Multitime scale model of turbulence in the sea surface layer

A model has been developed to describe the turbulent structure of the surface layer which takes into account the differences in the scales of turbulent vortices generated by different mechanisms. We consider the shear of the drift current, nonlinear effects of surface waves, and their breaking as the main sources of turbulent energy. The power spectrum is divided into ranges with respect to the scales. The equation system for each range is solved numerically. The modeling results are compared with the experimental data and with other currently known models. The advantages of the suggested approach are demonstrated.     

Large scale flow separation and mesoscale eddy formation in the Algerian Basin

During the ELISA/MATER experiment floats released at about 600 m depth in the Levantine Intermediate Water layer south of Sardinia in July 1997 have revealed the existence of a coherent eddy, approximately 50 km in diameter and lasting for several months. This anticyclonic eddy was first observed south-west of Sardinia in November 1997 and drifted inside the Algerian Basin during the following months until April 1998. This eddy contained Levantine Intermediate Water at intermediate level and seemed to be related to 2 main large scale features: (a) a cyclonic gyre (250 km in diameter and 3–4 months period) located in the Algerian Basin and (b) a boundary current located along the continental slope south and west of Sardinia and originating from the Sardinia–Tunisia channel. We will first describe the “Sardinian” eddy, from a kinematical point of view, and the Algerian Gyre and second, give some insights about the eddy origin and its importance for LIW large scale spreading in the Western Mediterranean Sea.     

黑潮延伸体海域次中尺度过程的季节变化研究

近年来的现场观测和理论研究发现, 次中尺度现象广泛存在于上层海洋, 其产生与锋生作用及混合层斜压不稳定存在密切联系。本文利用高分辨率的数值模拟结果并结合动力学及能量诊断分析, 对黑潮延伸体海域次中尺度过程的季节变化进行了探讨。探讨结果表明, 黑潮延伸体海域次中尺度过程具有冬季最强, 春季和秋季次之, 夏季最弱的显著季节变化特征。基于冬、夏季次中尺度能量源的诊断可以看到, 这些季节变化特征主要与上层海洋的斜压不稳定和锋生作用有关。冬季, 黑潮延伸体海域的中尺度能量较弱, 但次中尺度过程在季节尺度上表现最为活跃, 这主要与混合层斜压不稳定的作用有关; 夏季, 黑潮延伸体海域的混合层较浅, 次中尺度过程较弱, 但中尺度涡旋活跃, 中尺度流场变形引起的锋生作用对夏季次中尺度现象的产生具有重要影响。在次中尺度能量的季节变化方面, 冬季次中尺度过程从中尺度过程汲取能量的速率远高于夏季, 这是冬季次中尺度过程比夏季更为活跃的主要原因。本文研究结果有助于加深对黑潮延伸体海域次中尺度过程季节性变化及其动力机制的理解。     

苏门答腊岛西北海域中尺度涡源区特征与形成机制

孟加拉湾内和湾口附近有丰富的中尺度现象,本文利用2.0版可分辨低纬地区中尺度涡的Chelton数据集,通过溯源的方法得到中尺度涡的源地分布。苏门答腊岛西北海域(以5°N,94°E为核心的区域)是中尺度涡重要源区之一。通过拉格朗日方法的涡旋追踪表明,1993—2017年该海域(3°N—6°N、92°E—95°E),分别有57个气旋式和40个反气旋式中尺度涡。频谱分析显示海表面高度异常存在180 d和360 d两个显著周期。地形和风场的共同作用是该海域产生中尺度涡的动力机制：沿5°N西传的罗斯贝波在海岭地形的作用下触发了中尺度涡的生成;赤道风场是源区重要的能量来源,局地风场能诱发中尺度涡的极性。本研究也揭示了以往文献虽刻画了苏门答腊岛西北部海域为高涡动能区,却没有识别出较多中尺度涡的原因。     

On the eddy mixing and energetics of turbulence in a stable atmospheric boundary layer

