Abstract
A high-frequency (1.2 MHz) four-beam Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler (ADCP) moored on the sea bottom was used for the direct measurements of the turbulence parameters in the shallow (20 m) coastal zone of the eastern English Channel. The measurements were as long as four tidal cycles during the period of the spring tide development. The measurements in the ocean and estimates showed that the Reynolds stress variability coincided with the semidiurnal tide. Their maximum values during the flood phase were approximately 1.5 Pa, while, during the ebb phase, they reached −1.2 Pa. The variations of the turbulence’s kinetic energy (TKE) and the rate of its production (P) coincided with the period of the tidal harmonic M4. Their maximum values were found during the flood phase near the bottom, and they were approximately equal to 0.03 m2/s2 and 0.8 W/m3, respectively. These values decreased rapidly with the distance from the bottom. During the periods of low stagnant water, the values of TKE and P in the water column decreased to the minimum values (2 × 10−3 m2/s2 and 3 × 10−5 W/m3, respectively), which coincided with the moment of the current’s reversal flow. The results demonstrated the dominating role of the tidal motion, which controls the structure and intensity of the turbulence in the bottom layer, and revealed the characteristic asymmetry of its distribution related to the nonlinear character of the tidal cycle.
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