Ray Tracing on Topographic Rossby Waves

Abstract

Topographic Rossby Waves (TRWs) have been identified with the largest variability in deep current meter records along the continental slope in the Mid-Atlantic Bight (MAB). Ray tracing theory is applied to TRWs using the real bottom topography of the MAB and the observed stratification. The depression relation for TRWs is derived and various wavenumber limits are discussed. A computational method for tracing the waves is presented including the necessity of smoothing the bathymetry. In the examples shown, TRWs with periods of 24-48 days generally propagate southwestward, changing their wavelengths from 400 to 100 kilometers in response to the change in bottom slope. TRW paths are shown that connect from the SYNOP Central Array near 68 deg W to the SYNOP Inlet Array near Cape Hatteras.... Topographic rossby waves, SYNOP, Mid Atlantic bight

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
May 01, 1993
Accession Number
ADA267014

Entities

People

  • Christopher Meinen
  • Dennis Randolph Watts
  • Erik Fields
  • Robert Pickart

Organizations

  • University of Rhode Island

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Air Platforms
  • Energy and Power Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Bathymetry
  • Cape Hatteras
  • Computational Science
  • Continental Slopes
  • Data Sets
  • Dispersion Relations
  • Equations Of Motion
  • Frequency
  • Grids
  • Gulf Stream
  • North Carolina
  • Oceanography
  • Ray Tracing
  • Rossby Waves
  • Seabed
  • Topography
  • Waves

Fields of Study

  • Environmental science

Readers

  • Atmospheric Science / Meteorology, specifically Wind Wave Turbulence.
  • Nuclear Civil Defense.
  • Oceanography.