Impacts of random surface waves on the estimates of wind energy input to the Ekman layer in the Antarctic Circumpolar Current, link to netCDF files@en

Sea surface waves significantly affect the wind energy input to the Ekman layer in the upper ocean. In the study, we first incorporated the wave-induced Coriolis-Stokes forcing, the reduction of wind stress caused by wave generation, and wave dissipation into the classical Ekman model to investigate the kinetic energy balance in the wave-affected Ekman layer. Then, both the theoretical steady-state solution for the idealized condition and the non-steady state solution for the realistic ocean were derived. Total energy input to the wave-affected Ekman layer includes the wind stress energy input and the wave-induced energy input. Based on the WAVEWATCH III model, the wave spectra were simulated to represent realistic random directional wave conditions. The wind stress energy input and the wave-induced energy input to the wave-affected Ekman layer in the Antarctic Circumpolar Current (ACC) in the period from 1988 to 2010 were then calculated. The annual mean total energy input in the ACC region was 402.5 GW and the proportions of the wind stress energy input and the wave-induced energy input were respectively 85% and 15%. Particularly, total energy input in the ACC in the wave-affected Ekman layer model was 59.8% lower than that in the classical Ekman model. We conclude that surface waves play a significant role in the wind energy input to the Ekman layer.海面波浪对上层海洋埃克曼层（Ekman layer）的风能输入过程具有显著影响。本研究首先将波浪诱导的科里奥利-斯托克斯强迫、波浪生成导致的风应力衰减以及波浪耗散项引入经典埃克曼模型，以探究受波浪影响的埃克曼层内的动能平衡过程。随后，本研究推导得到了理想工况下的理论稳态解，以及真实海洋场景下的非稳态解。受波浪影响的埃克曼层的总能量输入包含风应力能量输入与波浪诱导能量输入两部分。本研究基于WAVEWATCH III模型模拟波浪谱，以表征真实的随机定向波浪条件。随后，本研究计算了1988至2010年间南极绕极流（Antarctic Circumpolar Current, ACC）区域内受波浪影响的埃克曼层的风应力能量输入与波浪诱导能量输入。该区域的年平均总能量输入为402.5吉瓦（GW），其中风应力能量输入与波浪诱导能量输入的占比分别为85%与15%。尤为值得注意的是，采用受波浪影响的埃克曼层模型时，南极绕极流区域的总能量输入相较于经典埃克曼层模型低59.8%。本研究最终表明，海面波浪对埃克曼层的风能输入过程具有重要作用。