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Wave-Kinetic Dynamics of Forced-Dissipated Turbulent Internal Gravity Waves
Vincent Labarre1, Giorgio Krstulovic1, Sergey Nazarenko2
1Laboratoire Lagrange, Observatoire de la Côte d'Azur, Université Côte d'Azur, CNRS, Nice, France.
Physical Review Letters
|July 31, 2025
Summary
Simulations reveal how internal gravity waves interact in oceans and atmospheres. Nonlocal and local interactions drive energy cascades, leading to wave condensation and layering.
Area of Science:
- Fluid dynamics
- Geophysics
- Wave phenomena
Background:
- Internal gravity waves are fundamental to stratified fluids like oceans and atmospheres.
- Understanding their nonlinear dynamics is crucial for various geophysical processes.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the dynamics of weakly nonlinear internal gravity waves.
- To analyze the evolution of their energy spectrum using kinetic equations.
Main Methods:
- Simulations of the forced-dissipated kinetic equation.
- Analysis of wave-wave interactions, including nonlocal and local processes.
Main Results:
- Early evolution is dominated by nonlocal interactions (elastic scattering, induced diffusion, parametric subharmonic instability) and superharmonic resonance.
- Local interactions drive anisotropic energy cascades over longer timescales.
- A condensate emerges at small horizontal wave vectors, indicating a layering process mediated by wave-wave interactions.
Conclusions:
- Nonlocal and local interactions govern the spectral energy transfer of internal gravity waves.
- Wave-wave interactions lead to spectral condensation and stratification in geophysical flows.
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