Numerical Process Studies of Continuum Internal Wave Dynamics: Steady- State Spectral and Downscale Energy Transports

摘要

Long-term goals are to develop parameterizations of internal-wave driven turbulent mixing in a coastal environment suitable for use in regional numerical models. The objectives are: (1) To investigate the dependence of coastal diapycnal mixing on aspects of low-mode, low-frequency internal waves that may feasibly be resolved by a regional numerical model, including: internal wave frequency (generally tidal or wind-generated near-inertial waves), vertical wave structure, wave strength, latitude (some wave instabilities are strongly latitude dependent); (2) To test the underlying assumptions and kinematic scalings of various proposed coastal mixing parameterizations, including KPP, the Gregg-Henyey scaling Gregg, 1989, the scaling proposed by D'Asaro and Lien 2000, and the MacKinnon-Gregg scaling MacKinnon and Gregg, 2003.