The behavior of the near ocean surface under the combined action of waves and currents in shallow water

TL;DRAbstract

Drift current near the sea surface has an important effect on momentum, heat, and mass transfers across the air-sea interface, and consequently, influences physical, chemical, and biological processes within the upper ocean and the atmospheric surface layer. These currents also govern dispersion of oil slicks, chemical pollutants and other man-made discharges near the sea surface. Accurate estimates of sea surface drift currents are critical to forecasting slick transport and fate. The majority of existing drift models employ a drift factor and deflection angle, based on local wind speed, to estimate the sea surface drift vector. In addition, the models are restricted to deep water regions. The effects of wind induced shear and wave induced transport are lumped together in these formulations. In the present study the conservation of momentum, water mass, and turbulent energy equations are solved using an implicit finite difference method to predict the vertical distribution of current,

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