Research Summaries

Back Analysis of propagation and dissipation of nonlinear internal tides and internal solitary waves for the 2017 inner shelf DRI main experiment

Fiscal Year 2019
Division Graduate School of Engineering & Applied Science
Department Oceanography
Investigator(s) Colosi, John A.
Sponsor Office of Naval Research (Navy)
Summary A study of inner shelf ocean dynamics is proposed utilizing in-situ observations, and data driven models. A key focus of this study will be to understand critical inner shelf processes that have the potential to drive acoustic variability in this complex and strongly forced environment. Processes of interest include shelf eddies and associated filaments, fronts, up/down welling, density compensated microstructure (spice), surface gravity waves, rip currents, edge waves, stochastic internal waves, and strongly nonlinear internal waves and tides. It is expected that many of these processes cannot be studied in isolation. For the study’s field year in 2017, an array of 11 moorings are proposed each equipped with an Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler (ADCP), and 9 Seabird Electronics SBE37/SBE39 instruments measuring temperature, and pressure. These moorings would primarily cover the region between the 17 and 50-m isobaths, and that they will complement other observational programs in both the deep and shallow ends of the inner shelf. Analysis of these data will focus on processes known on the mid-shelf to cause significant acoustic variability, namely nonlinear internal-wave packets, and diffuse stochastic internal waves akin to those described by the Garrett-Munk spectrum. Analysis will also focus on new areas of acoustical importance such as surface gravity waves, up/down welling, shelf eddies and fronts, and rip currents.
Keywords Internal Waves Mixing Nearshore
Publications Publications, theses (not shown) and data repositories will be added to the portal record when information is available in FAIRS and brought back to the portal
Data Publications, theses (not shown) and data repositories will be added to the portal record when information is available in FAIRS and brought back to the portal