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The science
Gerstner waves
Each of eight components moves a water parcel on a circle: x = x0 + Q A d cos(theta), y = A sin(theta), theta = k d.x0 - omega t. Q (choppiness) sharpens crests; Q = 1 gives a cusp. Components are the same as in the 3D page.
Dispersion
Deep water: omega^2 = g k, so phase speed c = sqrt(g / k) and group speed c / 2. Long swell outruns short chop; the dispersion graph marks each component.
Honest simplifications
A fixed set of eight sinusoids is not a full wind-wave spectrum (no JONSWAP, no nonlinear interaction, no breaking physics). The top-down map shows linear elevation without the horizontal Gerstner shift, and the foam tint is a visual cue only. Wind speed controls how strongly short waves are excited and how well the sea aligns with the wind.
Try this
Raise the choppiness to 1 and watch crests sharpen in the section; slow the time scale and follow a yellow parcel around its orbit; compare the amplitude histogram with the Gaussian fit.