Beyond Stokes drift -- Lagrangian transport in evolving gravity waves

Fuente: arXiv
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Autori principali: Izawa, Tatsuo, Rota, Giulio Foggi, Chiarini, Alessandro, Rosti, Marco Edoardo
Natura: Preprint
Pubblicazione: 2026
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author Izawa, Tatsuo
Rota, Giulio Foggi
Chiarini, Alessandro
Rosti, Marco Edoardo
author_facet Izawa, Tatsuo
Rota, Giulio Foggi
Chiarini, Alessandro
Rosti, Marco Edoardo
contents Finite-amplitude gravity waves at the air-water interface induce net fluid and particle transport, known as Stokes drift. While this mechanism is well understood for steady waves, transport under unsteady, evolving conditions remains poorly characterized. Here, we investigate Lagrangian transport in freely decaying waves using high-resolution two-phase simulations and a perturbative analytical model. Wave decay modifies the classical Lagrangian drift by introducing both first- and second-order corrections in the wave amplitude expansion, and generates a net vertical transport, governed by the balance between inertia and viscosity. These effects alter particle trajectories and enhance anisotropic mixing, with implications for interpreting field observations and modeling surface transport processes.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2604_24069
institution arXiv
publishDate 2026
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Beyond Stokes drift -- Lagrangian transport in evolving gravity waves
Izawa, Tatsuo
Rota, Giulio Foggi
Chiarini, Alessandro
Rosti, Marco Edoardo
Fluid Dynamics
Finite-amplitude gravity waves at the air-water interface induce net fluid and particle transport, known as Stokes drift. While this mechanism is well understood for steady waves, transport under unsteady, evolving conditions remains poorly characterized. Here, we investigate Lagrangian transport in freely decaying waves using high-resolution two-phase simulations and a perturbative analytical model. Wave decay modifies the classical Lagrangian drift by introducing both first- and second-order corrections in the wave amplitude expansion, and generates a net vertical transport, governed by the balance between inertia and viscosity. These effects alter particle trajectories and enhance anisotropic mixing, with implications for interpreting field observations and modeling surface transport processes.
title Beyond Stokes drift -- Lagrangian transport in evolving gravity waves
topic Fluid Dynamics
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2604.24069