Spatial structure of internal tidal waves generated on weak topographies

Abstract

The generation of internal gravity waves by barotropic tidal flow passing over a two-dimensional topography is investigated. Rather than calculating the conversion of tidal energy, this study focuses on delineating the geometric characteristics of the spatial structure of the resulting internal wave fields (i.e., the configurations of the internal beams and their horizontal projections) which have usually been ignored. It is found that the various possible wave types can be demarcated by three characteristic frequencies: the tidal frequency, ω 0; the buoyancy frequency, N; and the vertical component of the Coriolis vector or earth's rotation, f. When different possibilities arising from the sequence of these frequencies are considered, there occur 12 kinds of wave structures in the full 3D space in contrast to the 5 kinds identified by the 2D theory. The constant wave phase lines may form as ellipses or hyperbolic lines on the horizontal plane, provided the buoyancy frequency is greater or less than the tidal frequency. The effect that stems from the consideration of the basic flow is also found, which not only serves as the reason for the occurrence of higher harmonics but also increases the wave strength in the direction of basic flow.