Large Eddy Simulations of Surface Winds Above Water Waves: Effects of Wind-Wave Alignment and Wave Age
Abstract
The research program undertaken is a follow on to the mini-workshop on calculating ship motions in geophysical environments held in early 2006 in Washington, DC. The long term goal of this research is to further the present understanding of turbulent flow over surface waves and the coupling with ocean currents, information which can potentially provide guidance for ship designs and motion prediction in extreme sea states. In the near term the research focuses on examining the sensitivity of the atmospheric surface winds (magnitude, direction, and statistics) to varying wind-wave orientation and wave age (i.e., equilibrium and non-equilibrium sea states) using idealized turbulence resolving large-eddy simulations (LESs). The output from the numerical simulations, statistics and visualization of surface-layer winds, forms a database which can then be used to identify wind-wave conditions that would adversely impact the motion of ships at sea. On a longer timeline algorithmic improvements to our LES will be pursued to allow simulations above a measured spectrum of 3D surface waves.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jun 30, 2008
- Accession Number
- ADA483292
Entities
People
- Peter P Sullivan
Organizations
- National Center for Atmospheric Research