Some changes in the eddy mixing in the atmospheric boundary layer (ABL) are investigated with the use of the mesoscale RANS turbulence model. It is found that the behavior of parameters of the eddy turbulence mixing is in compliance with the recently obtained data of laboratory and atmospheric measurements. In particular, the flow Richardson number (Ri _f ) during the transient flow to a strongly stable state can behave nonmonotonically, growing with the increasing gradient Richardson number (Ri _g ) to the state of saturation at a certain gradient Richardson number (Ri _g ? 1), which separates two different turbulent regimes: the regimes of strong mixing and weak mixing. An analysis of the energetics based on the balance equations of kinetic and potential turbulence energies shows, in particular, that the weak mixing (Ri _g > 1) is quite capable of transferring momentum. This phenomenon can be explained not only by the fact that the flow is sustained by propagating internal waves, which effectively transfer momentum under strong stratification conditions, but also by the fact that turbulence permanently arises in the free atmosphere and in the deep ocean at Ri _g ? 1.     

上混合中剪切湍流和朗缪尔环流动力特征差异

Large eddy simulation(LES) is used to investigate contrasting dynamic characteristics of shear turbulence(ST)and Langmuir circulation(LC) in the surface mixed layer(SML). ST is usually induced by wind forcing in SML. LC can be driven by wave-current interaction that includes the roles of wind, wave and vortex forcing. The LES results show that LC suppresses the horizontal velocity and greatly modifies the downwind velocity profile, but increases the vertical velocity. The strong downwelling jets of LC accelerate and increase the downward transport of energy as compared to ST. The vertical eddy viscosity Km of LC is much larger than that of ST. Strong mixing induced by LC has two locations. They are located in the 2ds–3ds(Stokes depth scale) and the lower layer of the SML,respectively. Its value and position change periodically with time. In contrast, maximum Km induced by ST is located in the middle depth of the SML. The turbulent kinetic energy(TKE) generated by LC is larger than that by ST. The differences in vertical distributions of TKE and Km are evident. Therefore, the parameterization of LC cannot be solely based on TKE. For deep SML, the convection of large-scale eddies in LC plays a main role in downward transport of energy and LC can induce stronger velocity shear(S2) near the SML base. In addition, the large-scale eddies and S2 induced by LC is changing all the time, which needs to be fully considered in the parameterization of LC.     

Heat and mass transport by weakly non-linear internal waves in the presence of turbulence

The method of asymptotic multiscale expansion is applied to determine the mean current velocity and density fields induced by a packet of internal waves. In the limiting case of a weakly non-linear plane wave, heat, salt, and impulse vertical transport is conditioned by the vertical component of the Stokes drift velocity, which is non-zero, when turbulent viscosity and diffusion are considered. As the wave period decreases, the wave fluxes of heat, salt, and impulse increase. In shallow waters, these fluxes become more vigorous and may be comparable to the respective turbulent flows or even to be more powerful. Translated by Vladimir A. Puchkin.     

Tidal boundary layer measurements in the presence of waves

Measurements of tidal current and wave velocity made at 0.69 and 1.85 m above a rough seafloor exhibit large current gradients (boundary layer) in the water column. The logarithmic boundary layer flow model was fitted to the measurements, and thus roughness (z₀) and friction velocity (u^*) parameters were derived. The roughness parameter values were generally consistent with the observed upstream physical roughness. The values of both parameters for conditions in the rough turbulence flow regime are generally larger (much larger for ebb) than earlier published values for similar measurements of currents in the absence of significant waves but are comparable to values from recent measurements of currents in the presence of storm waves. The high parameter values here appear to relate more to the magnitude of the current and to the upstream physical bottom roughness than to the magnitude of the seastate. Large boundary layers in the flow at the seabed have a profound effect on the design of offshore structures such as offshore pipelines.     

Experimental determination of small-scale turbulence coefficients in the near-surface layer of the sea

The results of numerous experiments on the diffusion of fluorescent dyes are presented. To determine the turbulent diffusion coefficients, the technique involving under water photography of a jet with the subsequent processing of negatives by a microphotometer was used. The vertical coefficients were found to be slightly larger (by about 20%) than the horizontal ones, with the scale of the phenomenon being 0.3–1 m. Empiric relationships have been derived for the turbulent diffusion vertical coefficient on the parameters of surface waves.Translated by V. Puchkin.     

