Remote sensing of energy dissipation by individual oceanic whitecaps using above-water digital imagery

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Adrian Callaghan
Keyword(s):  
Remote Sensing ◽  
Energy Dissipation ◽  
Breaking Strength ◽  
Ocean Surface ◽  
Field Studies ◽  
Breaking Waves ◽  
Energy Dissipation Rate ◽  
Strength Parameter ◽  
Wave Crest ◽  
Breaking Wave

<p>Breaking waves are an important physical feature of the ocean surface and play a fundamental role in many air-sea interaction processes. Sufficiently energetic breaking waves can entrain enough air that they appear as whitecaps on the ocean surface and these are the focus of this work. Phillips (1985) presents a statistical description of the length of breaking wave crest per unit area within a breaking speed interval Λ(c), often referred to as the “lambda distribution”. Many field studies have measured Λ(c) using digital image remote sensing of the ocean surface, corroborating the theoretical work of Phillips. In conjunction with the so-called breaking strength parameter, b, defined by Duncan (1981), the fifth moment of Λ(c) has been used to quantify the energy dissipation rate of the surface breaking wave field. Within the Duncan framework, many numerical and experimental laboratory studies have shown that b is not constant but depends on the spectral and physical slope of the breaking waves, and it can vary by several orders of magnitude.</p><p>Significant effort has been made to estimate the average value of the breaking strength parameter for populations of breaking waves observed in the field, <b>. This can be achieved with measurements of Λ(c), an estimate of the wind to wave energy flux and assumptions of a stationary wave field. While several recent field studies have estimated <b> to be O(1 X 10<sup>-3</sup>), independent estimates of <b> derived from averaging values of b estimated for individual whitecaps in a given sea state have not yet been reported.</p><p>Here digital images of the sea surface are analysed and the volume-time-integral (VTI) method presented in Callaghan et al (2016) is used to estimate b on a whitecap-by-whitecap basis. The VTI method uses the time-evolving surface foam area of a whitecap together with a laboratory-determined average turbulence intensity inside a breaking wave crest, to estimate the total energy dissipated by an individual whitecap. This total energy loss can then be used to calculate the average energy dissipation rate of an individual whitecap, from which b can be estimated.</p><p>The dataset presented here consists of approximately 500 whitecaps and the range of b values estimated is distributed between 1 X 10<sup>-4</sup> to 1 X 10<sup>-2</sup>, with average values lying close to 1-2 X 10<sup>-3</sup>. This range of b values agrees well with laboratory results amassed over decades of experimental research. Furthermore, the average values of 1-2 X 10<sup>-3 </sup>agree very well with two recent <b> values reported in Zappa et al. (2016) and Korinenko et al. (2020). These results suggest that the VTI method can be a useful tool to remotely estimate the energy dissipation, and its rate, of individual whitecaps in the field using above-water digital image remote sensing.</p>

scholarly journals Spectrally Resolved Energy Dissipation Rate and Momentum Flux of Breaking Waves

2008 ◽  
Vol 38 (6) ◽  
pp. 1296-1312 ◽  
Author(s):  
Johannes R. Gemmrich ◽  
Michael L. Banner ◽  
Chris Garrett
Keyword(s):  
Energy Dissipation ◽  
Wave Field ◽  
Wave Energy ◽  
Dissipation Rate ◽  
Momentum Flux ◽  
Phase Speed ◽  
Breaking Waves ◽  
Energy Dissipation Rate ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Breaking Wave

Abstract Video observations of the ocean surface taken from aboard the Research Platform FLIP reveal the distribution of the along-crest length and propagation velocity of breaking wave crests that generate visible whitecaps. The key quantity assessed is Λ(c)dc, the average length of breaking crests per unit area propagating with speeds in the range (c, c + dc). Independent of the wave field development, Λ(c) is found to peak at intermediate wave scales and to drop off sharply at larger and smaller scales. In developing seas breakers occur at a wide range of scales corresponding to phase speeds from about 0.1 cp to cp, where cp is the phase speed of the waves at the spectral peak. However, in developed seas, breaking is hardly observed at scales corresponding to phase speeds greater than 0.5 cp. The phase speed of the most frequent breakers shifts from 0.4 cp to 0.2 cp as the wave field develops. The occurrence of breakers at a particular scale as well as the rate of surface turnover are well correlated with the wave saturation. The fourth and fifth moments of Λ(c) are used to estimate breaking-wave-supported momentum fluxes, energy dissipation rate, and the fraction of momentum flux supported by air-entraining breaking waves. No indication of a Kolmogorov-type wave energy cascade was found; that is, there is no evidence that the wave energy dissipation is dominated by small-scale waves. The proportionality factor b linking breaking crest distributions to the energy dissipation rate is found to be (7 ± 3) × 10−5, much smaller than previous estimates.

