THE NEAR-SURFACE LAYER OF THE OCEAN
The Richardson number within the steady turbulent boundary layer is
restricted from above to its critical value cr
Ri . If the Richardson number
exceeds the critical value, this is an indication that this is an area outside of
the surface turbulent boundary layer.
From (3.85), ] can be expressed as a function of Ri :
at -0.20
0
/ 1
/
at 0
cr
cr
Ri
Ri
Ri
Ri Ri
Ri Ri
]
d
­
®
d
¯
(3.87)
(The analytical relationship between Ri and z is bulky for
0.20
9
;
therefore it is not shown in (3.85) and (3.87).)
The universal functions for velocity I m (]), density I s (]), and dissipation
rate I H (]) can then be expressed through Ri using formula (3.87). We do not
200
Figure 3-21. Universal functions for dimensionless (a) shear m
I , (b) density gradient U
I , (c)
dissipation rate of the turbulent kinetic energy H
I , and (d) turbulent eddy coefficient
Km
I
American Geophysical Union.
expressed as a function of Ri. Reproduced from Soloviev et al. (2001) by permission of