Stokes Drift Surface Velocity
Evaluate monochromatic deep-water Stokes drift at caller depth below surface, not Eulerian mean current; supplied amplitude is half wave height.
Description
Stokes drift is a wave-induced Lagrangian transport component.
Stokes drift is a wave-induced Lagrangian transport component. It differs from the Eulerian mean current.
Evaluate monochromatic deep-water Stokes drift at caller depth below surface, not Eulerian mean current; supplied amplitude is half wave height.
When to use Stokes Drift Surface Velocity
Use this tool to evaluate monochromatic deep-water Stokes drift at caller depth below surface, not Eulerian mean current; supplied amplitude is half wave height.
Gather the water, wave, current or profile observations and any supplied calibration constants. Confirm units and the stated coordinate and pressure conventions.
How to use Stokes Drift Surface Velocity and understand its results
- Gather the water, wave, current or profile observations and any supplied calibration constants. Confirm units and the stated coordinate and pressure conventions.
- Enter waveAmplitudeM, angularFrequencyPerSecond, waveNumberPerM, depthBelowSurfaceM using the field table and calculation rules, then run the tool.
- Read deepWaterStokesDriftMPerSecond. The explanation below defines the units, signs, ordering and any flags or placeholder values.
- If the tool reports an input issue, correct the values and run it again. Apply the stated assumptions when interpreting a successfully returned result.
| Input field | Meaning | Value type; see rules below | Requirement |
|---|---|---|---|
| waveAmplitudeM | Wave amplitude m | number | Required |
| angularFrequencyPerSecond | Angular frequency per second | number | Required |
| waveNumberPerM | Wave number per m | number | Required |
| depthBelowSurfaceM | Depth below surface m | number | Required |
Use positive angular frequency and wave number and nonnegative amplitude and depth below surface. Evaluate the monochromatic deep-water expression; amplitude is half wave height.1
drift = amplitude² × angular frequency × wave number × exp(−2kdepth) Units, indexing, boundary conditions and exceptional cases are defined in the calculation rules above.
| Output field | Meaning | Value type |
|---|---|---|
| deepWaterStokesDriftMPerSecond | Deep water stokes drift m per second | number |
{
"input": {
"waveAmplitudeM": 0.1,
"angularFrequencyPerSecond": 1,
"waveNumberPerM": 1,
"depthBelowSurfaceM": 1
},
"output": {
"deepWaterStokesDriftMPerSecond": 0.0013533528323661274
}
}Limitations and assumptions
Finite-depth corrections and a wave spectrum are not modeled.
Numbers and computed results must be finite; overflow produces an error. Missing required fields, extra fields, wrong value types and violations of the calculation rules are input errors.
Alternative or Complementary methods
Use Wave Orbital Velocity At Bottom: Calculate finite-depth Airy bottom orbital velocity amplitude using solved dispersion and an overflow-safe inverse-sinh form; linear-wave assumptions exclude breaking and strong nonlinearity. For a complementary task, use Vector Average Current Components: Distinguish duration-weighted vector resultant from scalar mean current speed, retaining reversals; does not infer coordinates or drifter displacements.
References
-
Stokes Drift Surface Velocity — tool.io
Similar or alternative tools
- Wave Orbital Velocity At Bottom
Calculate finite-depth Airy bottom orbital velocity amplitude using solved dispersion and an overflow-safe inverse-sinh form; linear-wave assumptions exclude breaking and strong nonlinearity.
- Vector Average Current Components
Distinguish duration-weighted vector resultant from scalar mean current speed, retaining reversals; does not infer coordinates or drifter displacements.