Eddy Fluxes of Conserved Quantities by Small-Amplitude Waves

Abstract

General kinematical arguments are used to derive certain properties of eddy fluxes of conserved quantities in a field of small-amplitude waves. The direction of the eddy flux is related in a simple way to wave transience and dissipation; in the absence of local sources and sinks the flux in a steady wave field is directed normal to the background gradient. The flux is expressed as the sum of advective and diffusive terms in addition to a nondivergent contribution.