Wind induced energy–momentum distribution along the Ekman–Stokes layer. Application to the Western Mediterranean Sea climate

•We assess the energy–momentum distribution along Ekman–Stokes layer.•The spatial–temporal variability in the Ekman–Stokes depth is studied in the Western Mediterranean.•We quantify the importance of the wind–wave interaction terms using model data.•Stokes-Ekman interaction term contributes on average 10%-15% of the total wind transport.

Wind–wave interaction in the Western Mediterranean Sea is analyzed using 16 years of model data. The mass transport and energy distribution due to wind and waves are integrated through the Ekman–Stokes layer and then spatially and seasonally analyzed. The Stokes drift is estimated from an empirical parameterization accounting for local surface wind and the significant wave height. The impact of the Stokes drift depends on wind variability at the ocean surface and also on the geographical configuration of the basin. The Western Mediterranean Sea has on average a wind energy input two times higher in winter than in summer, and the Stokes–Ekman mass transport interaction term contributes approximately 10–15% of the total wind induced transport, but at some locations the contribution is as much as 40% or more.