Observations of Internal Tides in the Indian Ocean

Abstract

This chapter describes the measurements of internal tides in the Indian Ocean together with modeling of the generation and propagation of internal tides in some important regions of the Indian Ocean. The generation of internal tides is associated with the interaction of the currents of the barotropic tide with the slopes of the bottom topography. One of the most important ideas presented here is the strong generation of internal tides over submarine ridges. The generation and propagation of strong internal tides over the Mascarene Ridge are analyzed. The generation and propagation of internal tides in the Bab el Mandeb Strait where very strong internal tides exist are described. Strong internal tides are also found in the Madagascar Strait. Measurements of internal tides on mooring clusters confirm the well known fact that internal tides are generated over the bottom slopes.