A Stokes drift approximation based on the Phillips spectrum

Abstract A new approximation to the Stokes driftvelocity profile based on the exact solution for the Phillips spectrum is explored. The profile is compared with the monochromaticprofile and the recently proposed exponential integralprofile. ERA-Interim spectra and spectra from a wave buoyin the central North Sea are used to investigate the behavior of the profile. It is found that the new profile has a much stronger gradient near the surface and lower normalized deviation from the profile computed from the spectra. Based on estimates from two open-ocean locations, an average value has been estimated for a key parameter of the profile. Given this parameter, the profile can be computed from the same two parameters as the monochromaticprofile, namely the transport and the surface Stokes driftvelocity.