Empirical Parameterization of the Wind-induced Drift Currents

Abstract

<p>Results of measurements of the drift currents induced by waves and wind at the wavy water surface are presented. The measurements were executed by means of surface floats in a large tank with the dimensions of 32.5x1x2 m<sup>3</sup>. Three cases were studied: (i) regular (narrow-band) mechanical waves; (ii) irregular (wide-band) mechanical waves; and (iii) wind waves.</p><p>The measured surface-drift currents induced by mechanical waves, U<sub>d</sub>, are compared with the Stokes drift at the surface, U<sub>St</sub>, estimated by the well-known formula with the integral over a wave spectrum. In this case, it was found that ratio U<sub>d</sub> / U<sub>St</sub> is varying in the range 0.5 – 0.93 and slightly growing with the decrease of wave steepness, having no visible dependence on the breaking intensity. These estimations are used to separate the wind-induced drift current, U<sub>dw</sub>, from the total drift at the presence of wind.</p><p>In the case of wind waves, the wind-induced part of the surface drift, U<sub>dw</sub>, is compared with the friction velocity, u<sub>*</sub>. In our measurements, the ratio U<sub>dw</sub> / u<sub>*</sub> varies systematically in the range 0.65 – 1.2. Taking into account the percentage of wave breaking, Br, the wave age, A, and the wave steepness, Ϭ = ak<sub>p</sub>, it was found the parameterization:  U<sub>dw</sub> = (Br + Ϭ A) u<sub>*</sub>, which corresponds to the observations with the mean error less than 10%. For the first time, this ratio provides the dependence of the surface wind drift on the surface wave parameters.</p>