Numerical study of the Breaking of Short-Crested Waves : Breaking Onset, Energy Dissipation and Superharmonic Instability

Wave breaking plays a crucial role in energy dissipation and turbulent mixing at the ocean surface. Accurate predictions require robust breaking criteria and dissipation models. While most studies focus on two-dimensional systems, this thesis incorporates three-dimensional effects into wave breaking dynamics. The first part investigates 3D short-crested wave breaking through Direct Numerical Simulation (DNS), using the parameter θ to represent the degree of three-dimensionality. Both progressive waves (θ = 90°) and fully 3D cases (θ