Effects Of Buoyancy On Langmuir Circulation

Langmuir Circulation is a wind driven helix circulation in the upper ocean mixed layer with the axis almost parallel to the wind. As an important common ocean phenomenon, Langmuir Circulation is essential to the air-sea interaction, ocean mixing, ocean environment, ocean sensing, ocean ecology and ocean disaster.Based on the Navier-Stokes equation, an equation describing the Langmuir Circulation is derived by a perturbation method when the influences of Coriolis force and buoyancy force are both considered. The approach used in the analysis is similar to the work done by Craik & leibovich (1976), Leibovich (1977) and Huang (1979). Potential applications of the equation proposed are discussed in the area of Antarctic Circumpolar Current.