The role of wave and wave breaking directionality in modulating the wave-induced drift at the ocean surface

Surface waves modulate the physical coupling between the atmosphere and ocean. A better understanding of the physics of these small-scale processes is fundamental for improved approximations (or parametrizations) to be used in models of weather and climate that link ocean and atmosphere, particularly as Earth’s climate changes. This proposal examines the effects that surface-wave direction and wave breaking have on the transport caused by waves. The applications of this research will be global and are expected to lead to improvements in the understanding and modeling of the interaction between the ocean and the atmosphere. This project will advance understanding of the geometry, kinematics, dynamics and statistics of ocean surface waves and wave breaking and their role in air-sea interaction using theoretical, numerical, laboratory and observational techniques. High-resolution field observations of non-breaking and breaking wave statistics will be used to compute the wave-induced drift, and to provide parametrizations of this transport as a function of the environmental variables. Analyses will quantify the errors associated with ignoring, or not properly resolving, directional wave effects, and will consider the directional effects of waves and wave breaking on mass transport in the upper ocean. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.