Role of Tidal Forcing in Determining the Internal Wave Spectrum in the Littoral Ocean.

摘要

The long-range goals of this project are to understand the environmental factors that define the level of internal wave activity in the littoral oceans and to develop re-locatable models capable of predicting these levels. The hypothesis is that energy due to internal tides generated through interactions with complex coastal topography is both predictable, using high-resolution primitive equation numerical models, and responsible for setting energy levels of the broader-frequency internal wave spectrum. This project seeks to document the nature of internal wave spectra in the littoral ocean environment around Monterey Bay using existing moored velocity time series and simulated coastal time series produced by a three-dimensional, primitive equation numerical model with realistic bathymetry forced by tidal-period sea level oscillations. Project goals include the desire to establish a practical and relocatable modeling framework that can be used to predict littoral internal wave statistics for any other coastal region similarly dominated by baroclinic processes.