Near Inertial Flows at Steep Topography
Abstract
Near Inertial Flows at Steep TopographyWe propose to continue investigations of oceanographic flows that encounter steep topographic features such as ridges and islands. Our analysis will focus on observations collected during the Flows Encountering Abrupt Topography (FLEAT) experiment at the island of Palau. To date, we have examined how deep-ocean inertial motions are altered by the presence of Palau, leading to flow intensifications, vorticity generation, and inertial wakes. We have also considered geostrophic flow accelerations through island gaps and over ridge features, leading to form drag and eddy generation, as well as the spatial and temporal variability of tidal flows around Palau. In this three-year study, we will examine the extent to which near-inertial internal waves are generated due to surface layer inertial motions interacting with Palau using the MITgcm and moored observations. We hypothesize that the generation of downward propagating near-inertial waves may contribute to the layered flow structure frequently observed in moored and shipboard observations at Palau. We will compare and contrast the conversion of surface layer near-inertial currents to near-inertial internal waves, to the conversion of barotropic to baroclinic tidal motions. Preliminary results suggest that semidiurnal and diurnal internal tides are generated at Palau; however, additional work is needed to understand the contributions of remotely generated internal tides that impinge on Palau from sources to the west. These studies will lead to a better understanding of the predictability of these prominent sources of oceanic variability near Palau, and more generally at island and ridge topographies, which are common features in the western tropical Pacific and elsewhere.
Document Details
- Document Type
- DoD Grant Award
- Publication Date
- Jul 20, 2020
- Source ID
- N000142012629
Entities
People
- Mark Merrifield
Organizations
- Office of Naval Research
- United States Navy
- University of California, San Diego