Predicting the breaking strength of gravity water waves in deep and intermediate depth

2018 ◽  
Vol 848 ◽  
Author(s):  
Morteza Derakhti ◽  
Michael L. Banner ◽  
James T. Kirby
Keyword(s):  
Wave Energy ◽  
Water Waves ◽  
Breaking Strength ◽  
Modulational Instability ◽  
Rate Of Change ◽  
Strength Parameter ◽  
Wave Crest ◽  
Breaking Wave ◽  
Local Energy ◽  
Energy Dissipated

We revisit the classical but as yet unresolved problem of predicting the strength of breaking 2-D and 3-D gravity water waves, as quantified by the amount of wave energy dissipated per breaking event. Following Duncan (J. Fluid Mech., vol. 126, 1983, pp. 507–520), the wave energy dissipation rate per unit length of breaking crest may be related to the fifth moment of the wave speed and the non-dimensional breaking strength parameter $b$. We use a finite-volume Navier–Stokes solver with large-eddy simulation resolution and volume-of-fluid surface reconstruction (Derakhti & Kirby, J. Fluid Mech., vol. 761, 2014a, pp. 464–506; J. Fluid Mech., vol. 790, 2016, pp. 553–581) to simulate nonlinear wave evolution, with a strong focus on breaking onset and postbreaking behaviour for representative cases of wave packets with breaking due to dispersive focusing and modulational instability. The present study uses these results to investigate the relationship between the breaking strength parameter $b$ and the breaking onset parameter $B$ proposed recently by Barthelemy et al. (J. Fluid Mech., vol. 841, 2018, pp. 463–488). The latter, formed from the local energy flux normalized by the local energy density and the local crest speed, simplifies, on the wave surface, to the ratio of fluid speed to crest speed. Following a wave crest, when $B$ exceeds a generic threshold value at the wave crest (Barthelemy et al. 2018), breaking is imminent. We find a robust relationship between the breaking strength parameter $b$ and the rate of change of breaking onset parameter $\text{d}B/\text{d}t$ at the wave crest, as it transitions through the generic breaking onset threshold ($B\sim 0.85$), scaled by the local period of the breaking wave. This result significantly refines previous efforts to express $b$ in terms of a wave packet steepness parameter, which is difficult to define robustly and which does not provide a generically accurate forecast of the energy dissipated by breaking.

MEASURING ENERGY DISSIPATION RATES IN A WAVE TANK

2005 ◽  
Vol 2005 (1) ◽  
pp. 183-186 ◽  
Author(s):  
Albert D. Venosa ◽  
Vikram J. Kaku ◽  
Michel C. Boufadel ◽  
Kenneth Lee
Keyword(s):  
Energy Dissipation ◽  
Open Water ◽  
Breaking Waves ◽  
Pilot Scale ◽  
Energy Dissipation Rate ◽  
Breaking Wave ◽  
Field Scale ◽  
Wave Tank ◽  
Dissipation Rates ◽  
Wave Maker

