The dependence of wind stress on wave height and wind speed

Abstract

Three near‐neutral boundary layer data sets were investigated with the aim of finding a dependence of wind stress on both wind speed and significant wave height. The data set most representative of open ocean wave height, wind speed, and momentum flux conditions, was selected and analyzed by means of the least squares method to produce a new parameterization for the wind stress as a function of both wind speed and significant wave height. This study shows that the wind stress, and consequently the drag coefficient, decreases with increasing wave height for a fixed wind speed. The study also shows that the curvature of the wind profile decreases with increasing wave height and that the CDN = A + BŪ(10) form for the drag coefficient parameterization is inadequate. A drag coefficient that applies to both smooth and rough flows is proposed. These results are more applicable for open ocean, deep water conditions and less applicable for sheltered, closed, shallow water sites.