On the effect of surface gravity waves on mixing in the oceanic mixed layer

Kantha, Lakshmi; Clayson, Carol Anne

doi:10.1016/s1463-5003(02)00062-8

Cited by 202 publications

(262 citation statements)

References 43 publications

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“…The effect of surface wave breaking is usually thought to penetrate to depths of only a few metres in the surface layer and it is often considered through the wind-speed-dependent (not the wave-dependent) friction velocity. Kantha and Clayson (2004) showed that the Stokes production of turbulent kinetic energy in the surface mixed layer is of the same order of magnitude as the shear production and must therefore be included in mixed layer models (see also the Baltic Sea case study by Kantha et al 2010). The Stokes drift together with mean shear generates Langmuir cells.…”

Section: Mixingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Recent Change—Marine Circulation and Stratification

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Lehmann

Myrberg

2015

Regional Climate Studies

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This chapter describes recent change in the circulation and stratification of the Baltic Sea. A recent warming trend in sea-surface waters has been clearly demonstrated by in situ measurements, remote sensing data and numerical models. Trends in sea-surface temperature (SST) for the past three to four decades based on remote sensing data generally agree with trends determined from in situ observations. Models suggest the current warming within the Baltic Sea lies within the range experienced during the past 500 years. The salinity and stratification of the deep waters are strongly linked to the major inflows of North Sea water that occur sporadically and bring high-saline water into the deep layers of the Baltic Sea. The major inflows normally occur during winter and spring and bring cold oxygen-rich waters into the deep basins. Since 1996, large inflows have also occurred during summer, bringing in warm low-oxygen water. IntroductionChanges in thermohaline characteristics and stratification of the water column are usually analysed on the basis of data from repeat hydrographic observations, originating from shipborne monitoring programmes and/or permanent coastal and offshore oceanographic stations. Such datasets are described in recent books by Feistel et al. (2008) and Leppäranta and Myrberg (2009). In situ observations are often irregular in space and time, especially for offshore areas; therefore, trends and variability in the ocean state can only be determined by careful pre-processing of the data to address issues such as data homogenisation and the suppression of aliasing errors. In recent decades, horizontal undersampling by in situ measurements has been partially offset by the remote sensing of sea-surface properties from satellites; with these data free of spatial aliasing errors due to their high horizontal resolution. Satellite-derived cloud-free products for sea-surface temperature (SST) have been reasonably accurate since the 1980s. Many of the papers published over the past decade that address trends and variability in the circulation and stratification of the Baltic Sea are based on remote sensing data, often in combination with in situ observations and the results of numerical modelling. Improvements in the physical and numerical features of the models, accompanied by model validation studies, have increased confidence in the realism of the model results. Models provide dynamically balanced gridded datasets over decades or longer, including information for 'noisy' variables such as currents, transport and mixing fluxes. This chapter analyses the recent peer-reviewed literature, extending the findings from earlier review (Box 7.1).

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Section: Mixingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Recent Change—Marine Circulation and Stratification

Elken

Lehmann

Myrberg

2015

Regional Climate Studies

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“…Therefore, a small β(4×10 4 ) is still used here for investigating the effect of surface gravity waves on the upper mixed layer in the YS in summer. Kantha and Clayson (2004) included the effects of Stokes production in the model by modifying turbulent kinetic energy and turbulent macroscale equations as follows:…”

Section: Experiments Designmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Besides wave breaking, Kantha and Clayson (2004) indicated Langmuir circulation, which is formed due to the interaction of the wind-driven surface shear with the Stokes drift of the surface waves, might also play an important role in upper-ocean mixing. Kantha et al (2009) presented a preliminary estimation of the Stokes dissipation rate in the global ocean based on the results of the WAVEWATCH III model for the year 2007.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…They predicted near-surface dissipation decaying as inverse depth to the power of 3.4, which agreed in detail with measured profiles of dissipation. Mellor and Blumberg (2004) and Kantha and Clayson (2004) summarized the work of Craig and Banner (1994), Stacey and Pond (1997), and Terray et al (1999) to develop a scheme of wave breaking parameterization and embedded it in the M-Y type second moment turbulence closure. Surface boundary layer deepening has been investigated by Mellor and Blumberg (2004) using a onedimensional (1-D) idealized model, where wave breaking parameterization is considered.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In addition, the authors developed a surface wave model coupled with a numerical ocean circulation model to study the interaction of ocean circulation with surface gravity waves (Mellor 2003(Mellor , 2005. Kantha and Clayson (2004) applied a 1-D mixed layer model to study the effect of surface gravity waves on mixing in the oceanic mixed layer. The turbulent kinetic energy injected by breaking waves and the kinetic energy input from Stokes production are both parameterized and included in the two-equation model of turbulence developed by Kantha and Clayson (1994).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Summer surface layer thermal response to surface gravity waves in the Yellow Sea

et al. 2012

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The Princeton Ocean Model (POM) with generalized coordinate system (POMgcs) is used to study the summer surface-layer thermal response to surface gravity waves in the Yellow Sea (YS). The parameterization schemes of wave breaking developed by Mellor and Blumberg (J Phys Oceanogr 34: [693][694][695][696][697][698] 2004) and Kantha and Clayson (Ocean Model 6:101-124, 2004), respectively, and Stokes production developed by Kantha and Clayson (Ocean Model 6:101-124, 2004) are both included in the Mellor-Yamada turbulence closure model Mellor and Yamada (Rev Geophys 20:851-875, 1982) of POMgcs. Numerical results show that surface gravity waves impact the depth of surface mixed layer of temperature in the YS in summer. The surface mixed layer in the YS cannot be reproduced well and has a visible difference from the observation if the parameterization schemes are not included. A diagnostic analysis of turbulent kinetic energy suggests that both Stokes production and wave breaking play key roles in enhancing the turbulent mixing near the sea surface in the YS. Stokes production seems to have a greater impact throughout the upper mixed layer in the YS in summer than that of wave breaking. In addition, a diagnostic analysis of the momentum balance shows that Coriolis-Stokes forcing has a significant effect on the momentum budget in the upper layer in the YS, and surface gravity waves are able to reduce the velocity of mean flow near the surface and make the mean flow near the surface more homogeneous vertically in the YS.

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