Surface wave predictions in weakly nonlinear directional seas

We have employed laboratory and numerical experiments in order to investigate propagation of waves in both long and short-crested wave fields in deep water. For long-crested waves with steepness, ϵ = kcac = 0.1 (a fairly extreme case), reliable prediction can be performed with the modified nonlinear Schrödinger equation up to about 40 characteristic wavelengths. For short-crested waves the accuracy of prediction is strongly reduced with increasing directional spread.