Comparative Analysis of Four Second-Moment Turbulence Closure Models for the Oceanic Mixed Layer
Open Access
- 1 August 2001
- journal article
- Published by American Meteorological Society in Journal of Physical Oceanography
- Vol. 31 (8) , 1943-1968
- https://doi.org/10.1175/1520-0485(2001)031<1943:caofsm>2.0.co;2
Abstract
In this comparative study, four different algebraic second-moment turbulence closure models are investigated in detail. These closure schemes differ in the number of terms considered for the closure of the pressure–strain correlations. These four turbulence closures result in the eddy-diffusivity principle such that the closure assumptions are contained in dimensionless so-called stability functions. Their performance in terms of Prandtl number, Monin–Obukhov similarity theory, and length scale ratios are first tested against data for simple flows. The turbulence closure is then completed by means of a k–ϵ two-equation model, but other models such as the two-equation model by Mellor and Yamada could also be used. The concept of the steady-state Richardson number for homogeneous shear layers is exploited for calibrating the sensitivity of the four models to shear and stable stratification. Idealized simulations of mixed layer entrainment into stably stratified flow due to surface stress and due to free convection are carried out. For the latter experiment, comparison to recent large eddy simulation data is made. Finally, the well-known temperature profile data at OWS Papa are simulated for an annual cycle. The main result of this paper is that the overall performance of the new second-moment closure model by Canuto et al.—expressed as nondimensional stability functions—is superior compared to the others in terms of physical soundness, predictability, computational economy, and numerical robustness.Keywords
This publication has 35 references indexed in Scilit:
- Second‐moment closures and length scales for weakly stratified turbulent shear flowsJournal of Geophysical Research: Oceans, 2000
- Models of turbulence in the marine environment —a comparative study of two-equation turbulence modelsJournal of Marine Systems, 1999
- A New Second-Order Turbulence Closure Scheme for Modeling the Oceanic Mixed LayerJournal of Physical Oceanography, 1998
- Comparing the performance of the Mellor‐Yamada and the κ‐ε two‐equation turbulence modelsJournal of Geophysical Research: Oceans, 1998
- On the performance of a mixed‐layer model based on the κ‐ε turbulence closureJournal of Geophysical Research: Oceans, 1995
- Modeling Wave-Enhanced Turbulence in the Ocean Surface LayerJournal of Physical Oceanography, 1994
- Second-Order Closure PBL Model with New Third-Order Moments: Comparison with LES DataJournal of the Atmospheric Sciences, 1994
- Large Eddy simulation of turbulence: A subgrid scale model including shear, vorticity, rotation, and buoyancyThe Astrophysical Journal, 1994
- Flux-Profile Relationships in the Atmospheric Surface LayerJournal of the Atmospheric Sciences, 1971
- A numerical method for the study of the circulation of the world oceanJournal of Computational Physics, 1969