This book contains a comprehensive study of the internal ocean waves, which play a very important role in ocean physics providing mechanisms for ocean water mixing and circulation, as well as the transportation of gases, nutrients, and a very large number of marine organisms in the ocean body. In contrast to surface waves, the literature on internal waves is not so numerous, mainly due to the difficulties in experimental data collection and in the mathematical description of internal wave propagation. In this book, the basic mathematical principles, a physical description of the observed phenomena, and practical theoretical methods of determination of wave parameters as well as the original method of observation using moving sensors are presented. Special attention is paid to internal wave propagation over changing bottom topographies in shallow seas such as the Baltic Sea. The book is supplemented with an extended list of relevant and extended bibliographies, a subject index, and an author index.

This book contains a comprehensive study of the internal ocean waves, which play a very important role in ocean physics providing mechanisms for ocean water mixing and circulation, as well as the transportation of gases, nutrients, and a very large number of marine organisms in the ocean body. In contrast to surface waves, the literature on internal waves is not so numerous, mainly due to the difficulties in experimental data collection and in the mathematical description of internal wave propagation. In this book, the basic mathematical principles, a physical description of the observed phenomena, and practical theoretical methods of determination of wave parameters as well as the original method of observation using moving sensors are presented. Special attention is paid to internal wave propagation over changing bottom topographies in shallow seas such as the Baltic Sea. The book is supplemented with an extended list of relevant and extended bibliographies, a subject index, and an author index.

Showing marine ecologists, oceanographers and marine engineers how ocean waters interact with, influence and constrain life in the ocean, this package makes the physical processes intelligible to biologists with a modicum of mathematics. Part I of the book examines classical fluid mechanics such as laminar and turbulent flow, boundary layers, and forces induced by flow. Part II deals with large-scale flows, such as waves, large ocean currents, and tides, which are beyond the scope of classic fluid mechanics. In Part III, the link between hydrodynamics of ocean flows and marine ecology is demonstrated by examples of well-established phenomena and processes. The CD-ROM contains 12 ready-to-use computer programs on the calculation, representation and simulation of various processes.

The energy flow from the atmosphere to the ocean generates an aerodynamically rough ocean surface. If the energy flow is sufficiently strong, in some points of the surface, waves loose their stability and eventually break in the form of whitecaps of various scales. The turbulence associated with the breakers produce the aerosols in the form of jet and film drops from the bursting of air bubbles. The aerosol droplets transfer water vapour, heat, pollutants and bacteria through the air-water interface. They are easily transported by wind over large distances. In this way, marine aerosols influence the optical features of the atmosphere, which are of fundamental importance for the remote sensing of the surface and they play an important role in climate variations.

The amount of marine aerosols rising from the sea surface depends on the coverage of the sea by breaking waves or whitecaps, and the rate of intensity of breaking. Much of the uncertainty in sea aerosols production and gas transfer arises from weaknesses in the parameterization of wave breaking and related processes.

This book describes the mechanisms of wave breaking, based on the theoretical and experimental achievements published in literature as well as on the author's experience. Special attention is paid to selection of the wave breaking criteria, and to development of the wave breaking probability and estimation of the energy dissipation due to breaking.

Secondly, the book examines the relationships between wave breaking and marine aerosol fluxes and gas transfer from the sea surface. In general, an amount of marine aerosol rising from the sea surface depends on the coverage of the sea by breaking waves orwhitecaps, and on the rate of intensity of breaking. The wind speed, commonly used in prediction of the whitecaps coverage, is only one of the factors determining the wave energy and probability of the breaking occurrence. It is more appropriate to find the linkage between the percentage of sea surface covered by whitecaps and the sea state characteristics (i.e. the significant wave height and spectrum peak frequency) and the amount of energy dissipated during wave breaking and its relationship with the aerosol fluxes.

This book fills a gap in knowledge of breaking waves and their influence on the generation of marine fluxes from ocean surfaces. Based on published data as well as on the author's experience, the text explores in detail the relationship chain of breaking waves, whitecaps coverage, rate of wave energy dissipation, amount of aerosol fluxes rising from a given sea basin, and possible seasonal variations.