Generation of attached Langmuir circulations by a suspended macroalgal farm

TL;DR

This study models how macroalgal farms in deep oceans generate persistent, attached Langmuir circulations through wave-current interactions, affecting the upper ocean dynamics and energy transfer processes.

Contribution

It introduces the concept of attached Langmuir circulations driven by macroalgal farms and analyzes their formation mechanism using Large Eddy Simulation and triple decomposition.

Findings

Attached Langmuir circulations are generated by macroalgal farms.

These circulations are locked in space and result from vortex force mechanisms.

Energy transfer occurs from mean flow to secondary flow and transient eddies.

Abstract

In this study, we focus on Langmuir turbulence in the deep ocean with the presence of a large macroalgal farm using a Large Eddy Simulation method. The wave-current interactions are modelled by solving the wave-averaged equations. The hydrodynamic process over the farm is found to drive a persistent flow pattern similar to Langmuir circulations but is locked in space across the farm. These secondary circulations are generated because the cross-stream shear produced by the rows of canopy elements leads to a steady vertical vorticity field, which is then rotated to the downstream direction under the effect of vortex force. Since the driving mechanism is similar to the CraikLeibovich type 2 instability theory, these secondary circulations are also termed as attached Langmuir circulations. We then apply a triple decomposition on the flow field to unveil the underlying kinematics and energy transfer between the mean flow, the secondary flow resulting from the farm drag, and the transient eddies. Flow visualizations and statistics suggest that the attached Langmuir circulations result from the adjustment of the upper ocean mixed layer to the macroalgal farm, and they will weaken (if not disappear) when the flow reaches an equilibrium state within the farm. The tripledecomposed energy budgets reveal that the energy of the secondary flow is transferred from the mean flow under the action of canopy drag, while the transient eddies feed on wave energy transferred by the Stokes drift and energy conversion from the secondary flow.