Large-scale three-dimensional Langmuir circulation

A reduced equation set in two space dimensions capable of describing three-dimensional Langmuir circulation in a layer of unstratified water is derived. The reduced description is valid for circulations having large horizontal scales compared to vertical scales, and should be useful for pattern formation studies when this condition is met. Windrow patterns on the surface are found from numerical simulations of the reduced equation set, guided by secondary instability theory. (C) 1997 American Institute of Physics.