Prediction of the free-surface elevation for rotational water waves using the recovery of pressure at the bed

This paper considers the pressure–streamfunction relationship for a train of regular water waves propagating on a steady current, which may possess an arbitrary distribution of vorticity, in two dimensions. The application of such work is to both near shore and offshore environments, and in particular, for linear waves we provide a description of the role which the pressure function on the seabed plays in determining the free-surface profile elevation. Our approach is shown to provide a good approximation for a range of current conditions. This article is part of the theme issue ‘Nonlinear water waves’.