Unsteady Ekman-Stokes Dynamics

Implications for Surface Wave-Induced Drift of Floating Marine Litter

Journal article (2020)

Authors

CW Higgins The University of Edinburgh, University of Oxford
J. Vanneste The University of Edinburgh
T.S. van den Bremer University of Oxford
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Surface gravity waves Marine transport models Wave-induced transport Waves and mean flows
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Published Date

28-09-2020

Language

English

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Abstract

We examine Stokes drift and wave-induced transport of floating marine litter on the surface of a rotating ocean with a turbulent mixed layer. Due to Coriolis-Stokes forcing and surface wave stress, a second-order Eulerian-mean flow forms, which must be added to the Stokes drift to obtain the correct wave-induced Lagrangian velocity. We show that this wave-driven Eulerian-mean flow can be expressed as a convolution between the unsteady Stokes drift and an “Ekman-Stokes kernel.” Using this convolution, we calculate the unsteady wave-driven contribution to particle transport. We report significant differences in both direction and magnitude of transport when the Eulerian-mean Ekman-Stokes velocity is included.