English

Comment on Enhanced TKE Dissipation under Breaking Waves

Atmospheric and Oceanic Physics 2008-02-03 v1

Abstract

It is noted that the results of recent experiments on the enhancement of turbulent kinetic energy (TKE) dissipation below surface waves can be stated as follows. TKE dissipation is enhanced by a factor 15Hws/z15 H_{ws}/z at depths 0.5Hws<z<20Hws0.5 H_{ws} < z < 20 H_{ws} with respect to the wall-layer result ϵ=uw3/κz\epsilon = u_{*w}^3/\kappa z, where uwu_{*w} is the friction velocity in water and HwsH_{ws} is the significant wind-sea wave height. For open ocean conditions, this reduces in most cases to an enhancement factor 106uw2/gzU102/gz10^6 u_{*w}^2/gz \approx U_{10}^2/gz.

Cite

@article{arxiv.physics/9610002,
  title  = {Comment on Enhanced TKE Dissipation under Breaking Waves},
  author = {Gerrit Burgers},
  journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:physics/9610002},
  year   = {2008}
}

Comments

2 pages, LaTeX, 1 ps figure