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Self-consistent effective-medium theory of random internal waves

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 April 2006

R. J. Dewitt and
Jon Wright
R. J. Dewitt
Affiliation:
Department of Physics, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois 61801
Jon Wright
Affiliation:
Department of Physics, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois 61801
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Abstract

In the first part of this paper we introduce a path-integral formalism for the internal-wave field of the ocean. The intent is to show that this type of formalism may be useful in suggesting improvements to current calculations, as it provides a framework for applying a wide variety of approximations that have been and are currently being developed in other areas of physics. We demonstrate the method by deriving equations for a self-consistent field approach (also known as the direct-interaction approximation). The experience in other areas of physics is that the self-consistent field approximation is more reliable than lowest-order perturbation theory. The end result of the DIA is the determination of an effective linear model for the description of internal waves in the deep-ocean environment. In the second part of the paper we obtain Hasselmann's source function by a prescribed limiting process and are able to indicate possible improvements in related calculations by comparing the limiting assumptions with numerically computed values.

Information

Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of Fluid Mechanics , Volume 115 , February 1982, pp. 283 - 302
Copyright
© 1982 Cambridge University Press

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