Processes responsible for the generation of internal solitons on a shelf: experimental evidences

Abstract

<p>Unlike surface waves, whose generation is mainly associated with wind action, internal waves, which are widespread in the oceans and seas, have many sources of generation. The knowledge about the parameters of internal waves in the ocean and their structure is quite complete by now, however, the area concerning the causes of the appearance of internal waves is still poorly understood. Only one mechanism is well known that leads to the formation of intense internal waves. It is associated with the collision of tidal currents with a continental slope or underwater ridges. The talk will present the processes responsible for the generation of intense soliton-like internal waves on the shelf. This information has been collected over 40 years of experimental research by the author. Eleven main processes were identified that are responsible for the generation of intense short-period internal waves on the shelf. Most of them were observed in the non-tidal Black Sea. These processes are as follows: 1. Generation by a local hydrological front moving towards the coast in the post-storm period; 2. Ggeneration by subsurface intrusion of waters returning to the coastal zone in the post-storm period; 3. Generation of a submesoscale eddy during the passage of a submesoscale eddy on the shelf; 4. Generation by internal inertial waves approaching the coastal zone; 5. Generation by a cold atmospheric front passing over the sea; 6. Generation by river runoff at the places where large rivers flow into the sea; 7. Generation associated with the upwelling process in the coastal zone; 8. Generation of internal soliton-like waves by moving intrusion of surface freshened waters; 9. Generation of internal soliton-like waves in the collision of currents; 10. Generation of packets of internal waves when tidal internal waves enter the shelf; 11. Generation of packets of internal waves when internal seiches enter the shelf. This work was supported by RFBR grant No. 19-05-00715.</p>