Effects of precipitation on the eddy exchange in a wind-driven sea

Effects of precipitation on the temperature and salinity profiles in the top 2 or 3 m of the sea are calculated for four models of turbulent exchange: (1) constant eddy exchange with depth; (2) drift-current eddy exchange; (3) eddy exchange produced by shear in the orbital velocity under a surface wave; and (4) drift current and wave turbulence acting together. The surface temperature and salinity are only weakly affected, but the density gradient can become significantly stabler. The resulting influence on the eddy exchange is modeled with empirical formulas employing the Richardson number. Stability strongly damps drift-current eddy exchange but has much less effect on the wave-induced turbulence.The energy budget shows an increase in turbulent dissipation near the surface for weak stability when the surface stress in assumed to remain constant. Beyond a critical Richardson number of about 0.9 energy consumed by turbulent energy dissipation decreases. This occurs more due to a reduction in mechanical energy production than because of energy being used for the redistribution of mass.