INTERNAL TIDES OVER THE SANTOS PLATEAU

  • E. G. Morozov Shirshov Institute of Oceanology, Russian Academy of Sciences
DOI 10.29006/1564-2291.JOR-2018.46(1).1
Keywords internal tide, buoy, Santos Plateau, Brazil Basin, numerical modeling, energy decay

Abstract

We analyze internal tides over the Santos Plateau in the South Atlantic. The study is based on the measurements of temperature and currents on the line of moorings normal to the South America coast in the latitudinal band between 28°S and 31°S. The moorings were deployed at distances between 25 and 888 km (from the 500 m isobath) southeast of the continental slope. The instruments were set at 900 m. Numerical modeling revealed the properties of internal tides (amplitudes, wavelength, and decay of amplitudes) along the line of their propagation from the continental slope. The amplitudes of internal tide decrease from the continental slope in the direction to the Vema Channel from 36 m to 15 m. The densities of the energy of tidal internal waves were calculated from the semidiurnal tidal components of current and temperature time series taking into account the vertical gradients of temperature and the Brunt-Väisälä frequency. Decay of the energy of internal tide occurs according to an inverse power law. Numerical modeling of the generation and propagation of internal tides reveals that beams of internal tides are formed near the continental slope. The energy decay based on modeling is similar to the measured data.

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Journal of Oceanological Research
Published
2018-06-04
Issue
Vol 46 No 1 (2018): Journal of Oceanological Research
Section
Ocean physics and climate

Transfer of copyrights occurs on the basis of a license agreement between the Author and Shirshov Institute of Oceanology, RAS

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