Wave height

[1] Wave height is a term used by mariners, as well as in coastal, ocean and naval engineering.

It is defined in such a way that it more or less corresponds to what a mariner observes when estimating visually the average wave height.

The significant wave height (Hs) may thus refer to Hm0 or H1/3; the difference in magnitude between the two definitions is only a few percent.

Another wave-height statistic in common usage is the root-mean-square (or RMS) wave height Hrms, defined as:[2]

with Hm again denoting the individual wave heights in a certain time series.