Observation of internal tidal currents in the Kaoping Canyon off southwestern Taiwan

Abstract

Internal tidal currents and associated water-mass displacements were investigated during multiple cruises in the Kaoping Submarine Canyon off southwestern Taiwan. Observations from both moored and shipboard Acoustic Doppler Current Profilers and hydrographic casts were conducted along the canyon. The velocity data showed that in the lower layer the major axis of the tidal currents aligned with the orientation of the canyon, and currents moved up-canyon during flood and down-canyon during ebb. The vertical-phase shift and amplitude of the currents indicated that the semidiurnal internal tide dominated with intensity increasing with depth toward the canyon head. Tidal energy was channeled from the shelf landward with a beamlike internal wave, guided by bottom topography. The estimated phase velocity was 1.4–1.7 m s −1, based on normal mode analysis and the phase lag between sampling stations. Empirical orthogonal function analysis of hydrographic profiles confirmed that the first mode (M 2 internal tide) explained 70% of the total variance. The strong convergence of internal tidal currents near the canyon head during flood may play an important role in the daily migration of cherry shrimps, which burrow along the canyon wall.