Ocean Surface Boundary Layer Response to Abruptly Turning Winds

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xingchi Wang ◽  
Tobias Kukulka
Keyword(s):  
Boundary Layer ◽  
Wave Model ◽  
Ocean Surface ◽  
Stokes Drift ◽  
Navier Stokes ◽  
Surface Boundary ◽  
Navier Stokes Equation ◽  
Surface Boundary Layer ◽  
Eddy Simulation ◽  
Budget Analysis

AbstractTurbulence driven by wind and waves controls the transport of heat, momentum, and matter in the ocean surface boundary layer (OSBL). For realistic ocean conditions, winds and waves are often neither aligned nor constant, for example, when winds turn rapidly. Based on a Large Eddy Simulation (LES) method, which captures shear-driven turbulence (ST) and Langmuir turbulence (LT) driven by the Craik-Leibovich vortex force, we investigate the OSBL response to abruptly turning winds. We design idealized LES experiments, whose winds are initially constant to equilibrate OSBL turbulence before abruptly turning 90° either cyclonically or anticyclonically. The transient Stokes drift for LT is estimated from a spectral wave model. The OSBL response includes three successive stages that follow the change in direction. During stage 1, turbulent kinetic energy (TKE) decreases due to reduced TKE production. Stage 2 is characterized by TKE increasing with TKE shear production recovering and exceeding TKE dissipation. Transient TKE levels may exceed their stationary values due to inertial resonance and non-equilibrium turbulence. Turbulence relaxes to its equilibrium state at stage 3, but LT still adjusts due to slowly developing waves. During stages 1 and 2, greatly misaligned wind and waves lead to Eulerian TKE production exceeding Stokes TKE production. A Reynolds stress budget analysis and Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes equation models indicate that Stokes production furthermore drives the OSBL response. The Coriolis effects result in asymmetrical OSBL responses to wind turning directions. Our results suggest that transient wind conditions play a key role in understanding realistic OSBL dynamics.

Large eddy simulation of turbulence in ocean surface boundary layer at Zhangzi Island offshore

2013 ◽  
Vol 32 (7) ◽  
pp. 8-13 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shuang Li ◽  
Jinbao Song ◽  
Hailun He ◽  
Yansong Huang
Keyword(s):  
Boundary Layer ◽  
Large Eddy Simulation ◽  
Ocean Surface ◽  
Surface Boundary ◽  
Surface Boundary Layer ◽  
Eddy Simulation ◽  
Large Eddy ◽  
Zhangzi Island

scholarly journals Lagrangian Investigation of Wave-Driven Turbulence in the Ocean Surface Boundary Layer

2019 ◽  
Vol 49 (2) ◽  
pp. 409-429 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tobias Kukulka ◽  
Fabrice Veron
Keyword(s):  
Boundary Layer ◽  
Turbulent Transport ◽  
Ocean Surface ◽  
Inertial Subrange ◽  
Breaking Wave ◽  
Surface Boundary ◽  
Lagrangian Analysis ◽  
Surface Boundary Layer ◽  
Near Surface ◽  
Eddy Simulation

AbstractTurbulent processes in the ocean surface boundary layer (OSBL) play a key role in weather and climate systems. This study explores a Lagrangian analysis of wave-driven OSBL turbulence, based on a large-eddy simulation (LES) model coupled to a Lagrangian stochastic model (LSM). Langmuir turbulence (LT) is captured by Craik–Leibovich wave forcing that generates LT through the Craik–Leibovich type 2 (CL2) mechanism. Breaking wave (BW) effects are modeled by a surface turbulent kinetic energy flux that is constrained by wind energy input to surface waves. Unresolved LES subgrid-scale (SGS) motions are simulated with the LSM to be energetically consistent with the SGS model of the LES. With LT, Lagrangian autocorrelations of velocities reveal three distinct turbulent time scales: an integral, a dispersive mixing, and a coherent structure time. Coherent structures due to LT result in relatively narrow peaks of Lagrangian frequency velocity spectra. With and without waves, the high-frequency spectral tail is consistent with expectations for the inertial subrange, but BWs substantially increase spectral levels at high frequencies. Consistently, over short times, particle-pair dispersion results agree with the Richardson–Obukhov law, and near-surface dispersion is significantly enhanced because of BWs. Over longer times, our dispersion results are consistent with Taylor dispersion. In this case, turbulent diffusivities are substantially larger with LT in the crosswind direction, but reduced in the along-wind direction because of enhanced turbulent transport by LT that reduces mean Eulerian shear. Our results indicate that the Lagrangian analysis framework is effective and physically intuitive to characterize OSBL turbulence.