Mixed and mixing layer depths simulated by an OGCM

The global distributions of the mixed layer depth h _D , representing the depth of uniform density, and the mixing layer depth h _K , representing the depth of active turbulent mixing, were simulated using an ocean general circulation model (OGCM), and compared with each other, as well as with the mixed layer depth from the climatological data h _D *. The comparison between h _D and h _D * suggested that the threshold density difference Δ σ _θ should decrease from 0.09 kg m⁻³ to 0.02 kg m⁻³ with increasing latitude for consistent comparison between two mixed layer depths, due to the different nature of density profiles depending on latitude. The comparison between h _D and h _K revealed that h _K is deeper than h _D in the region where strong subsurface shear is present, such as the equatorial ocean and the region of the western boundary current. On the other hand, h _K is shallower than h _D in the high latitude ocean during convective cooling and early restratification.     

The mixing efficiency and the processes of restratification in a stably stratified medium

The mechanism of the effect of a collapsing turbulent eddy on diapycnal transport in a stably stratified fluid is considered. It is shown that at small Richardson turbulent numbersRi ₀ the mixing efficiency increases asRi ₀, and at large numbers it decreases in proportion toRi ₀ ^–1/2 .Translated by Mikhail M. Trufanov. UDK 551.465.15.     

An investigation of mesoscale wave processes in the surface layer using synchronous measurements of atmospheric parameters and admixtures

We present the results of experimental investigations of mesoscale wave processes in the surface layer based on the data of multiyear synchronous minute-by-minute measurements of atmospheric parameters and admixtures on a network consisting of five stations spaced 1–6 km apart. The concentrations of sulfur dioxide, carbon oxide, nitrogen oxide and dioxide; the mass concentration of aerosol; and the temperature and pressure, wind velocity and direction, and relative humidity were measured synchronously. Polarization relations for all the measured parameters have been obtained for different periods and wavelengths. The azimuth of mesoscale wave propagation is detected to depend on the mean wind velocity. It is shown that the densities of elastic and horizontal energies of mesoscale waves are essentially different on different scales.     

Influence of the upper mixed layer depth on Langmuir turbulence characteristics

The upper mixed layer depth (h) has a significant seasonal variation in the real ocean and the low-order statistics of Langmuir turbulence are dramatically influenced by the upper mixed layer depth.To explore the influence of the upper mixed layer depth on Langmuir turbulence under the condition of the wind and wave equilibrium,the changes of Langmuir turbulence characteristics with the idealized variation of the upper mixed layer depth from very shallow (h=5 m) to deep enough (h=40 m) are studi...     

Influence of surface forcing on near-surface and mixing layer turbulence in the tropical Indian Ocean

An autonomous upwardly-moving microstructure profiler was used to collect measurements of the rate of dissipation of turbulent kinetic energy (ε) in the tropical Indian Ocean during a single diurnal cycle, from about 50 m depth to the sea surface. This dataset is one of only a few to resolve upper ocean ε over a diurnal cycle from below the active mixing layer up to the air–sea interface. Wind speed was weak with an average value of ~5 m s⁻¹ and the wave field was swell-dominated. Within the wind and wave affected surface layer (WWSL), ε values were on the order of 10⁻⁷–10⁻⁶ W kg⁻¹ at a depth of 0.75 m and when averaged, were almost a factor of two above classical law of the wall theory, possibly indicative of an additional source of energy from the wave field. Below this depth, ε values were closer to wall layer scaling, suggesting that the work of the Reynolds stress on the wind-induced vertical shear was the major source of turbulence within this layer. No evidence of persistent elevated near-surface ε characteristic of wave-breaking conditions was found. Profiles collected during night-time displayed relatively constant ε values at depths between the WWSL and the base of the mixing layer, characteristic of mixing by convective overturning. Within the remnant layer, depth-averaged values of ε started decaying exponentially with an e-folding time of 47 min, about 30 min after the reversal of the total surface net heat flux from oceanic loss to gain.     

