The Stokes drift and wave induced-mass flux in the North Pacific

Stokes drift and wave induced‐mass flux in realistic wavefields and ocean currents in the North Pacific Ocean are studied using a third generation wave model with ambient geostrophic currents estimated from satellite altimetry data to directly estimate the Stokes drift for random directional waves....

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans 2012-08, Vol.117 (C8), p.n/a
Main Authors: Tamura, Hitoshi, Miyazawa, Yasumasa, Oey, Lie-Yauw
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Atmospheric forcing
Buoys
Earth sciences
Earth, ocean, space
Exact sciences and technology
Fluctuations
Geophysics
Marine
Mass transport
Ocean currents
Pacific ocean
Physical oceanography
Satellite altimetry
Spatial distribution
Stokes drift
Wave height
wave induced-mass flux
Wave refraction
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Summary:Stokes drift and wave induced‐mass flux in realistic wavefields and ocean currents in the North Pacific Ocean are studied using a third generation wave model with ambient geostrophic currents estimated from satellite altimetry data to directly estimate the Stokes drift for random directional waves. Comparison with in situ buoy data shows that the model performed well in representing the Stokes drift field and total wave momentum. In the North Pacific, the annual mean surface Stokes drift ranges from 2 to 10 cm/s and the mean Stokes e‐folding depth is 1 to 2 m. The Stokes drift fields estimated using bulk wave parameters compare poorly against buoy data, and are shown to overestimate (underestimate) the Stokes e‐folding depth (the surface Stokes drift) computed directly from wave spectra by as much as 5–20 times larger (2–10 times smaller). The spatial distributions of mean wave height and mass transport approximately follow the synoptic scale associated with atmospheric forcing, and the divergence of wave induced‐mass flux is significantly modified by local fetch, the coast and ocean currents. Due to strong wave refraction along the Kuroshio extension, surface vertical velocity induced by Stokes divergence is comparable to the Ekman velocity, and may alter the meso‐scale dynamics of the front. Key Points Stokes drift and wave induced‐mass flux in realistic wave fields are studied Divergence of wave induced‐mass flux is modified by local fetch and currents
ISSN:0148-0227
2169-9275
2156-2202
2169-9291
DOI:10.1029/2012JC008113