Wind-Induced Drift In Contained Bodies of Water

Abstract

From a review of experimental evidence it is concluded that in confined bodies of water the ratio of surface drift to surface friction velocity, us, u* is a function of water depth that precludes the application of laboratory-derived relationships between these velocities under conditions prevailing in the open sea. A simple empirical model is proposed for contained bodies of water that requires us = (w*,s/k)lsqb;ln(H/Z0,s) ? 1] U(?) = [1 + (?w/?a)½]us + (u*/K ln((?)/0.368H,where us, is the surface current, U(?) the wind speed at height ? above water surface, w*s the surface friction velocity in the water, u* the surface friction velocity in the air, Z0,s, the roughness length in the water at the surface, H the depth of water, ?w the density of water, ?a the density of air and k the von Kármán constant. These relationships have some support in the experimental evidence presently available.