  In this paper we study parametric TraceFEM and parametric SurfaceFEM (SFEM)
discretizations of a surface Stokes problem. These methods are applied both to
the Stokes problem in velocity-pressure formulation and in stream function
formulation. A class of higher order methods is presented in a unified
framework. Numerical efficiency aspects of the two formulations are discussed
and a systematic comparison of TraceFEM and SFEM is given. A benchmark problem
is introduced in which a scalar reference quantity is defined and numerically
determined.
