Mixing induced by ISWs breaking over a sloping boundary: an analytical heuristic model
- 1Sapienza University of Rome, Department of Basic and Applied Sciences for Engineering, Rome, Italy (davide.cavaliere@uniroma1.it)
- 2Roma Tre University, Department of Civil Engineering, Rome, Italy
- 3ISMAR-CNR, Rome, Italy
We propose an analytical approach to estimate mixing efficiency in Internal Solitary Waves (ISWs) breaking processes. We make use of the theoretical framework of Winters et al. [1995] to describe the energetics of a stratified fluid flow, calculating the Available Potential Energy (APE) of an ISW of depression in a two-layer system, assuming that the symmetric density structure on both sides of the feature is exactly the same. Starting from the definition of mixing efficiency given by Michallet and Ivey [1999], through the Ozmidov and Thorpe length-scales we derive an expression for the mixing efficiency avoiding the use of any wave model (as KdV-type models or strongly nonlinear models) to estimate the wave energy. The model is successfully verified through laboratory experiments performed in a wave tank and is meant to be applied by using real field CTD casts.
References:
Winters, K., Lombard, P., Riley, J., and D’Asaro, E. (1995). Available potential
energy and mixing in density-stratified fluids. J. Fluid Mech., 289, 115-128.
Michallet, H. and Ivey, G. (1999). Experiments on mixing due to internal solitary
waves breaking on uniform slopes. Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans,
104(C6), 13467-13477
How to cite: Cavaliere, D., la Forgia, G., and Falcini, F.: Mixing induced by ISWs breaking over a sloping boundary: an analytical heuristic model, EGU General Assembly 2020, Online, 4–8 May 2020, EGU2020-5098, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu2020-5098, 2020
