Six mechanisms have so far been proposed to explain Langmuir circulations and their associated wind streaks. One mechanism involving shearing instability and two requiring the action of a surface film are supported by the greatest amount of evidence. Studies at Lake Ccorgc, New York, suggest that more than one mechanism may operate at one location.A particular mechanism may operate at a specific site because of typical conditions at that site, but a different mechanism may be more important at another site. Plots of thermal structure in the near-surface layer of Lake George and measurements of vertical current velocities suggest that Langmuir circulations are the most important mixing process in the epilimnia of lakes.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.