Mode 2 Internal Wave Generation and Propagation Near the New Jersey (USA) Shelf Break -Early Fall Season

Abstract

Mode 2 internal waves have been repeatedly observed in two separate bathymetry zones on the New Jersey (USA) continental shelf. In the first zone, the upslope propagating mode 2 internal waves were detected in a ~15 km range interval shoreward of the shelf break in water depths ranging between ~90 and 150 m. They were formed in conjunction with shoreward propagating internal tides and exhibited both nonlinear and linear characteristics. In the second zone, they were detected in 60 to 80 m water depths and appeared to be formed by flow over the local bathymetry. Simulations using the Shen Non-hydrostatic Model for Coastal Oceans (SNMCO) replicated the observed coupled internal tide and mode 2 internal wave generation process and separately the formation of mode 2 internal waves by flow over local bathymetry variability. The observations expand the knowledge base regarding the time window (fall, 7 days before and including neap tidal conditions), spatial distributions, packet evolution and conditions under which mode 2 internal waves are generated on the continental shelf.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Mar 13, 2015
Accession Number
ADA614554

Entities

People

  • Marshall H. Orr
  • Thomas E. Evans

Organizations

  • United States Naval Research Laboratory

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Energy and Power Technologies
  • Ground and Sea Platforms
  • Sensors

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Buoyancy
  • Coordinate Systems
  • Fluid Dynamics
  • Fluid Flow
  • Internal Waves
  • Measurement
  • New Jersey
  • Pressure Gages
  • Radar
  • Scattering
  • Short Wavelengths
  • Solitons
  • Transducers
  • Turbulent Mixing
  • Underwater Acoustics
  • Wave Propagation
  • Waveforms

Readers

  • Acoustical Oceanography.
  • Coastal and Marine Engineering/Sediment Transport/Hydraulic Engineering
  • Mathematics or Statistics