Surface Manifestations Of Internal Waves Research Articles

Satellite Survey of Internal Waves in the Black and Caspian Seas

The paper discusses the results of a study of short-period internal waves (IWs) in the Black and Caspian Seas from their surface manifestations in satellite imagery. Since tides are negligible in these seas, they can be considered non-tidal. Consequently, the main generation mechanism of IWs in the ocean—interaction of barotropic tides with bathymetry—is irrelevant. A statistically significant survey of IW occurrences in various regions of the two seas is presented. Detailed maps of spatial distribution of surface manifestations of internal waves (SMIWs) are compiled. Factors facilitating generation of IWs are determined, and a comprehensive discussion of IW generation mechanisms is presented. In the eastern and western coastal zones of the Black Sea, where large rivers disembogue, intrusions of fresh water create hydrological fronts that are able to generate IWs. At the continental shelf edge, on the west and northwest of the Black Sea and near the Crimean Peninsula, IWs are generated primarily due to relaxation of coastal upwelling and inertial oscillations associated with hydrological fronts. In addition, IWs can be formed at sea fronts associated with the passage of cold eddies. In the Caspian Sea, seiches are the main source of the observed IWs.

Surface manifestation of internal waves emitted by submerged localized stratified turbulence

The internal waves (IWs) radiated by the turbulent wake of a sphere of diameter $D$ towed at speed $U$ are investigated using three-dimensional fully nonlinear simulations performed in a linearly stratified Boussinesq fluid with buoyancy frequency $N$. The study focuses on a broad range of wave characteristics in the far field of the turbulent wave source, specifically at the sea surface (as modelled by a free-slip rigid lid) where the IWs reflect. Six simulations are performed at Reynolds number $Re\equiv UD/{\it\nu}\in \{5\times 10^{3},10^{5}\}$ and Froude number $Fr\equiv 2U/(ND)\in \{4,16,64\}$, where ${\it\nu}$ is viscosity. The wave-emitting wake is located at a fixed distance of $9D$ below the surface. As the wake evolves for up to $O(300)$ units of buoyancy time scale $1/N$, IW characteristics, such as horizontal wavelength ${\it\lambda}_{H}$ and wave period $T$, are sampled at the sea surface via wavelet transforms of horizontal divergence signals. The statistics of amplitudes and orientations of IW-induced surface strains are also reported. The mean dimensionless observable wavelength $\overline{{\it\lambda}}_{H}/D$ at the sea surface decays in time as $(Nt)^{-1}$, which is due to the waves’ dispersion. This observation is in agreement with a linear propagation model that is independent of the wake $Re$ and $Fr$. This agreement further suggests that the most energetic waves impacting the surface originate from the early-time wake that is adjusting to buoyancy. The most energetic dimensionless wavelength $\hat{{\it\lambda}}_{H}/D$ is found to scale as $Fr^{1/3}$ and decrease with $Re$, which causes the arrival time (in $Nt$ units) of the strongest waves at the surface to scale as $Fr^{-1/3}$ and increase with $Re$. This wavelength $\hat{{\it\lambda}}_{H}$ is also found to correlate with the vertical Taylor scale of the wake turbulence. IW-driven phenomena at the surface that are of interest to an observer, such as the local enrichment of surfactant and the transport of ocean surface tracers, are also examined. The local enrichment ratio of surface scalar scales linearly with the steepness of IWs that reach the surface, and the ratio often exceeds a possible visibility threshold. The Lagrangian drifts of ocean tracers, which are linked to the nonlinear interaction between incident and reflecting IW packets, create a local divergence in lateral mass transport right above the wake centreline, an effect that intensifies strongly with increasing $Fr$. The findings of this study may serve as a platform to investigate the generation and surface manifestation of IWs radiated by other canonical submerged stratified turbulent flows.