Observation of wave-enhanced turbulence in the near-surface layer of the ocean during TOGA COARE

Dissipation rate statistics in the near-surface layer of the ocean were obtained during the month-long COARE Enhanced Monitoring cruise with a microstructure sensor system mounted on the bow of the research vessel. The vibration contamination was cancelled with the Wiener filter. The experimental technique provides an effective separation between surface waves and turbulence, using the difference in spatial scales of the energy-containing surface waves and small-scale turbulence. The data are interpreted in the coordinate system fixed to the ocean surface. Under moderate and high wind-speed conditions, we observed the average dissipation rate of the turbulent kinetic energy in the upper few meters of the ocean to be 3–20 times larger than the logarithmic layer prediction. The Craig and Banner (J. Phys. Oceanogr. 24 (1994) 2546) model of wave-enhanced turbulence with the surface roughness length from the water side z₀ parameterized according to the Terray et al. (J. Phys. Oceanogr. 26 (1996) 792) formula z₀=cH_s provides a reasonable fit to the experimental dissipation profile, where z is the depth (defined here as the distance to the ocean surface), c≈0.6, and H_s is the significant wave height. In the wave-stirred layer, however, the average dissipation profile deviates from the model (supposedly because of extensive removing of the bubble-disturbed areas close to the ocean surface). Though the scatter of individual experimental dissipation rates (10-min averages) is significant, their statistics are consistent with the Kolmogorov's concept of intermittent turbulence and with previous studies of turbulence in the upper ocean mixed layer.     

Spatial-temporal variability of submesoscale currents in the South China Sea

Spatial and seasonal variabilities of submesoscale currents in the northeastern South China Sea are investigated by employing a numerical simulation with a horizontal resolution of 1km. The results suggest that submesoscale currents are widespread in the surface mixed layer mainly due to the mixed layer instabilities and frontogenesis. In horizontal, submesoscale currents are generally more active in the north than those in the south, since that active eddies, especially cyclonic eddies, mainly occur in the northern area. Specifically, submesoscale currents are highly intensified in the east of Dongsha Island and south of Taiwan Island. In temporal sense, submesoscale currents are more active in winter than those in summer, since the mixed layer is thicker and more unstable in the winter. The parameterization developed by Fox-Kemper et al. is examined in terms of vertical velocity, and the results suggest that it could reproduce the vertical velocity if mixed layer instability dominates there. This study improves our understanding of the submesoscale dynamics in the South China Sea.     

南海北部深水区东西构造差异性及其动力学机制

This paper overviews research progress in observation, theoretical analysis and numerical modeling of submesoscale dynamic processes in the South China Sea(SCS) particularly during recent five years. The submesoscale processes are defined according to both spatial and dynamic scales, and divided into four subcategories as submesoscale waves, submesoscale vortexes, submesoscale shelf processes, and submesoscale turbulence. The major new findings are as follows.(1) Systematic mooring observations provide new insights into the solitary waves(ISWs) and the typhoon-forced near-inertial waves(NIWs), of which a new type of ISWs with period of 23 h was observed in the northern SCS(NSCS), and the influences of background vorticity, summer monsoon onset, and deep meridional overturning circulation on the NIWs, as well as nonlinear wave-wave interaction between the NIWs and internal tides, are better understood. On the other hand, satellite altimeter sea surface height data are used to reveal the internal tide radiation patterns and provide solid evidence for that the ISWs in the northeastern SCS originate from the Luzon Strait.(2) Submesoscale offshore jets and associated vortex trains off the Vietnam coast in the western boundary of the SCS were observed from satellite chlorophyll concentration images. Spiral trains with the horizontal scale of 15–30 km and the spacing of 50–80 km were identified.(3) 3-D vertical circulation in the upwelling region east of Hainan Island was theoretically analyzed. The results show that distribution patterns of all the dynamic terms are featured by wave-like structures with horizontal wavelength scale of 20–40 km.(4) Numerical models have been used for the research of submesoscale turbulence. Submesoscale vertical pump of an anticyclonic eddy and the spatiotemporal features of submesoscale processes in the northeastern SCS are well modeled.     

Nonlinear effects in the process of propagation of internal waves in the presence of turbulence

In the Boussinesq approximation, we study the nonlinear effects observed in the process of propagation of internal waves in the presence of turbulence. The space damping factor of the waves is evaluated. The Stokes drift velocity and the Euler velocity of the mean current induced by waves due to the presence of nonlinearity are determined. It is shown that the principal contribution to the wave transfer is made by the horizontal velocity of the induced current. The Stokes drift is significant only near the bottom. The vertical component of the Stokes drift velocity obtained with regard for the turbulent viscosity is nonzero.