Using Energy Dissipation Rate to Obtain Active Whitecap Fraction

Abstract

AbstractActive and total whitecap fractions quantify the spatial extent of oceanic whitecaps in different lifetime stages. Total whitecap fraction W includes both the dynamic foam patches of the initial breaking and the static foam patches during whitecap decay. Dynamic air–sea processes in the upper ocean are best parameterized in terms of active whitecap fraction WA associated with actively breaking crests. The conventional intensity threshold approach used to extract WA from photographs is subjective, which contributes to the wide spread of WA data. A novel approach of obtaining WA from energy dissipation rate ε is proposed. An expression for WA is derived in terms of energy dissipation rate WA(ε) on the basis of the Phillips concept of breaking crest length distribution. This approach allows more objective determination of WA using the breaker kinematic and dynamic properties yet avoids the use of measuring breaking crest distribution from photographs. The feasibility of using WA(ε) is demonstrated with one possible implementation using buoy data and a parametric model for the energy dissipation rate. Results from WA(ε) are compared to WA from photographic data. Sensitivity analysis quantifies variations in WA estimates caused by different parameter choices in the WA(ε) expression. The breaking strength parameter b has the greatest influence on the WA(ε) estimates, followed by the breaker minimal speed and bubble persistence time. The merits and caveats of the novel approach, possible improvements, and implications for using the WA(ε) expression to extract WA from satellite-based radiometric measurements of W are discussed.