Tidal energy redistribution among vertical modes in a fluid with a mid-depth pycnocline

Abstract

We modeled internal tide generation above a high sinusoidal ridge in a fluid with a mid-depth pycnocline and developed an original method to quantify internal tide vertical mode amplitude in two-dimensional-vertical simulations. Since lowest modes can propagate over considerable distances, while high modes are more likely to dissipate locally, estimating the tidal energy distribution among vertical modes is necessary to investigate the spatial redistribution of the tidal energy. Our numerical approach allows expansion and verification of previous analytical studies over a larger range of configurations. The tidal energy distribution among vertical modes is shown here to be dependent on the topographic resonance criterion and the topographic blocking parameter.