Effects of wave age and air stability on whitecap coverage

The paper considers the effects of wave age and air stability on the whitecap coverage at sea. This is made by using the logarithmic mean wind velocity profile including a stability function as well as adopting a recent wave age dependent sea surface roughness formula. The results are valid for wind waves in local equilibrium with the steady wind. Examples of results demonstrate clear effects of wave age and air stability on the whitecap coverage. Comparisons are also made with field measurements by Sugihara et al. [Sugihara, Y., et al., 2007. Variation of whitecap coverage with wave-field conditions. J. Mar. Syst. 66, 47–60], representing unstable air stability conditions. Although the data basis is limited, the wave age independent Charnock sea roughness based predictions capture the main features of the observed whitecap coverage, suggesting a stronger dependence on air stability than on wave age in the data.