Deep flows transmitted by forced surface gravity waves

TL;DR

This paper analyzes deep-water surface gravity wave packets generated by pressure disturbances, revealing how momentum is distributed and transferred during and after forcing, with implications for wave behavior near shores.

Contribution

It demonstrates that in deep water, wave-induced momentum resides mainly in near-surface flows and persists in a dipolar structure, contrasting with finite-depth scenarios.

Findings

Wave packets carry most of the imparted energy after forcing.

Momentum resides in near-surface flows and dipolar structures during forcing.

Reflected and trapped waves can acquire momentum in finite-depth water.

Abstract

We examine a two-dimensional deep-water surface gravity wave packet generated by a pressure disturbance in the Lagrangian reference frame. The pressure disturbance has the form of a narrow-banded weakly nonlinear deep-water wave packet. During forcing, the vorticity equation implies that the momentum resides entirely in the near-surface Lagrangian-mean flow, which in this context is often called the ``Stokes drift''. After the forcing turns off, the wave packet propagates away from the forcing region, carrying with it most of the energy imparted by the forcing. These waves together with their induced long wave response have no momentum in a depth integrated sense, in agreement with the classical results of Longuet-Higgins and Stewart (1962) and McIntyre (1981). The total flow associated with the propagating packet has no net momentum, in agreement with the classical results. In contrast with the finite-depth scenario discussed by McIntyre (1981), however, momentum imparted to the fluid during forcing resides in a dipolar structure that persists in the forcing region -- rather than being carried away by shallow water waves. We conclude by examining waves propagating from deep to shallow water and show that wave packets, which initially have no momentum, may have non-zero momentum in finite-depth water through reflected and trapped long waves. This explains how deep water waves acquire momentum as they approach shore. The artificial form of the parameterized forcing from the wind facilitates the thought experiments considered in this paper, as opposed to striving to model more realistic wind forcing scenarios.