Interaction of Langmuir Turbulence and Inertial Currents in the Ocean Surface Boundary Layer under Tropical Cyclones

2018 ◽  
Vol 48 (9) ◽  
pp. 1921-1940 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dong Wang ◽  
Tobias Kukulka ◽  
Brandon G. Reichl ◽  
Tetsu Hara ◽  
Isaac Ginis ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Boundary Layer ◽  
Surface Layer ◽  
Tropical Cyclones ◽  
Ocean Surface ◽  
Stokes Drift ◽  
Surface Boundary ◽  
Langmuir Turbulence ◽  
Surface Boundary Layer ◽  
Wave Forcing ◽  
Inertial Currents

AbstractBased on a large-eddy simulation approach, this study investigates the response of the ocean surface boundary layer (OSBL) and Langmuir turbulence (LT) to extreme wind and complex wave forcing under tropical cyclones (TCs). The Stokes drift vector that drives LT is determined from spectral wave simulations. During maximum TC winds, LT substantially enhances the entrainment of cool water, causing rapid OSBL deepening. This coincides with relatively strong wave forcing, weak inertial currents, and shallow OSBL depth , measured by smaller ratios of , where denotes a Stokes drift decay length scale. LT directly affects a near-surface layer whose depth is estimated from enhanced anisotropy ratios of velocity variances. During rapid OSBL deepening, is proportional to , and LT efficiently transports momentum in coherent structures, locally enhancing shear instabilities in a deeper shear-driven layer, which is controlled by LT. After the TC passes, inertial currents are stronger and is greater while is shallower and proportional to . During this time, the LT-affected surface layer is too shallow to directly influence the deeper shear-driven layer, so that both layers are weakly coupled. At the same time, LT reduces surface currents that play a key role in the surface energy input at a later stage. These two factors contribute to relatively small TKE levels and entrainment rates after TC passage. Therefore, our study illustrates that inertial currents need to be taken into account for a complete understanding of LT and its effects on OSBL dynamics in TC conditions.

scholarly journals Parameterization of Wave-Induced Mixing Using the Large Eddy Simulation (LES) (I)

Atmosphere ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 207 ◽  
Author(s):  
Haili Wang ◽  
Changming Dong ◽  
Yongzeng Yang ◽  
Xiaoqian Gao
Keyword(s):  
Boundary Layer ◽  
Large Eddy Simulation ◽  
Ocean Surface ◽  
Breaking Waves ◽  
Global Climate Models ◽  
Surface Boundary ◽  
Surface Boundary Layer ◽  
Eddy Simulation ◽  
Large Eddy ◽  
Wave Induced

Turbulent motions in the thin ocean surface boundary layer control exchanges of momentum, heat and trace gases between the atmosphere and ocean. However, present parametric equations of turbulent motions that are applied to global climate models result in systematic or substantial errors in the ocean surface boundary layer. Significant mixing caused by surface wave processes is missed in most parametric equations. A Large Eddy Simulation model is applied to investigate the wave-induced mixed layer structure. In the wave-averaged equations, wave effects are calculated as Stokes forces and breaking waves. To examine the effects of wave parameters on mixing, a series of wave conditions with varying wavelengths and heights are used to drive the model, resulting in a variety of Langmuir turbulence and wave breaking outcomes. These experiments suggest that wave-induced mixing is more sensitive to wave heights than to the wavelength. A series of numerical experiments with different wind intensities-induced Stokes drifts are also conducted to investigate wave-induced mixing. As the wind speed increases, the influence depth of Langmuir circulation deepens. Additionally, it is observed that breaking waves could destroy Langmuir cells mainly at the sea surface, rather than at deeper layers.

