Amplification and suppression of internal waves by tides over variable bottom topography

The energy exchange between internal waves and barotropic currents over inclined bottom topography is studied theoretically and in the framework of the numerical model. The energy balance equation derived for a continuously stratified fluid predicts that energy can either be transferred toward or away from the internal wave depending on the direction of propagation of both the wave and current. Four scenarios of wave-flow interaction over the inclined bottom were identified. An internal wave extracts energy from the background tidal flow during its propagation upslope-upstream or downslope-downstream and its amplitude grows. The wave loses energy propagating downslope-upstream or upslope-downstream and reduces in amplitude. This mechanism of suppression or amplification of internal waves by a current over an inclined bottom is verified numerically. When applied to the area of the Knight Inlet sill, a high-resolution fully nonlinear, nonhydrostatic model reproduces the packets of internal waves generated by supercritical tidal flow over the sill. Careful inspection of the wave fields revealed the presence of an irregular wave structure within wave packets - namely, internal waves are not arranged by amplitude. This phenomenon, obtained numerically and observed in situ, is treated in terms of the mechanism of wave-flow interaction: the energy exchange between the tidal current and generated internal waves over the inclined bottom topography is the reason for the absence of traditional rank-ordered waves in the packet

Internal tides near the Celtic Sea shelf break: A new look at a well known problem

Internal waves generated by tides in the Celtic Sea were investigated on the basis of in situ data collected at the continental slope in July 2012, and theoretically using a weakly nonlinear theory and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology general circulation model. It was found that internal solitary waves generated over the shelf break and propagated seaward did not survive in the course of their evolution. Due to the large bottom steepness they disintegrated locally over the continental slope radiating several wave systems seaward and transforming their energy to higher baroclinic modes. In the open part of the sea, i.e. 120. km away from the shelf break, internal waves were generated by a baroclinic tidal beam which was radiated from the shelf break downward to the abyss. After reflection from the bottom it returned back to the surface where it hit the seasonal pycnocline and generated packets of high-mode internal solitary waves. Another effect that had strong implications for the wave dynamics was internal wave reflection from sharp changes of vertical fluid stratification in the main pycnocline. A large proportion of the tidal beam energy that propagated downward did not reach the bottom but reflected upward from the layered pycnocline and returned back to the surface seasonal pycnocline where it generated some extra higher mode internal wave systems, including internal wave breathers

Numerical modelling of disintegration of basin-scale internal waves in a tank filled with stratified water

We present the results of numerical experiments performed with the use of a fully non-linear non-hydrostatic numerical model to study the baroclinic response of a long narrow tank filled with stratified water to an initially tilted interface. Upon release, the system starts to oscillate with an eigen frequency corresponding to basin-scale baroclinic gravitational seiches. Field observations suggest that the disintegration of basin-scale internal waves into packets of solitary waves, shear instabilities, billows and spots of mixed water are important mechanisms for the transfer of energy within stratified lakes. Laboratory experiments performed by D. A. Horn, J. Imberger and G. N. Ivey (JFM, 2001) reproduced several regimes, which include damped linear waves and solitary waves. The generation of billows and shear instabilities induced by the basin-scale wave was, however, not sufficiently studied. The developed numerical model computes a variety of flows, which were not observed with the experimental set-up. In particular, the model results showed that under conditions of low dissipation, the regimes of billows and supercritical flows may transform into a solitary wave regime. The obtained results can help in the interpretation of numerous observations of mixing processes in real lakes

