A Numerical Investigation of the Wave Effect on Wind Turbulence and Scalar Field

Surface gravity waves that can significantly change the dynamics of the atmospheric turbulence. In this study, we investigate the wave effect on velocity, temperature, and humidity in the marine atmospheric boundary layer. In the problem setup, we consider waves of different wavelengths and steepness to study the effect of wave parameters on the turbulence field above. We have identified distinct wave signatures in the space-time correlation of wind turbulence by examining the full frequency-wavenumber spectrum. It is also found that the mean profiles and spatial distribution of velocity and scalar field depend on the wavelength and the wave steepness. The smaller the wave length and the larger the wave steepness, the stronger the modification of turbulence field by the waves. We also study the effect of wave breaking on the wind turbulence statistics by analyzing small-scale flow physics near the wave surface. It is found that plunging breakers induce high pressure in front of the wave crest, which in turn accelerates the air flow near the wave surface significantly.