Effect of pycnocline thickness on energy dissipation of internal solitary waves
The dynamics and energy transference involved in the breaking of internal solitary waves are crucial in the process of ocean mixing on the continental shelf.To understand the energy shifts and dissipation patterns of these waves within the continuous pycnocline density stratification,this research involves using OpenFOAM to establish a numerical flume and performing several simulations based on a hyperbolic tangent curve designed to establish the stratification.Moreover,the research involves analyzing the energy transfer and dissipation of internal solitary waves relative to the pycnocline thickness in detail.Results show that the pycnocline thickness has an im-portant impact on the redistribution and energy dissipation of the internal solitary wave energy.A thinner pycno-cline results in stronger stratification,leading to increased flow velocity shear at the pycnocline and a reduced Richardson number.This scenario is prone to generate Kelvin-Helmholtz(KH)instability.Conversely,a thicker thermocline can inhibit KH instability,causing an initial increase in the Richardson number.However,as the ther-mocline thickness is further increased,the change in velocity shear becomes larger than the stratification change.Consequently,the Richardson number decreases,strengthening the mixing and overturning process of the flow field and significantly enhancing energy dissipation.This work is of great significance with regard to the improvement of ocean internal wave mixing parameterization.
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