Observations of ocean fluctuations between 15 and 23 hour periods in the Pacific
Citable URI
https://hdl.handle.net/1912/5422Location
Pacific OceanDOI
10.1575/1912/5422Keyword
Wave mechanics; Underwater acousticsAbstract
Pulse-like acoustic signals are transmitted from an acoustic source near Oahu to seven
receivers off the west coast of the United States for a 124-day period in 1988. Acoustic
travel-time oscillations are observed in the received signal at periods between 15 and 23
hours, which are caused by barotropic (or first or second mode baroclinic) flu ctuations
in the ocean. It is shown that these fluctuations cannot be local processes isolated to
either the source or to the receivers. It is further shown that resonant barotropic gravity
wave modes (Platzman et al., 1981) are not consistent with the data. The cause of these
flu ctuations remains unresolved, but the data and other oceanographic measurements put
many constraints on the process causing these fluctuations.
Description
Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Ocean Engineer at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution September 1990
Suggested Citation
Thesis: Blanding, Wayne R., "Observations of ocean fluctuations between 15 and 23 hour periods in the Pacific", 1990-09, DOI:10.1575/1912/5422, https://hdl.handle.net/1912/5422Related items
Showing items related by title, author, creator and subject.
-
Seismic constraints on shallow crustal processes at the East Pacific Rise
Christeson, Gail L. (Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, 1994-02)This thesis is concerned with understanding how oceanic crust is emplaced at mid-ocean ridges. The emphasis is upon fast-spreading ridges, and the use of seismic techniques to image the uppermost several hundred meters ... -
When an eddy encounters shelf-slope topography
Cherian, Deepak A. (Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, 2016-09)Eddies in the ocean move westwards. Those shed by western boundary currents must then interact with continental shelf-slope topography at the western boundary. The presence of other eddies and mean lows complicates this ... -
Biological-physical interactions on Georges Bank : plankton transport and population dynamics of the ocean quahog, Arctica islandica
Lewis, Craig V. (Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, 1997-06)Advective losses of bank water during winter because of strong wind forcing were hypothesized to be a significant factor limiting recruitment of Georges Bank cormnunities. This hypothesis was examined using biological-physical ...