Analysis of supercritical stratified tidal flow in a Scottish Fjord

The baroclinic tidal regime of the fjord Loch Etive (Scotland) is studied. Analysis is performed on the basis of both in situ data and numerical simulations, with the use of a fully nonlinear nonhydrostatic fine-resolution model. It was found that the crest of the sill that separates Loch Etive into inner and outer parts is subjected to a supercritical flow regime with maximum Froude numbers in excess of 5. Strong supercritical conditions lead to the formation of flow separation just above the sill\u27s crest. As is inherent to jet-type fjordic systems, this, in turn, leads to a weak nonlinear baroclinic wave response. On the other hand, observations and numerical results also revealed the presence of propagating internal tidal waves with amplitudes up to 10 m, several kilometers from the constriction. It is shown that these baroclinic tidal waves are excited during the ebb phase over a section of the inner flank of the sill, at a depth below 30 m, where the local Froude number is substantially less than unity. Thus Loch Etive simultaneously exhibits both weak nonlinear response due to strong supercritical conditions with flow separation over the sill and a significant linear baroclinic tidal response due to the deeper flank of the sill. In this respect, exhibiting both jet- and wave-type behavior, Loch Etive can be referred to as a hybrid type fjord: the authors suggest that many jet-type fjords will also generate a significant baroclinic response and should correctly fit into this new category

Multimodal structure of baroclinic tides in the South China Sea

The modelling of baroclinic tides generated in the northern South China Sea is studied using a fully-nonlinear non-hydrostatic numerical model. The focus of the modelling efforts was on the vertical structure of internal waves in the vicinity of the Luzon Strait. The barotropic tidal flow interacting with a two-ridge bottom topography in the area of the Luzon Strait produces a complex baroclinic tidal signal. A multimodal baroclinic bore with counter-phase displacement of isopycnals generated over the ridges and propagating westward disintegrates into a series of large-amplitude solitary internal waves. The leading first-mode solitary wave of depression is followed by a second mode solitary wave coupled with a packet of short-scale internal waves riding it. Scrutiny of the characteristics of the both wave forms, i.e. the carrier second-mode solitary wave and the packet of short waves, revealed that the short-scale waves are basically concentrated in the upper 500 m layer and attenuate exponentially below it. The short waves exist only thanks to a specific structure of horizontal velocity produced by the second-mode solitary wave. Having equal phase speeds and propagating together for a long distance, this coupled system produces quite a remarkable signal at the free surface, which can be detected by means of remote sensing technique. It was found in a series of sensitivity experiments that the eastern ridge is responsible for the generation of progressive first-mode tidal waves disintegrated into packets of first-mode ISWs. The western ridge produces quite a strong higher-mode signal. The waves generated over the eastern and western ridges interfere in the near-field, and their nonlinear superposition enhances the multimodal signal in the whole domain. © 2010 Author(s)

Evidence of multimodal structure of the baroclinic tide in the Strait of Gibraltar

The multimodal structure of the baroclinic tides in the Strait of Gibraltar is studied using observations and numerical simulations. Observational data and model results revealed the presence of two types of tidal internal waves generated over Camarinal Sill (CS). One propagates toward the Mediterranean and disintegrates into series of nonlinear short internal waves with amplitudes of 50 m and more. The second type, behind the first, propagates slower and has a longer wavelength. The vertical structure with both upward and downward displacements of isopycnals can be identified as a manifestation of higher baroclinic modes. Analysis of the empirical orthogonal functions of the ADCP measurements performed over CS and model time series has shown that the second baroclinic mode predominates in the second type of internal waves. Its amplitude can reach one third that of the first baroclinic mode of the leading waves of depression

Focusing of baroclinic tidal energy in a canyon

Strong three-dimensional focusing of internal tidal energy in the Petite Sole Canyon in the Celtic Sea is analyzed using observational data and numerical modeling. In a deep layer (500-800 m) in the center of the canyon, shear variance was elevated by an order of magnitude. Corresponding large vertical oscillations of deep isotherms and a local maximum of horizontal velocity were replicated numerically using the MITgcm. The elevated internal tidal activity in the deep part of the canyon is explained in terms of the downward propagation and focusing of multiple internal tidal beams generated at the shelf break. The near-circular shape of the canyon head and steep bottom topography throughout the canyon (steeper than the tidal beam) create favorable conditions for the lens-like focusing of tidal energy in the canyon\u27s center. Observations and modeling show that the energy focusing greatly intensifies local diapycnal mixing that leads to local formation of a baroclinic eddy

