Record Details

The front on the northern flank of Georges Bank in spring : 1. tidal and subtidal variability

ScholarsArchive at Oregon State University

Field Value
Title The front on the northern flank of Georges Bank in spring : 1. tidal and subtidal variability
Names Dale, Andrew C. (creator)
Ullman, David S. (creator)
Barth, John A. (creator)
Hebert, Dave (creator)
Date Issued 2003 (iso8601)
Note copyrighted by American Geophysical Union
Abstract During March–April 1999, 2 weeks of undulating CTD and shipboard acoustic
Doppler current profiler surveys revealed the variability of the intense internal tide on the
northern edge of Georges Bank. The nature of the internal tide was modulated by episodic
surface intrusions of cool, fresh Scotian Shelf Water (SSW), stratifying the otherwise
vertically well-mixed outer bank. The introduction of SSW created a system analogous to
that in summer, when the outer bank is thermally stratified and separated from well-mixed
regions by a tidal mixing front. During SSW intrusions, internal tidal behavior is
characterized by tidal advection that is significantly faster than internal wave propagation
speeds on the bank (supercritical flow) and slower than the lowest internal modes in
deeper water to the north (subcritical flow). A large-amplitude internal lee wave develops
over the slope during off-bank tidal flow. This stalled energy is released to propagate onbank
as a high-frequency internal wave when the tide reverses. It is suggested, by analogy
with the summer case, that a portion of this energy is used by mixing at the on-bank
limit of SSW. The presence of SSW thus modifies the internal tidal response, enabling a
mechanism that contributes to its assimilation with ambient bank water. The off-bankpropagating
internal tide is dominated by a mode 1 internal wave at the M2 frequency,
with cross-bank velocities comparable to the barotropic tide.
Genre Article
Identifier Dale, A. C., Ullman, D. S., Barth, J. A. and Hebert, D., 2003, The front on the Northern Flank of Georges Bank in spring: 1. Tidal and subtidal variability: J. Geophys. Res., v. 108(C11), 8009.

© Western Waters Digital Library - GWLA member projects - Designed by the J. Willard Marriott Library - Hosted by Oregon State University Libraries and Press