Abstract
We have investigated the seasonal evolution of the internal tide using a yearlong mooring record in the Browse Basin on the Australian North‐West Shelf. Using a modal harmonic‐decomposition technique, we studied the modulation of the semi‐diurnal kinetic energy, potential energy, energy flux, group velocity and sea surface height anomaly for different internal wave modes. A very coherent and energetic, locally generated internal tide dominated the mooring record during spring‐tide periods. Relationships amongst the wave variables suggest that the interaction of multiple waves formed a standing wave pattern. To assist in explaining the seasonal variability of this standing wave pattern, we used an analytical model of internal wave generation and propagation in a double‐shelf system, representative of the area, to highlight the effects of changes in the stratification and barotropic forcing. A comparison of the low‐mode wave energy indicated that the analytical solution overestimated the observed wave energy by a factor of two and failed to detect an apparent seasonal shift in the conversion rate. We discuss potential mechanisms for this discrepancy.
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