Analysis of Shear from Ocean Current Meters.
Abstract
Current meter records obtained over 48 days from a triangular array of three moorings located near 39 deg N, 70 deg W in 1970 are used to investigate the time-variability of vertical shear. Vertical resolution is limited to 20 meters, the separation of the current meters, within the depth interval between 12m and 72m from the surface. Vertical, horizontal and slant coherences were calculated, as well as frequency spectra. The shear is dominated by the near-inertial frequencies, and the corresponding amplitudes decay rapidly with depth. Evidence for downward (upward phase) propagation of the inertial shear is presented, and in addition, some evidence for nonlinear interactions between inertial and tidal motions were observed. Significant shear at semidiurnal frequencies was observed at this location due to interaction of the semidiurnal tide with the nearby continental slope. (Author)
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- May 01, 1982
- Accession Number
- ADA121037
Entities
People
- David M. Rubenstein
- Fred C. Newman