Kolmogorov scale in turbulence of surface gravity waves

Abstract

In this paper, we study the analogue of the Kolmogorov scale in surface gravity wave turbulence, characterized by the cutoff wavenumber $k_c$ at which the power-law inertial range transitions into the dissipation range. We perform numerical simulations of the primitive dynamical equations with a broad-scale dissipation of magnitude $γ_0 k^2$ in spectral space to establish the relation between $k_c$ and $γ_0$. Our results show a scaling $k_c\simγ_0^β$, where $β$ depends on the slope $α$ of the power-law spectrum. We find that $β(α)$ agrees more closely with the prediction obtained by balancing the nonlinear and dissipation terms in the dynamical equations than with that based on the kinetic equation. This observation reveals that non-resonant triad interactions play a more significant role than resonant quartet interactions in the formation of $k_c$.