Abstract
The upper ocean consists of the ocean surface boundary layer (OSBL) that interfaces with the atmosphere. Coupling the ocean and atmosphere, the OSBL plays a key role in weather and climate systems. Ocean surface gravity waves propagate on the air–sea interface and drive mean currents and turbulent transport. Breaking waves substantially increase turbulence levels near the ocean surface. Non-breaking waves drive Stokes drift currents that influence the mean currents in the OSBL. The Stokes drift furthermore interacts with turbulent currents to generate Langmuir turbulence, which can control turbulent transport processes throughout the OSBL.
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