High Wind Upper Ocean Mixing with Explicit Surface Wave Processes
Abstract
The work described here supports the Office of Naval Research Departmental Research Initiative (DRI) on the "Impact of Typhoons on the Ocean in the Pacific" (ITOP). One of central themes of the DRI is to better characterize and predict the ocean boundary layer (OBL) and its impact on typhoon (hurricane) evolution. This is one component of developing improved prediction models for the coupled atmosphere-ocean-wave system. Cooling of the sea surface temperature (SST) is a critical coupling variable influencing atmosphere-ocean-hurricane dynamics. SST is largely determined by OBL turbulence, surface wave processes, and mixed layer entrainment. Our research goal is to model the strongly forced wind- and wave-driven upper OBL using turbulence-resolving large-eddy simulations (LES) with explicit wave effects (viz., wave-current interactions and breaking waves) and examine their impact on ocean mixing during hurricane events. The specific research objectives for ITOP are as follows: (1) conduct process studies using LES of the OBL with different combinations of time-varying large-scale forcings and surface wave effects and examining their impact on ocean mixing; (2) evaluate and compare these LES results with predictions obtained using a 1-D column model of the OBL based on the K-Profile Parameterization (KPP); and (3) compare our simulation results with available observations. Inertial resonance, storm residence time, and the larger scale environment are some of the processes to be examined in our simulations.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Sep 30, 2011
- Accession Number
- ADA557058
Entities
People
- James C. McWilliams
- Peter P Sullivan
Organizations
- National Center for Atmospheric Research