scholarly journals A global perspective on Langmuir turbulence in the ocean surface boundary layer

2012 ◽  
Vol 39 (18) ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephen E. Belcher ◽  
Alan L. M. Grant ◽  
Kirsty E. Hanley ◽  
Baylor Fox-Kemper ◽  
Luke Van Roekel ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Boundary Layer ◽  
Ocean Surface ◽  
Global Perspective ◽  
Surface Boundary ◽  
Langmuir Turbulence ◽  
Surface Boundary Layer

LESbrary: A library of large eddy simulation data for the calibration and uncertainty quantification of ocean surface boundary layer turbulence parameterizations

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gregory Wagner ◽  
Andre Souza ◽  
Adeline Hillier ◽  
Ali Ramadhan ◽  
Raffaele Ferrari
Keyword(s):  
Boundary Layer ◽  
Turbulent Mixing ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Ocean Surface ◽  
Limited Area ◽  
Surface Boundary ◽  
Model Errors ◽  
Surface Boundary Layer ◽  
Large Eddy ◽  
Free Parameters

<p>Parameterizations of turbulent mixing in the ocean surface boundary layer (OSBL) are key Earth System Model (ESM) components that modulate the communication of heat and carbon between the atmosphere and ocean interior. OSBL turbulence parameterizations are formulated in terms of unknown free parameters estimated from observational or synthetic data. In this work we describe the development and use of a synthetic dataset called the “LESbrary” generated by a large number of idealized, high-fidelity, limited-area large eddy simulations (LES) of OSBL turbulent mixing. We describe how the LESbrary design leverages a detailed understanding of OSBL conditions derived from observations and large scale models to span the range of realistically diverse physical scenarios. The result is a diverse library of well-characterized “synthetic observations” that can be readily assimilated for the calibration of realistic OSBL parameterizations in isolation from other ESM model components. We apply LESbrary data to calibrate free parameters, develop prior estimates of parameter uncertainty, and evaluate model errors in two OSBL parameterizations for use in predictive ESMs.</p>

scholarly journals A review of studies on turbulent mixing in ocean surface boundary layer

2017 ◽  
Vol 26 (5) ◽  
pp. 239-250 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yutaka Yoshikawa ◽  
Takahiro Endoh
Keyword(s):  
Boundary Layer ◽  
Turbulent Mixing ◽  
Ocean Surface ◽  
Surface Boundary ◽  
Surface Boundary Layer

scholarly journals Horizontal Dispersion of Buoyant Materials in the Ocean Surface Boundary Layer

2018 ◽  
Vol 48 (9) ◽  
pp. 2103-2125 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jun-Hong Liang ◽  
Xiaoliang Wan ◽  
Kenneth A. Rose ◽  
Peter P. Sullivan ◽  
James C. McWilliams
Keyword(s):  
Boundary Layer ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Ocean Surface ◽  
Turbulent Dispersion ◽  
Surface Boundary ◽  
Particle Trajectories ◽  
Stokes Flows ◽  
Surface Boundary Layer ◽  
Horizontal Dispersion ◽  
Shear Dispersion

ABSTRACTThe horizontal dispersion of materials with a constant rising speed under the exclusive influence of ocean surface boundary layer (OSBL) flows is investigated using both three-dimensional turbulence-resolving Lagrangian particle trajectories and the classical theory of dispersion in bounded shear currents generalized for buoyant materials. Dispersion in the OSBL is caused by the vertical shear of mean horizontal currents and by the turbulent velocity fluctuations. It reaches a diffusive regime when the equilibrium vertical material distribution is established. Diffusivity from the classical shear dispersion theory agrees reasonably well with that diagnosed using three-dimensional particle trajectories. For weakly buoyant materials that can be mixed into the boundary layer, shear dispersion dominates turbulent dispersion. For strongly buoyant materials that stay at the ocean surface, shear dispersion is negligible compared to turbulent dispersion. The effective horizontal diffusivity due to shear dispersion is controlled by multiple factors, including wind speed, wave conditions, vertical diffusivity, mixed layer depth, latitude, and buoyant rising speed. With all other meteorological and hydrographic conditions being equal, the effective horizontal diffusivity is larger in wind-driven Ekman flows than in wave-driven Ekman–Stokes flows for weakly buoyant materials and is smaller in Ekman flows than in Ekman–Stokes flows for strongly buoyant materials. The effective horizontal diffusivity is further reduced when enhanced mixing by breaking waves is included. Dispersion by OSBL flows is weaker than that by submesoscale currents at a scale larger than 100 m. The analytic framework will improve subgrid-scale modeling in realistic particle trajectory models using currents from operational ocean models.

