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The objective of this paper is to study the dynamics of small-scale turbulence near a pycnocline, both in the free regime and under the action of an internal gravity wave (IW) propagating along a pycnocline, using direct numerical simulation (DNS). Turbulence is initially induced in a horizontal layer at some distance above the pycnocline. The velocity and density fields of IW propagating in the pycnocline are also prescribed as initial condition. The IW wavelength is considered to be by the order of magnitude larger as compared to the initial turbulence integral length scale. Stratification in the pycnocline is considered to be sufficiently strong so that the effects of turbulent mixing remain negligible. The dynamics of turbulence is studied both with and without initially induced internal wave. The DNS results show that in the absence of IW turbulence decays, but its decay rate is reduced in the vicinity of the pycnocline where stratification effects are significant. In this case, at sufficiently late times most of turbulent energy is located in a layer close to the pycnocline center. Here turbulent eddies are collapsed in the vertical direction and acquire the "pancake" shape. IW modifies turbulence dynamics, in that the turbulence kinetic energy (TKE) is significantly enhanced as compared to the TKE in the absence of IW. As in the case without IW, most of turbulent energy is localized in the vicinity of the pycnocline center. Here the TKE spectrum is considerably enhanced in the entire wavenumber range as compared to the TKE spectrum in the absence of IW. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We model the effects of an internal wave on the structure of the oceanic subsurface bubble layer, generated by breaking surface waves. We consider two situations: when breaking is caused either by a strong sustained wind or by the direct interaction of surface waves with an internal wave. We find that the effects are twofold; bubbles are driven by the internal wave field and the injection of bubbles into the water is enhanced in downwelling areas behind the crests of the internal wave. We use an uncoupled problem formulation, substituting the solution for an internal wave in a two-layer fluid model into the equations describing the bubble dynamics. The latter equations are solved numerically, showing structure formation in the bubble layer for each of the two cases, when one of the aforementioned mechanisms dominates the other. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]