Statistics of velocity gradients in two-dimensional Navier-Stokes and ocean turbulence

Probability density functions and conditional averages of velocity gradients derived from upper ocean observations are compared with results from forced simulations of the two-dimensional Navier-Stokes equations. Ocean data are derived from TOPEX satellite altimeter measurements. The simulations use rapid forcing on large scales, characteristic of surface winds. The probability distributions of transverse velocity derivatives from the ocean observations agree with the forced simulations, though they differ from unforced simulations reported elsewhere. The distribution and cross-correlation of velocity derivatives provide clear evidence that large coherent eddies play only a minor role in generating the observed statistics.