ABSTRACT The effectiveness of dispersants is typically evaluated at various scales ranging from the smallest (10 cm, typical of flask tests in the laboratory) to the largest (10's to 100's of meters, typical of field scale open water dispersion tests). This study aims at evaluating dispersant effectiveness at intermediate or pilot scale. The hypothesis is that the energy dissipation rate per unit mass, ɛ, plays a major role in the effectiveness of a dispersant. Therefore, it is stipulated that in fairly general conditions, conservation of ɛ between the wave tank scale and that of the field scale is sufficient to accurately evaluate the effectiveness of a dispersant to disperse oil droplets. A wave tank measuring 16 m long x 0.6 m wide x 2 m deep was constructed on the premises of the Bedford Institute of Oceanography, Halifax, Nova Scotia. Waves were generated using a flap-type wave maker. Conditions of the breaking waves were created using a dispersive focusing technique in which the wave maker is started at high frequency and then the frequency decreased to create breaking waves. Experiments defining the velocity profile and energy dissipation rates in the wave tank were conducted at 2 different induced breaking-wave energies. Energy in the wave tank was measured with an Acoustic Doppler Velocimeter (ADV) coupled to a data acquisition system. Energy in the lab flasks was measured with a Hot Wire Anemometer.

scholarly journals Using Energy Dissipation Rate to Obtain Active Whitecap Fraction

2016 ◽  
Vol 46 (2) ◽  
pp. 461-481 ◽  
Author(s):  
Magdalena D. Anguelova ◽  
Paul A. Hwang
Keyword(s):  
Energy Dissipation ◽  
Dissipation Rate ◽  
Dynamic Properties ◽  
Length Distribution ◽  
Energy Dissipation Rate ◽  
Strength Parameter ◽  
Minimal Speed ◽  
Novel Approach ◽  
Decay Dynamic ◽  
Crest Length

AbstractActive and total whitecap fractions quantify the spatial extent of oceanic whitecaps in different lifetime stages. Total whitecap fraction W includes both the dynamic foam patches of the initial breaking and the static foam patches during whitecap decay. Dynamic air–sea processes in the upper ocean are best parameterized in terms of active whitecap fraction WA associated with actively breaking crests. The conventional intensity threshold approach used to extract WA from photographs is subjective, which contributes to the wide spread of WA data. A novel approach of obtaining WA from energy dissipation rate ε is proposed. An expression for WA is derived in terms of energy dissipation rate WA(ε) on the basis of the Phillips concept of breaking crest length distribution. This approach allows more objective determination of WA using the breaker kinematic and dynamic properties yet avoids the use of measuring breaking crest distribution from photographs. The feasibility of using WA(ε) is demonstrated with one possible implementation using buoy data and a parametric model for the energy dissipation rate. Results from WA(ε) are compared to WA from photographic data. Sensitivity analysis quantifies variations in WA estimates caused by different parameter choices in the WA(ε) expression. The breaking strength parameter b has the greatest influence on the WA(ε) estimates, followed by the breaker minimal speed and bubble persistence time. The merits and caveats of the novel approach, possible improvements, and implications for using the WA(ε) expression to extract WA from satellite-based radiometric measurements of W are discussed.

scholarly journals Estimating Energy Dissipation Rate from Breaking Waves Using Polarimetric SAR Images

Sensors ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 20 (22) ◽  
pp. 6540
Author(s):  
Rafael D. Viana ◽  
João A. Lorenzzetti ◽  
Jonas T. Carvalho ◽  
Ferdinando Nunziata
Keyword(s):  
Energy Dissipation ◽  
Total Energy ◽  
Dissipation Rate ◽  
Temporal Distribution ◽  
Wave Model ◽  
Breaking Waves ◽  
Fast Response ◽  
Energy Dissipation Rate ◽  
Sar Data ◽  
Total Energy Dissipation

The total energy dissipation rate on the ocean surface, ϵt (W m−2), provides a first-order estimation of the kinetic energy input rate at the ocean–atmosphere interface. Studies on the spatial and temporal distribution of the energy dissipation rate are important for the improvement of climate and wave models. Traditional oceanographic research normally uses remote measurements (airborne and platforms sensors) and in situ data acquisition to estimate ϵt; however, those methods cover small areas over time and are difficult to reproduce especially in the open oceans. Satellite remote sensing has proven the potential to estimate some parameters related to breaking waves on a synoptic scale, including the energy dissipation rate. In this paper, we use polarimetric Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) data to estimate ϵt under different wind and sea conditions. The used methodology consisted of decomposing the backscatter SAR return in terms of two contributions: a polarized contribution, associated with the fast response of the local wind (Bragg backscattering), and a non-polarized (NP) contribution, associated with wave breaking (Non-Bragg backscattering). Wind and wave parameters were estimated from the NP contribution and used to calculate ϵt from a parametric model dependent of these parameters. The results were analyzed using wave model outputs (WAVEWATCH III) and previous measurements documented in the literature. For the prevailing wind seas conditions, the ϵt estimated from pol-SAR data showed good agreement with dissipation associated with breaking waves when compared to numerical simulations. Under prevailing swell conditions, the total energy dissipation rate was higher than expected. The methodology adopted proved to be satisfactory to estimate the total energy dissipation rate for light to moderate wind conditions (winds below 10 m s−1), an environmental condition for which the current SAR polarimetric methods do not estimate ϵt properly.

