• Login
    About WHOAS
    View Item 
    •   WHOAS Home
    • Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
    • Physical Oceanography (PO)
    • View Item
    •   WHOAS Home
    • Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
    • Physical Oceanography (PO)
    • View Item
    JavaScript is disabled for your browser. Some features of this site may not work without it.

    Browse

    All of WHOASCommunities & CollectionsBy Issue DateAuthorsTitlesKeywordsThis CollectionBy Issue DateAuthorsTitlesKeywords

    My Account

    LoginRegister

    Statistics

    View Usage Statistics

    Seismic estimates of turbulent diffusivity and evidence of nonlinear internal wave forcing by geometric resonance in the South China Sea

    Thumbnail
    View/Open
    Fortin_et_al-2017-Journal_of_Geophysical_Research__Oceans.pdf (9.510Mb)
    Date
    2017-10-25
    Author
    Fortin, Will F. J.  Concept link
    Holbrook, W. Steven  Concept link
    Schmitt, Raymond W.  Concept link
    Metadata
    Show full item record
    Citable URI
    https://hdl.handle.net/1912/9413
    As published
    https://doi.org/10.1002/2017JC012690
    DOI
    10.1002/2017JC012690
    Keyword
     Seismic oceanography; Diapycnal mixing; Turbulent diffusivity; Internal tides 
    Abstract
    The Luzon Passage generates some of the largest amplitude internal waves in the global ocean as the result of coupling between strong tides, strong stratification, and topography. These internal waves propagate into the South China Sea (SCS) and develop into soliton-like internal wave pulses that are observed by moored instruments and satellite backscatter data. Despite the observation of these waves, little is known of the mechanisms related to their evolution into nonlinear wave pulses. Using seismic data, we find evidence that the geometry of bathymetric conditions between the Heng-Chun and Lan-Yu ridges drive nonlinear internal wave pulse generation. We produce three seismic images and associated maps of turbulent diffusivity to investigate structure around the two ridges and into the SCS. We do not observe large amplitude soliton-like internal waves between the ridges, but do observe one outside the ridges, a finding in accord with the interpretation that wave pulses form due to geometrical resonance. Additionally, we find no evidence for lee wave activity above the ridges in either the seismic images or associated turbulence maps, suggesting an unlikelihood of hydraulic jump driven generation around the ridges. Our results show increased levels of turbulent diffusivity (1) in deep water below 1000 m, (2) associated with internal tide pulses, and (3) near the steep slopes of the Heng-Chun and Lan-Yu ridges as explored in this paper.
    Description
    Author Posting. © American Geophysical Union, 2017. This article is posted here by permission of American Geophysical Union for personal use, not for redistribution. The definitive version was published in Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans 122 (2017): 8063–8078, doi:10.1002/2017JC012690.
    Collections
    • Physical Oceanography (PO)
    Suggested Citation
    Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans 122 (2017): 8063–8078
     

    Related items

    Showing items related by title, author, creator and subject.

    • Thumbnail

      Horizontal advection, diffusion, and plankton spectra at the sea surface 

      Bracco, Annalisa; Clayton, Sophie A.; Pasquero, Claudia (American Geophysical Union, 2009-02-04)
      Plankton patchiness is ubiquitous in the oceans, and various physical and biological processes have been proposed as its generating mechanisms. However, a coherent statement on the problem is missing, because of both a ...
    • Thumbnail

      Enhanced diapycnal diffusivity in intrusive regions of the Drake Passage 

      Merrifield, Sophia T.; St. Laurent, Louis C.; Owens, W. Brechner; Thurnherr, Andreas M.; Toole, John M. (American Meteorological Society, 2016-04-05)
      Direct measurements of oceanic turbulent parameters were taken upstream of and across Drake Passage, in the region of the Subantarctic and Polar Fronts. Values of turbulent kinetic energy dissipation rate ε estimated by ...
    • Thumbnail

      Diapycnal advection by double diffusion and turbulence in the ocean 

      St. Laurent, Louis C. (Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, 1999-09)
      Observations of diapycnal mixing rates are examined and related to diapycnal advection for both double-diffusive and turbulent regimes. The role of double-diffusive mixing at the site of the North Atlantic Tracer ...
    All Items in WHOAS are protected by original copyright, with all rights reserved, unless otherwise indicated. WHOAS also supports the use of the Creative Commons licenses for original content.
    A service of the MBLWHOI Library | About WHOAS
    Contact Us | Send Feedback | Privacy Policy
    Core Trust Logo