Model studies of dense water overflows in the Faroese Channels Topical Collection on the 5th International Workshop on Modelling the Ocean (IWMO) in Bergen, Norway 17-20 June 2013

The overflow of dense water from the Nordic Seas through the Faroese Channel system was investigated through combined laboratory experiments and numerical simulations using the Massachusetts Institute of Technology General Circulation Model. In the experimental study, a scaled, topographic representation of the Faroe-Shetland Channel, Wyville-Thomson Basin and Ridge and Faroe Bank Channel seabed bathymetry was constructed and mounted in a rotating tank. A series of parametric experiments was conducted using dye-tracing and drogue-tracking techniques to investigate deep-water overflow pathways and circulation patterns within the modelled region. In addition, the structure of the outflowing dense bottom water was investigated through density profiling along three cross-channel transects located in the Wyville-Thomson Basin and the converging, up-sloping approach to the Faroe Bank Channel. Results from the dye-tracing studies demonstrate a range of parametric conditions under which dense water overflow across the Wyville-Thomson Ridge is shown to occur, as defined by the Burger number, a non-dimensional length ratio and a dimensionless dense water volume flux parameter specified at the Faroe-Shetland Channel inlet boundary. Drogue-tracking measurements reveal the complex nature of flow paths and circulations generated in the modelled topography, particularly the development of a large anti-cyclonic gyre in the Wyville-Thompson Basin and up-sloping approach to the Faroe Bank Channel, which diverts the dense water outflow from the Faroese shelf towards the Wyville-Thomson Ridge, potentially promoting dense water spillage across the ridge itself. The presence of this circulation is also indicated by associated undulations in density isopycnals across the Wyville-Thomson Basin. Numerical simulations of parametric test cases for the main outflow pathways and density structure in a similarly-scaled Faroese Channels model domain indicate excellent qualitative agreement with the experimental observations and measurements. In addition, the comparisons show that strong temporal variability in the predicted outflow pathways and circulations have a strong influence in regulating the Faroe Bank Channel and Wyville-Thomson Ridge overflows, as well as in determining the overall response in the Faroese Channels to changes in the Faroe-Shetland Channel inlet boundary conditions. © 2014 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg

Internal Wave Dynamics Over Isolated Seamount and Its Influence on Coral Larvae Dispersion

The internal wave dynamics over Rosemary Bank Seamount (RBS), North Atlantic, were investigated using the Massachusetts Institute of Technology general circulation model. The model was forced by M2-tidal body force. The model results are validated against the in-situ data collected during the 136th cruise of the RRS “James Cook” in June 2016. The observations and the modeling experiments have shown two-wave processes developed independently in the subsurface and bottom layers. Being super-critical topography for the semi-diurnal internal tides, RBS does not reveal any evidence of tidal beams. It was found that below 800-m depth, the tidal flow generates bottom trapped sub-inertial internal waves propagated around RBS. The tidal flow interacting with a cluster of volcanic origin tall bottom cones generates short-scale internal waves located in 100 m thick seasonal pycnocline. A weakly stratified layer separates the internal waves generated in two waveguides. Parameters of short-scale sub-surface internal waves are sensitive to the season stratification. It is unlikely they can be observed in the winter season from November to March when seasonal pycnocline is not formed. The deep-water coral larvae dispersion is mainly controlled by bottom trapped tidally generated internal waves in the winter season. A Lagrangian-type passive particle tracking model is used to reproduce the transport of generic deep-sea water invertebrate species.</jats:p

Bottom trapped internal waves over the Malin Sea continental slope

publisher: Elsevier articletitle: Bottom trapped internal waves over the Malin Sea continental slope journaltitle: Deep Sea Research Part I: Oceanographic Research Papers articlelink: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.dsr.2016.11.007 content_type: article copyright: © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved