Sea Level Fluctuations off the Carolina Coasts and Their Relation to Atmospheric Forcing.

Abstract

Atmospheric pressure and wind stress fluctuations are strongly coupled to sea level fluctuations along the Carolina coasts at periods of 2.5 to 3.5 days. Sea level fluctuations in this band exhibit high coherence over a horizontal separation exceeding 500 km. Phase difference calculations indicate southward propagation of the sea level fluctuations from Beaufort to Wilmington, North Carolina; the data considered are insufficient to conclusively determine propagation direction south of Wilmington. The 2.5-3.5 day period sea level fluctuations are consistent with a theoretically expected first mode, barotropic continental shelf wave. It is concluded that continental shelf waves forced by the atmosphere contribute to the shelf and slope water circulation off North Carolina.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
May 01, 1976
Accession Number
ADA042752

Entities

People

  • David A. Brooks

Organizations

  • North Carolina State University

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Air Platforms
  • Energy and Power Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Atmospheres
  • Barometric Pressure
  • Cold Fronts
  • Continental Shelves
  • Coordinate Systems
  • Frequency
  • Frequency Bands
  • Frequency Domain
  • Measurement
  • North Carolina
  • Sea Level
  • Stresses
  • Time Domain
  • Topography
  • Transfer Functions
  • Two Dimensional
  • Wind Stress

Readers

  • Oceanography.
  • Regression Analysis.
  • Wave Propagation and Nonlinear Chaotic Dynamics.