Analysis of Internal Wave Signatures in Marine Radar Data

Satellite images have long been used to study surface manifestations of internal waves (IWs). More recently, marine X-band radar data have been employed to retrieve IW packet parameters. Marine radars have the advantage over satellite systems that their high temporal resolution enables the study of the IW evolution. Until today, no method to automatically detect IW surface signatures in marine radar data has been suggested. In this paper, we present a new fully automated tool to retrieve IW signatures from marine radar image sequences. First, after various preprocessing steps, the IW packet velocity is determined using a combination of localized Radon transform and cross-correlation techniques. Temporal averaging of the marine radar data significantly enhances the IW signatures. The knowledge of the IW packet velocity is used to correct for the IW motion, enabling us to extend the averaging period, which further enhances the IW signal. An IW-motion correction is necessary because, otherwise, the IW signal would become smeared if the averaging period were much longer than the time it takes the IW to propagate between radar resolution cells. The IW-enhanced images are then utilized for the IW signature analysis. Here, we identify local backscatter peaks and exploit the marine radar's high temporal resolution to distinguish signal from noise. The resulting series of IW soliton maps provides information on changes in soliton wavelength, velocity, and backscatter intensity. Our marine radar IW signature analysis tool therefore offers a great opportunity of studying the spatiotemporal evolution of IWs as they grow and decay.

Surface manifestations of internal waves observed using a land-based video system

This paper presents the results of processing sea-surface optical images in the coastal zone of the Sea of Japan with manifestations of internal gravity waves (IGWs) in the region of the Gamov Peninsula and the results of an analysis of IGW field observations in the same region. The following parameters of IGWs have been determined from the results of processing: their lengths and phase velocities. We calculate the IGW parameters in the region of observations using a mathematical model that takes into account the field data on the vertical stratification of coastal waters and the nonlinearity of the wave process. A comparison of the IGW parameters obtained from model calculations with the parameters obtained from the processing of optical images demonstrates a good agreement between them.

Satellite observations of surface manifestations of internal waves in the Caspian Sea

Results of satellite observations of surface manifestations of internal waves in the Caspian Sea are presented. It is proposed that the possible cause of generation of the revealed internal waves is uninodal seiches with a nodal line located in the vicinity of the Apsheron Sill. The basic parameters of internal waves in the Caspian Sea, having the form of classical soliton trains, are determined. Seasonal variability of surface manifestations of the internal waves is revealed. The horizontal current velocity of the solitons is assessed. According to the estimation, velocity is about 0.2 m/s, which is sufficient for wind ripple modulation.

Study of internal wave generation and propagation features in non-tidal seas based on satellite synthetic aperture radar data

Despite the intense attention paid to internal wave (IW) investigation, the most experimentally studied and theoretically described are internal gravitational waves in shelf zones of oceans and tidal seas appearing during the interaction of tidal currents with the margin of the shelf. Information on surface manifestations of internal waves in enclosed seas, such as the Black and Caspian seas, is almost absent. In this paper, the results of study of the peculiarities of generation and propagation of nontidal internal waves are presented; the study is carried out on the basis of combined analysis in data of marine surface radiolocation and data of optical and infrared satellite-borne sensors. The experimental basis of investigation is radar images of the marine surface derived with the help of Synthetic Aperture Radars, onboard the Envisat and ERS-2 satellites. Additionally, the data of the following sensors belonging to the optical and infrared ranges were used for the purpose of radar image interpretation: MODIS (onboard the Aqua/Terra satellite), MERIS (Envisat), and AVHRR (NOAA). Surface manifestations of IWs in the northeastern part of the Black Sea and in the Caspian Sea have been found in radar imagery for the first time, their pattern of spatial and temporal variation has been reconstructed. The possible factors leading to generation of the observed nontidal IWs are determined and suppositions about the corresponding generation mechanisms are made. In particular, the IW manifestations recorded in the northeastern part of the Black Sea are localized in the vicinity of the boundaries of eddies or hydrological fronts; this fact evidences for the frontal mechanism of generation, at which IWs are radiated by a nonstationary (moving and/or inertially oscillating) front. The most probable main sources of generation of IWs detected in the Caspian Sea are longitudinal one-knot seiches, whose knot point is located near the Apsheron sill.

