Record Details

The upper ocean internal wave field: Influence of the surface and mixed layer

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Field Value
Title The upper ocean internal wave field: Influence of the surface and mixed layer
Names Levine, Murray D. (creator)
Date Issued 1987-05-15 (iso8601)
Note Copyrighted by American Geophysical Union.
Abstract A model is developed to calculate the upper ocean internal wave spectrum as modified by the surface
boundary and mixed layer. The Garrett-Munk spectrum is assumed to describe the deep ocean wave
field. The main effect of the surface and mixed layer is to align the vertical structure of the waves forming
vertically standing waves locally; this contrasts with the assumption of random alignment in the Garrett-Munk
model. Model spectra and coherences are calculated for idealized buoyancy frequency profiles and
compared with the Garrett-Munk model. Measurements in the upper 200 m from the Mixed Layer
Dynamics Experiment in the northeast Pacific in 1983 are also compared with the model results. The
most striking success of the model is predicting the observed high coherence and 180° phase difference
across the mixed layer of horizontal velocity.
Genre Article
Identifier Levine, M. (1987), The upper ocean internal wave field: Influence of the surface and mixed layer, J. Geophys. Res., 92(C5), 5035-5044. doi:10.1029/JC092iC05p05035

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