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- Title
Diagnosing Surfzone Impacts on Inner-Shelf Flow Spatial Variability Using Realistic Model Experiments with and without Surface Gravity Waves.
- Authors
Wu, Xiaodong; Feddersen, Falk; Giddings, Sarah N.
- Abstract
Rip currents are generated by surfzone wave breaking and are ejected offshore, inducing inner-shelf flow spatial variability (eddies). However, surfzone effects on the inner-shelf flow spatial variability have not been studied in realistic models that include both shelf and surfzone processes. Here, these effects are diagnosed with two nearly identical twin realistic simulations of the San Diego Bight over summer to fall, where one simulation includes surface gravity waves (WW) and the other does not (NW). The simulations include tides, weak to moderate winds, internal waves, and submesoscale processes and have surfzone width Lsz of 96 (±41) m (≈1 m significant wave height). Flow spatial variability metrics, alongshore root-mean-square vorticity, divergence, and eddy cross-shore velocity are analyzed in an Lsz normalized cross-shore coordinate. At the surface, the metrics are consistently (>70%) elevated in the WW run relative to NW out to 5Lsz offshore. At 4Lsz offshore, WW metrics are enhanced over the entire water column. In a fixed coordinate appropriate for eddy transport, the eddy cross-shore velocity squared correlation between WW and NW runs is <0.5 out to 1.2 km offshore or 12 time-averaged Lsz. The results indicate that the eddy tracer (e.g., larvae) transport and dispersion across the inner shelf will be significantly different in the WW and NW runs. The WW model neglects specific surfzone vorticity generation mechanisms. Thus, these inner-shelf impacts are likely underestimated. In other regions with larger waves, impacts will extend farther offshore.
- Subjects
GRAVITY waves; RIP currents; INTERNAL waves; DIAGNOSIS; VORTEX motion
- Publication
Journal of Physical Oceanography, 2021, Vol 51, Issue 8, p2505
- ISSN
0022-3670
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.1175/JPO-D-20-0324.1