Theoretical study of the effect of topographic height and width on generation of internal tides

Abstract

Internal tides generated upon two-dimensional Gaussian topographies of different sizes and steepness are investigated theoretically in a numerical methodology. Compared with previous theoretical works, this model is not restricted by weak topography, but provides an opportunity to examine the influence of topography. Ten typical cases are studied using different values of height and/or width of topography. By analyzing the baroclinic velocity fields, as well as their first eight baroclinic modes, it is found that the magnitude of baroclinic velocity increases and the vertical structure becomes increasingly complex as height increases or width decreases. However, when both height and width vary, while parameter s (the ratio of the topographic slope to the characteristic slope of the internal wave ray) remains invariant, the final pattern is influenced primarily by width. The conversion rate is studied and the results indicate that width determines where the conversion rate reaches a peak, and where it is positive or negative, whereas height affects only the magnitude. High and narrow topography is considerably more beneficial to converting energy from barotropic to baroclinic fields than low and wide topography. Furthermore, parameter s, which is an important non-dimensional parameter for internal tide generation, is not the sole parameter by which the baroclinic velocity fields and conversion rate are determined.