Towards a process-based model to predict dune erosion along the Dutch Wadden coast

2012 ◽  
Vol 91 (3) ◽  
pp. 357-372 ◽  
Author(s):  
B.G. Ruessink ◽  
M. Boers ◽  
P.F.C. van Geer ◽  
A.T.M. de Bakker ◽  
A. Pieterse ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Laboratory Experiments ◽  
Current Knowledge ◽  
Numerical Models ◽  
Field Studies ◽  
Breaking Waves ◽  
Sand Transport ◽  
Breaking Wave ◽  
Field Observations ◽  
Erosion Model ◽  
Dune Erosion

AbstractAn equilibrium dune-erosion model is used every six years to assess the capability of the most seaward dune row on the Dutch Wadden islands to withstand a storm with a 1 in 10,000 probability for a given year. The present-day model is the culmination of numerous laboratory experiments with an initial cross-shore profile based on the central Netherlands coast. Large parts of the dune coast of the Wadden islands have substantially different dune and cross-shore profile characteristics than found along this central coast, related to the presence of tidal channels, ebb-tidal deltas, beach-plains and strong coastal curvature. This complicated coastal setting implies that the predictions of the dune-erosion model are sometimes doubtful; accordingly, a shift towards a process-based dune-erosion model has been proposed. A number of research findings based on recent laboratory and field studies highlight only few of the many challenges that need to be faced in order to develop and test such a model. Observations of turbulence beneath breaking waves indicate the need to include breaking-wave effects in sand transport equations, while current knowledge of infragravity waves, one of the main sand transporting mechanisms during severe storm conditions, is strongly challenged by laboratory and field observations on gently sloping beaches that are so typical of the Wadden islands. We argue that in-situ and remote-sensing field observations, laboratory experiments and numerical models need to be the pillars of Earth Scientific research in the Wadden Sea area to construct a meaningful process-based dune-erosion tool.

Computational and Experimental Simulation of Nonbreaking and Breaking Waves for the Investigation of Structural Loads and Motions

2006 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gu¨nther F. Clauss ◽  
Robert Stu¨ck ◽  
Florian Stempinski ◽  
Christian E. Schmittner
Keyword(s):  
Data Transfer ◽  
Stokes Equations ◽  
Wave Structure ◽  
Breaking Waves ◽  
Experimental Simulation ◽  
Navier Stokes ◽  
Wave Crest ◽  
Breaking Wave ◽  
Simulation Code ◽  
Wave Trains

For the analysis of loads and motions of marine structures in harsh seaways precise information about the hydrodynamics of waves is required. While the surface motion of waves can easily be measured in physical wave tanks other critical characteristics such as the instantaneous particle velocity and acceleration as well as the pressure field, especially under the wave crest are difficult and time-consuming to obtain. Therefore a new method is presented to approximate the wave potential of a given instantaneous wave contour. Numerical methods — so called numerical wave tanks (NWTs) — are developed to provide the desired insight into wave hydrodynamics. A potential theory method based on the Finite Element method (Pot/FE), a RANSE (Reynolds-Averaged Navier-Stokes Equations) method applying VOF (Volume of Fluid) and a combination of both is utilized for the simulation of different model wave trains. The coupling of both CFD (computational fluid dynamics) solvers is a useful approach to benefit from the advantages of the two different methods: The Pot/FE solver WAVETUB (wave simulation code developed at Technical University Berlin) allows a very fast and accurate simulation of the propagation of nonbreaking waves while the RANSE/VOF solver has the capability of simulating breaking waves. Two different breaking criteria for the detection of wave breaking are implemented in WAVETUB for triggering the automated coupling process by data transfer at the interface. It is shown that an efficient method for the simulation of breaking wave trains including wave-structure interaction in 2D and 3D is established by the coupling of both CFD codes. All results are discussed in detail.

