An analytically derived whitecap coverage model

作     者：Xu Delun and Liu Wentong(Laboratory of Physical Oceanography, Ocean University of Qingdao, Qingdao 266003, China) 

出 版 物：《Acta Oceanologica Sinica》 (海洋学报（英文版）)

年 卷 期：1995年第14卷第3期

页      面：329-336页

核心收录：

学科分类：07[理学] 0707[理学-海洋科学] 

主　　题：Velocity of surface-particle local phase velocity. whitecap coverage 

摘      要：Joint probability function of local surfaces-particle and phase velocities is derived for a stationary Gaussianwave field with narrow-band spectrum. From the function a model of whitecap coverage is further derived by using thekinematic condition (including the effect of drift current) for wave breaking. The drift current velocity in the model isthen replaced by the friction velocity through an existing empirical formula. A coefficient in the model for relating temporal and spatial scales of wave breaking is determined by using an existing empirical formula of oceanic whitecap coverage and the well-known Pierson-Moskowitz spectrum. The main features of the model agree well with our generalknowledge and observational evidence on wave breaking in deep waters.