Response to “Comment on ”Using an ADCP to estimate turbulent kinetic energy dissipation rate in sheltered coastal waters“ by A.D. Greene, P.J. Hendricks, and M.C. Gregg” by Ann E. Gargett

Abstract

his note is a comment in response to Gargett (2016) which argues that a large-eddy estimate of turbulent dissipation rate using a horizontal length scale with a vertical velocity estimate, as in Greene et al. (2015), is a dubious approximation if the energy-containing eddies are anisotropic. A simulation of Langmuir cells and associated turbulence is used to support Gargett (2016) conclusions. This rebuttal reviews the approaches taken in Greene et al. (2015) and sites several instances of flawed reasoning in Gargett (2016). This includes using Langmuir simulations to support the primary conclusion of Gargett (2016), which seems unconnected to Greene et al. (2015) data and ignores a vast body of work on simulating Kelvin-Helmholtz instabilities, widely considered to be the dominant mechanism producing stratified turbulence.