Effects of plane progressive irrotational waves on thermal boundary layers

Abstract

The average changes in the structure of thermal boundary layers at the surface of bodies of water produced by various types of surface waves are computed. the waves are two-dimensional plane progressive irrotational waves of unchanging shape. they include deep-water linear waves, deep-water capillary waves of arbitrary amplitude, stokes waves, and the deep-water gravity wave of maximum amplitude.The results indicate that capillary waves can decrease mean temperature gradients by factors of as much as 9·0, if the average heat flux at the air-water interface is independent of the presence of the waves. Irrotational gravity waves can decrease the mean temperature gradients by factors no more than 1·381.Of possible pedagogical interest is the simplicity of the heat conduction equation for two-dimensional steady irrotational flows in an inviscid incompressible fluid if the velocity potential and the stream function are taken to be the independent variables.