TY - JOUR
T1 - Internal-tide generation and destruction by shoaling internal tides
AU - Kelly, S. M.
AU - Nash, J. D.
PY - 2010/12/1
Y1 - 2010/12/1
N2 - Internal-tide generation is usually predicted from local topography, surface tides, and stratification. However, internal tides are often observed to be unrelated to local spring-neap forcing, appearing intermittently in 3-5 day bursts. Here we suggest a source of this intermittency by illustrating how remotely-generated shoaling internal tides induce first-order changes in local internal-tide generation. Theory, numerical simulations, and observations show that pressure perturbations associated with shoaling internal tides can correlate with surface-tide velocities to generate or destroy internal tides. Where shoaling internal tides have random phase, such as on the New Jersey slope, time-averaged internal-tide generation is unaffected, but instantaneous internal-tide generation varies rapidly, altering internal-tide energy and possibly affecting nonlinear internal waves, across-shelf transport, and mixing. Where shoaling internal tides are phase-locked to the local surface tide, such as in double-ridge systems, time-averaged internal-tide generation is affected and may result in resonance.
AB - Internal-tide generation is usually predicted from local topography, surface tides, and stratification. However, internal tides are often observed to be unrelated to local spring-neap forcing, appearing intermittently in 3-5 day bursts. Here we suggest a source of this intermittency by illustrating how remotely-generated shoaling internal tides induce first-order changes in local internal-tide generation. Theory, numerical simulations, and observations show that pressure perturbations associated with shoaling internal tides can correlate with surface-tide velocities to generate or destroy internal tides. Where shoaling internal tides have random phase, such as on the New Jersey slope, time-averaged internal-tide generation is unaffected, but instantaneous internal-tide generation varies rapidly, altering internal-tide energy and possibly affecting nonlinear internal waves, across-shelf transport, and mixing. Where shoaling internal tides are phase-locked to the local surface tide, such as in double-ridge systems, time-averaged internal-tide generation is affected and may result in resonance.
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U2 - 10.1029/2010GL045598
DO - 10.1029/2010GL045598
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:78650123405
SN - 0094-8276
VL - 37
JO - Geophysical Research Letters
JF - Geophysical Research Letters
IS - 23
M1 - L23611
ER -