On the Impact of Long Wind-Waves on Near-Surface Turbulence and Momentum Fluxes

We propose a new phenomenological model to represent the impact of wind-waves on the dissipation of turbulence kinetic energy near the sea surface. In this model, the momentum flux at a given height results from the averaged contribution of eddies attached to the sea surface whose sizes are related to the surface geometry. This yields a coupling between long wind-waves and turbulence at heights of about 10 m. This new wind-and-waves coupling is thus not exclusively confined to the short wave range and heights below 5 m, where most of the momentum transfer to the waves is known to occur. The proposed framework clarifies the impact of wind-waves on Monin–Obukhov similarity theory, and the role of long wind-waves on the observed wind-wave variability of momentum fluxes. This work reveals which state variables related to the wind-wave coupling require more accurate measurements to further improve wind-over-waves models and parametrizations.