth-velocity table of (3). 



5. Derive, using a third computer program, matrices 

 for use in the linear interpolation scheme of the computer 

 program of (6). 



6. Calculate, for each wave period specified in (1), 

 the points along a wave ray using a computer program which 

 takes for input : 



a. The appropriate velocilty grid of (4). 



b. The matrices of (5). 



c. The origin points and approach angles of 

 (1) for given wave rays. 



■'^Present address. Study completed while at the Virginia 

 Institute of Marine Science. 



