A Mixed Layer Model with Surface Wave Forcing.
Abstract
This work was motivated by the desire to develop a mixed layer model which more successfully parameterized the principal physical processes responsible for mixing. The goal was improved prediction of the short-term (days to weeks) evolution of upper ocean vertical structure. Analysis of recent observations (Weller and Plueddemann, 1996; Gnanadesikan, et al., submitted) indicated that traditional mixed layer models performed poorly during periods immediately following strong wind events, when local winds were low but waves persisted. During these low-wind periods a one dimensional mixed layer model predicted rest ratification in response to solar heating. However, observations showed that Langmuir cells persisted for up to one day after the end of the wind forcing (Plueddemann, 1996), redistributing the heat from the penetrating shortwave radiation, and keeping the surface layer mixed. Since existing mixed layer models do not include surface waves as a part of the forcing, they cannot account for wave-current interaction, Laugmuir circulation, or the subsequent effects on mixed layer development. We intended to incorporate these effects in a model by adding the surface wave Stokes drift to the forcing and parameterizing mixing due to Langmuir circulation. This objective was modified in the course of the project as described below.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Apr 30, 1997
- Accession Number
- ADA324887
Entities
People
- Albert J. Plueddemann
- James F. Price
- Robert A. Weller
Organizations
- Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution