Structure, Energetics and Variability of the Non-Linear Internal Wave Climate over the New Jersey Shelf

Abstract

Non-Linear Internal Wave (NLIW) packets are ubiquitous features of the coastal ocean, producing significant changes to its acoustics, optics and biogeochemistry, and influencing its dynamics. While they arrive like clockwork in some regions like the South China Sea, they occur with a high degree of variability on most continental shelves. And even in regions where they form at regular intervals, their amplitudes can vary dramatically from packet to packet, and there are strong seasonal changes. Through this grant, we have described the 3D structure, energy and timing of the ~100 NLIW packets that propagated through the SW06 mooring array; and quantified the external factors (seasonal/mesoscale/tidal) that control NLIW energetics and variability in the coastal environment; and Together, these will improve our ability to detect, predict and quantify the effects of NLIWs in an arbitrary coastal environment.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Jan 01, 2010
Accession Number
ADA542491

Entities

People

  • Jonathan D. Nash

Organizations

  • Oregon State University

Tags

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Abstracts
  • Acoustic Properties
  • Acoustics
  • Amplitude
  • Continental Shelves
  • Continental Slopes
  • Demographic Cohorts
  • Intensity
  • Internal Waves
  • New Jersey
  • Oceans
  • Pressure Measurement
  • Shallow Water
  • South China Sea
  • Topography
  • Water
  • Waves

Fields of Study

  • Environmental science

Readers

  • Coastal Oceanography