Kinetic and related models with applications in the natural sciences

Internal Waves in the Ocean - what we know, and what we don't.

Yuri Lvov

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

Internal waves in the ocean is a fascinating object to study with time scales from minutes to days and length scales from tens of meters to kilometers. Particularly interesting is the seemingly universal spectral energy density of internal waves given by the celebrated Garrett and Munk spectrum of internal waves concocted in the seventies. The brief review of wave turbulence formalism will lead to the open questions about internal waves in the ocean. Taking the full advantage of the fact that the internal waves interaction is not local in phase space leads to alternatives closures to describe the spectral energy density of internal waves.