Observation of the Occurrence of Air Flow Separation Over Water Waves

2010 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhigang Tian ◽  
Marc Perlin ◽  
Wooyoung Choi
Keyword(s):  
Wind Speed ◽  
Flow Separation ◽  
Water Waves ◽  
High Speed ◽  
Air Flow ◽  
Breaking Waves ◽  
Wave Crest ◽  
Breaking Wave ◽  
Wind Condition ◽  
Separation Criterion

A preliminary study on the occurrence of air flow separation over mechanically generated water waves under following wind conditions is presented. Separated air flows over both non-breaking and breaking waves are observed in the flow visualization. A first attempt to identify an air flow separation criterion based on both wind speed and wave steepness is made. It was believed that, in the case of water waves propagating in the following wind condition, air flow separation will occur only in the presence of breaking waves. However, some laboratory experiments and field measurements suggested the occurrence of air flow separation over nonbreaking waves. Therefore, we conducted lab experiments to observe the air flow over mechanically generated waves. In the experiments, the air is seeded with water droplets generated with a high-pressure spray gun and is illuminated with a thin laser light sheet. A high-speed imaging system is used to record and observe the air flow over the mechanically generated wave waves. Our observations show that the separation of air flow occurs above both breaking and non-breaking wave crests, implying that wave breaking is sufficient, but not necessary for air flow separation. In addition, as compared to the separation over breaking waves, a higher wind speed is necessary for the separation over non-breaking ones, indicating that a robust air flow separation criterion likely depends on both the wave crest geometry and the wind speed above the crest. Our preliminary results support, to a certain degree, such a criterion. To the best of our knowledge, this criterion has not been reported previously in laboratory studies.

OIL DROPLET SIZE DISTRIBUTION AS A FUNCTION OF ENERGY DISSIPATION RATE IN AN EXPERIMENTAL WAVE TANK

2008 ◽  
Vol 2008 (1) ◽  
pp. 621-626 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhengkai Li ◽  
Kenneth Lee ◽  
Thomas King ◽  
Michel C. Boufadel ◽  
Albert D. Venosa
Keyword(s):  
Energy Dissipation ◽  
Size Distribution ◽  
Dissipation Rate ◽  
Droplet Size Distribution ◽  
Breaking Waves ◽  
Energy Dissipation Rate ◽  
Wave Tank ◽  
Chemical Dispersant ◽  
Dispersed Oil ◽  
Dispersant Effectiveness

ABSTRACT The U.S. National Research Council (NRC) Committee on Understanding Oil Spill Dispersants: Efficacy and Effects (2005) identified two factors that require further investigation in chemical oil dispersant efficacy studies: 1) quantification of mixing energy at sea as energy dissipation rate and 2) dispersed particle size distribution. To fully evaluate the significance of these factors, a wave tank facility was designed and constructed to conduct controlled oil dispersion studies. A factorial experimental design was used to study the dispersant effectiveness as a function of energy dissipation rate for two oils and two dispersants under three different wave conditions, namely regular non-breaking waves, spilling breakers, and plunging breakers. The oils tested were weathered MESA and fresh ANS crude. The dispersants tested were Corexit 9500 and SPC 1000 plus water for no-dispersant control. The wave tank surface energy dissipatation rates of the three waves were determined to be 0.005, 0.1, and 1 m2/s3, respectively. The dispersed oil concentrations and droplet size distribution, measured by in-situ laser diffraction, were compared to quantify the chemical dispersant effectiveness as a function of energy dissipation rate. The results indicate that high energy dissipation rate of breaking waves enhanced chemical dispersant effectiveness by significantly increasing dispersed oil concentration and reducing droplet sizes in the water column (p <0.05). The presence of dispersants and breaking waves stimulated the oil dispersion kinetics. The findings of this research are expected to provide guidance to disperant application on oil spill responses.

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