scholarly journals Assessing the Effects of Langmuir Turbulence on the Entrainment Buoyancy Flux in the Ocean Surface Boundary Layer

2017 ◽  
Vol 47 (12) ◽  
pp. 2863-2886 ◽  
Author(s):  
Qing Li ◽  
Baylor Fox-Kemper
Keyword(s):  
Boundary Layer ◽  
Climate Model ◽  
Ocean Surface ◽  
Buoyancy Flux ◽  
Entrainment Rate ◽  
Surface Boundary ◽  
Langmuir Turbulence ◽  
Convective Turbulence ◽  
Surface Boundary Layer ◽  
The Impact

AbstractLarge-eddy simulations (LESs) with various constant wind, wave, and surface destabilizing surface buoyancy flux forcing are conducted, with a focus on assessing the impact of Langmuir turbulence on the entrainment buoyancy flux at the base of the ocean surface boundary layer. An estimate of the entrainment buoyancy flux scaling is made to best fit the LES results. The presence of Stokes drift forcing and the resulting Langmuir turbulence enhances the entrainment rate significantly under weak surface destabilizing buoyancy flux conditions, that is, weakly convective turbulence. In contrast, Langmuir turbulence effects are moderate when convective turbulence is dominant and appear to be additive rather than multiplicative to the convection-induced mixing. The parameterized unresolved velocity scale in the K-profile parameterization (KPP) is modified to adhere to the new scaling law of the entrainment buoyancy flux and account for the effects of Langmuir turbulence. This modification is targeted on common situations in a climate model where either Langmuir turbulence or convection is important and may overestimate the entrainment when both are weak. Nevertheless, the modified KPP is tested in a global climate model and generally outperforms those tested in previous studies. Improvements in the simulated mixed layer depth are found, especially in the Southern Ocean in austral summer.

Wind- and Wave-driven Ocean Surface Boundary Layer in a Frontal Zone: Roles of Submesoscale Eddies and Ekman-Stokes Transport

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jianguo Yuan ◽  
Jun-Hong Liang
Keyword(s):  
Boundary Layer ◽  
Frontal Zone ◽  
Surface Current ◽  
Ocean Surface ◽  
Buoyancy Flux ◽  
Temperature Structure ◽  
Surface Boundary ◽  
Surface Boundary Layer ◽  
Horizontal Mixing ◽  
The Right

AbstractLarge-eddy simulations are used to investigate the influence of a horizontal frontal zone, represented by a stationary uniform background horizontal temperature gradient, on the wind- and wave-driven ocean surface boundary layers. In a frontal zone, the temperature structure, the ageostrophic mean horizontal current, and the turbulence in the ocean surface boundary layer all change with the relative angle among the wind and the front. The net heating and cooling of the boundary layer could be explained by the depth-integrated horizontal advective buoyancy flux, called the Ekman Buoyancy Flux (or the Ekman-Stokes Buoyancy Flux if wave effects are included). However, the detailed temperature profiles are also modulated by the depth-dependent advective buoyancy flux and submesoscale eddies. The surface current is deflected less (more) to the right of the wind and wave when the depth-integrated advective buoyancy flux cools (warms) the ocean surface boundary layer. Horizontal mixing is greatly enhanced by submesoscale eddies. The eddy-induced horizontal mixing is anisotropic and is stronger to the right of the wind direction. Vertical turbulent mixing depends on the superposition of the geostrophic and ageostrophic current, the depth-dependent advective buoyancy flux, and submesoscale eddies.

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