Abstract
The characteristics of highly nonlinear waves reflecting from a vertical wall in intermediate water depths are investigatedboth experimentally and theoretically. The results of regular-wave experiments indicate that the changes in phasevelocity in the presence of reflected waves are significant. The phase speeds become smaller than those predicted fromlinear theory and can be relatively well described by the third-order interaction theory. The amplitude modulation in thereflecting wave field tends to be pronounced for incident waves having large wave steepness. In the modulation processthe sharp-pointed highest peak appears in every third wave. The nonlinear wave groups having bimodal spectrumundergo strong modulation and their maximum wave height in the group increases with time above the initial height.
