Maximum Wave Height Distribution in a Sea State: Effects of Record Length and Spectral Peakedness

The probability distribution of the maximum wave height in a sea state is examined in terms of the spectral peakedness and the sea state duration. The study is based on the analysis of numerically simulated gaussian wave records with given target spectra to fulfill the long duration and stationarity jointly required conditions, seldom found in nature. Results indicate a clear dependence of the probability distribution structure and location on the record length and the spectral shape.