Article Type:
Article Commentary

Comments on “Estimates of Kinetic Energy Dissipation under Breaking Waves”

Gerrit Burgers Oceanographic Research Division, KNMI, De Bilt, the Netherlands

Search for other papers by Gerrit Burgers in
Current site
Google Scholar
PubMed Close
Print Publication:
01 Oct 1997
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.1175/1520-0485(1997)027<2306:COEOKE>2.0.CO;2
Page(s):
2306–2307
Restricted access

We are aware of a technical issue preventing figures and tables from showing in some newly published articles in the full-text HTML view.
While we are resolving the problem, please use the online PDF version of these articles to view figures and tables.

Abstract

It is noted that the results of recent experiments on the enhancement of turbulent kinetic energy (TKE) dissipation below surface waves can be stated as follows. TKE dissipation is enhanced by a factor 15Hws/z at depths 0.5Hws < z < 20Hws with respect to the wall-layer result ϵ = u3∗w/κz, where u∗w is the friction velocity in water and Hws is the significant windsea wave height. For open ocean conditions, this reduces in most cases to an enhancement factor 106u2∗w/gz ≈ u210/gz.

Corresponding author address: Dr. Gerrit Burgers, Oceanographic Research Division, KNMI, P.O. Box 201, 3730 AE De Bilt, the Netherlands.

Abstract

It is noted that the results of recent experiments on the enhancement of turbulent kinetic energy (TKE) dissipation below surface waves can be stated as follows. TKE dissipation is enhanced by a factor 15Hws/z at depths 0.5Hws < z < 20Hws with respect to the wall-layer result ϵ = u3∗w/κz, where u∗w is the friction velocity in water and Hws is the significant windsea wave height. For open ocean conditions, this reduces in most cases to an enhancement factor 106u2∗w/gz ≈ u210/gz.

Corresponding author address: Dr. Gerrit Burgers, Oceanographic Research Division, KNMI, P.O. Box 201, 3730 AE De Bilt, the Netherlands.

Save
Cover Journal of Physical Oceanography
Journal of Physical Oceanography

  • Agrawal, Y. C., E. A. Terray, M. A. Donelan, P. A. Hwang, A. J. Williams III, W. M. Drennan, K. K. Kahma, and S. A. Kitaigorodskii, 1992: Enhanced dissipation of kinetic energy beneath surface waves. Nature,359, 219–220.

  • Drennan, W. M., M. A. Donelan, E. A. Terray, and K. B. Katsaros, 1996: Oceanic turbulence dissipation measurements in SWADE. J. Phys. Oceanogr.,26, 808–815.

  • Terray, E. A., M. A. Donelan, Y. C. Agrawal, W. M. Drennan, K. K. Kahma, A. J. Williams III, P. A. Hwang, and S. A. Kitaigorodskii, 1996: Estimates of kinetic energy dissipation under breaking waves. J. Phys. Oceanogr.,26, 792–807.

All Time Past Year Past 30 Days
Abstract Views 0 0 0
Full Text Views 235 116 23
PDF Downloads 37 14 4