Standing Internal Tides in the Tasman Sea Observed by Gliders

摘要

Low-mode internal tides are generated at tall submarine ridges, propagate across the open ocean with little attenuation, and reach distant continental slopes. A semidiurnal internal tide beam, identified in previous altimetric observations and modeling, emanates from the Macquarie Ridge, crosses the Tasman Sea, and impinges on the Tasmanian slope. Spatial surveys covering within 150 km of the slope by two autonomous underwater gliders with maximum profile depths of 500 and 1000 m show the steepest slope near 43 degrees S reflects almost all of the incident energy flux to form a standing wave. Starting from the slope and moving offshore by one wavelength (similar to 150 km), potential energy density displays an antinode-node-antinode-node structure, while kinetic energy density shows the opposite.