Scale-dependent distribution of surface wave breaking waves

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Why is it important?

This study introduces a new model of wave breaking that allows coupled atmosphere-wave-ocean models to explicitly account for wave breaking related air-sea exchanges, as well as direct applications for climate, weather, remote sensing, and biogeochemical studies. The model is based on a physical framework that allows explicit computations of wave breaking related air-sea fluxes including momentum, energy, gases, and aerosols across the air-sea interface. The energy dissipation from the new breaking model was implemented in a spectral wave model. The resulting wave model solutions accurately reproduce the main features of empirical wave energy spectra. The wave breaking distributions, and whitecap coverage from the model are consistent with field observations over a wide range of conditions. The results show that wave breaking variability is significantly modulated due to current variations at small scales.