Upper Ocean Inertial Currents Forced by a Strong Storm. I: Mixed Layer. II: Propagation into the Thermocline

Abstract

A strong October storm generated 0.35-0.7 m/s inertial frequency currents in the 35 m deep mixed layer of a 300x300 km region of the northeast Pacific Ocean. The evolution of these currents were observed for a 23 day period of weak winds following the storm using a combination of 36 surface drifters drogued at 15 m and 3 moorings with acoustic Doppler velocity profilers. These observation, plus a CTD survey, were used to describe the subinertial, geostrophic flow in this same region. Then it was tested whether the linear internal wave theory combined with advection by the measured subinertial currents can explain the observed evolution of the inertial frequency currents.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Dec 20, 1993
Accession Number
ADA281650

Entities

People

  • Charles C. Eriksen
  • Eric A. D'Asaro
  • Murray D. Levi
  • P. P. Niiler
  • Pim Van Meurs
  • Russ E. Davis

Organizations

  • University of Washington

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Energy and Power Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Confidence Limits
  • Frequency
  • Internal Waves
  • Measurement
  • Monte Carlo Method
  • Oceanography
  • Oceans
  • Pacific Ocean
  • Physics Laboratories
  • Seabed
  • Stratified Fluids
  • Surveys
  • Three Dimensional
  • Two Dimensional
  • Underwater Acoustics
  • Wave Propagation
  • Waves

Fields of Study

  • Environmental science

Readers

  • Astronomy/Astrophysics
  • Control Systems Engineering.
  • Oceanography.