WAVE-GENERATED FLOWS ON THE WATER SURFACE

Abstract

Predicting trajectories of fluid parcels on the water surface perturbed by waves is a difficult mathematical and theoretical problem. It is even harder to model flows generated on the water surface due to complex three-dimensional wave fields, which commonly result from the modulation instability of planar waves. We have recently shown that quasi-standing, or Faraday, waves are capable of generating horizontal fluid motions on the water surface whose statistical properties are very close to those in two-dimensional turbulence. This occurs due to the generation of horizontal vortices. Here we show that progressing waves generated by a localized source are also capable of creating horizontal vortices. The interaction between such vortices can be controlled and used to create stationary surface flows of desired topology. These results offer new methods of surface flow generation, which allow engineering inward and outward surface jets, large-scale vortices and other complex flows. The new principles can be also be used to manipulate floaters on the water surface and to form well-controlled Lagrangian coherent structures on the surface. The resulting flows are localized in a narrow layer near the surface, whose thickness is less than one wavelength.