Effects of wind input and wave dissipation formulations on the steady Ekman current solution

Abstract

The effects of different wind input and wave dissipation formulations on the steady Ekman current solution are described. Two formulations are considered: one from the wave modeling (WAM) program proposed by Hasselmann and Komen and the other provided by Tsagareli and Babanin. The solution adopted for our study was presented by Song for the wave-modifi ed Ekman current model that included the Stokes drift, wind input, and wave dissipation with eddy viscosity increasing linearly with depth. Using the Combi spectrum with tail effects, the solutions are calculated using two formulations for wind input and wave dissipation, and compared. Differences in the results are not negligible. Furthermore, the solution presented by Song and Xu for the eddy viscosity formulated using the K-Profi le Parameterization scheme under wind input and wave dissipation given by Tsagareli and Babanin is compared with that obtained for a depth-dependent eddy viscosity. The solutions are further compared with the available well-known observational data. The result indicates that the Tsagareli and Babanin scheme is more suitable for use in the model when capillary waves are included, and the solution calculated using the K-Profi le Parameterization scheme agrees best with observations.