Record Details
Mode 2 waves on the continental shelf: Ephemeral components of the nonlinear internal wavefield
ScholarsArchive at Oregon State University
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Title | Mode 2 waves on the continental shelf: Ephemeral components of the nonlinear internal wavefield |
| Names |
Shroyer, E. L.
(creator) Moum, J. N. (creator) Nash, J. D. (creator) |
| Date Issued | 2010-07-02 (iso8601) |
| Abstract | Shoreward propagating, mode 2 nonlinear waves appear sporadically in mooring records obtained off the coast of New Jersey in the summer of 2006. Individual mode 2 packets were tracked between two moorings separated by 1 km; however, packets could not be tracked between moorings separated by greater distances from one another (∼10 km). The inability to track individual packets large distances through the mooring array combined with detailed observations from a ship suggest that these waves are short lived. The evolution of the ship‐tracked wave group was recorded using acoustic backscatter, acoustic Doppler current profilers, and turbulence profiling. The leading mode 2 wave quickly changed form and developed a tail of short, small‐amplitude mode 1 waves. The wavelength of the mode 1 oscillations agreed with that expected for a copropagating tail on the basis of linear theory. Turbulent dissipation in the mixed layer and radiation of the short mode 1 waves contributed to rapid energy loss in the leading mode 2 wave, consistent with the observed decay rate and short life span of only a few hours. The energy in the leading mode 2 wave was 10–100 times smaller than the energy of mode 1 nonlinear internal waves observed during the experiment; however, the magnitudes of wave‐localized turbulent dissipation were similar. |
| Genre | Article |
| Topic | Mode 2 waves |
| Identifier | Shroyer, E. L., J. N. Moum, and J. D. Nash (2010), Mode 2 waves on the continental shelf: Ephemeral components of the nonlinear internal wavefield, J. Geophys. Res., 115, C07001, doi:10.1029/2009JC005605. |
