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Large eddy simulation of turbulence in ocean surface boundary layer at Zhangzi Island offshore

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Abstract

This study uses a large eddy simulation (LES) model to investigate the turbulence processes in the ocean surface boundary layer at Zhangzi Island offshore. Field measurements at Zhangzi Island (39°N, 122°E) during July 2009 are used to drive the LES model. The LES results capture a clear diurnal cycle in the oceanic turbulence boundary layer. The process of the heat penetration and heat distribution characteristics are analyzed through the heat flux results from the LES and their differences between two diurnal cycles are discussed as well. Energy balance and other dynamics are investigated which show that the tide-induced shear production is the main source of the turbulence energy that balanced dissipation. Momentum flux near the surface shows better agreement with atmospheric data computed by the eddy correlation method than those computed by bulk formula.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Key Laboratory of Ocean Circulation and Waves, Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao, 266071, China

    Shuang Li & Jinbao Song

  2. Ocean College, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310058, China

    Shuang Li

  3. State Key Laboratory of Satellite Ocean Environment Dynamics, Second Institute of Oceanography, State Oceanic Administration, Hangzhou, 310012, China

    Hailun He

  4. College of Harbor, Coastal and Offshore Engineering, Hohai University, Nanjing, 210098, China

    Hailun He

  5. South China Sea Marine Engineering Surveying Center, South China Sea Branch, State Oceanic Administration, Guangzhou, 510300, China

    Yansong Huang

Authors
  1. Shuang Li
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  2. Jinbao Song
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  3. Hailun He
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  4. Yansong Huang
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Jinbao Song.

Additional information

Foundation item: The National Basic Research Program of China under contract Nos 2011CB403501 and 2012CB417402; the Fund for Creative Research Groups by the National Natural Science Foundation of China under contract No. 41121064; the National Natural Science Foundation of China under contract Nos 41206015 and 41176016; the Open Research Foundation for the State Key Laboratory of Satellite Ocean Environment Dynamics, Second Institute of Oceanography, State Oceanic Administration under contract No. SOED1210.

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Li, S., Song, J., He, H. et al. Large eddy simulation of turbulence in ocean surface boundary layer at Zhangzi Island offshore. Acta Oceanol. Sin. 32, 8–13 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13131-013-0326-0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13131-013-0326-0

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