WIND-WAVE SURFACE TURBULENCE AND LANGMUIR CIRCULATIONS ON THE UPPER MIXED LAYER OF MARINE ECOSYSTEMS

We present an experimental and numerical analysis of wind-generated currents and turbulence in the sea surface layer. We examine laboratory and field data in order to define a new characterization of the turbulent scales at the interface. The numerical study concerns the development of 2-D vertical model, formulated in (U, Ψ, Ω, k, ε) variables. This model allows to predict the average and turbulent kinematics fields and takes into account the wave-current-turbulence interactions that maintain the Langmuir circulation and increase the turbulence level under wind waves.