Space borne SAR observations of oceanic internal waves in North Bay of Bengal

Sea surface manifestations of internal waves (IW) in the shallow continental shelf waters of North Bay of Bengal have been observed in almost all seasons imaged by Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) images of ERS1/2 and Envisat ASAR missions during the period 1993–2004. Shoreward propagating short-period IW packets are observed particularly in summer stratified coastal waters Off Chilka region. In summer waters, prominent short-period shoreward propagating internal waves of consecutive imageries of ERS-1/2 SAR (12th and 13th April 1996) are studied. On 4th October 2003, Envisat ASAR imaged strong surface manifestations of huge internal wave group wavelengths and those propagations were discussed in detail. In the research, we also made an attempt for temporal distribution of IW signatures on SAR in North Bay of Bengal.

Surface manifestations of internal waves investigated by a subsurface buoyant jet: 3. Surface manifestations of internal waves

In a large test reservoir at the Institute of Applied Physics, Russian Academy of Sciences, a series of experiments were performed to investigate the surface manifestations of internal waves radiated by a subsurface buoyant jet. The field of currents on the water surface of the reservoir was studied through the distribution of temperature with shallow thermocline. Using Particle Tracking Velocimetry (PTV), the velocity field of surface currents was measured. A theoretical model was developed to calculate the rates of disturbances on the surface. A comparison with experimental data indicated that the calculated data of the surface rate value are overestimated. This discrepancy was explained by the presence of a film of surface-active substances (SASs) with experimentally obtained parameters. Using scale modeling coefficients, we estimated the parameters of internal waves radiated by the subsurface wastewater system and the values of their surface manifestations in field conditions. We estimated the hydrodynamic contrasts in the field of surface waves, which can be caused by these inhomogeneous currents on the surface. For a wind velocity of 5 m/s, the magnitude of the contrast in the field of short waves can reach up to 10–25%, which is detected with confidence by remote-sensing methods.

Surface manifestations of internal waves investigated by a subsurface buoyant jet: Part 2. Internal wave field

In a large test reservoir with artificial temperature stratification at the Institute of Applied Physics, Russian Academy of Sciences, a major simulation of internal wave actuation by buoyant turbulent jets generated by wastewater flows from underwater collector diffusers in conditions of temperature stratification with deep and shallow thermocline has been performed. Using a modification of the particle tracing velocimetry (PTV) method in the stratification mode with shallow thermocline, the velocities of currents generated by internal waves at the surface of the water area are measured. A theoretical model is developed describing the fields of internal waves in the presence of jet stream. Dispersion relations and structures of lower (first and second) modes of internal waves in the stratified basin for different rates of liquid outflow from the collector model are obtained. The experimentally measured field of isothermal shifts with respect to the system of characteristic modes of internal waves is decomposed. A mixed regime of internal wave actuation with the simultaneous existence of the first and second modes is observed. The characteristics of perturbations in the liquid column and on its surface are compared. This analysis allows us to prove that the velocity fields on the surface are indeed surface manifestations of internal waves.

Surface manifestations of internal waves investigated by a subsurface buoyant Jet: 1. The mechanism of internal-wave generation

In a large test reservoir with artificial temperature stratification at the Institute of Applied Physics, Russian Academy of Sciences, we have performed a major laboratory simulation of the nonstationary dynamics of buoyant turbulent jets generated by wastewater flows from underwater collector diffusers. The interaction of buoyant jets with the pycnocline leads to an active generation of internal waves. An analysis of the dependence of wave amplitude on the control parameter proportional to the rate of liquid flow from the collector diffuser has indicated that this dependence is adequately described by a function that is characteristic for the presence in the Hopf bifurcation system, which occurs for a soft actuation mode of self-oscillations of the globally instable mode. To check the conditions for the actuation of the globally instable mode, we have performed an auxiliary experiment in a small reservoir with a salt stratification formulated similar to the experiment in the big reservoir. Using the particle image velocimetry (PIV) method, we have measured the velocity field in the buoyant jet and constructed the profiles of transverse velocity in several sections. When the jet approaches the pycnocline, a counterflow is generated at the edges. A stability analysis for the resulting profiles of flow velocities performed by the method of normal modes has revealed that, for the jet portions with counterflow, the condition of absolute instability by the Briggs criterion for axisymmetric jet oscillations is satisfied, which testifies to the fact that the globally instable mode is actuated. The estimates for oscillation frequencies of the globally instable mode are well consistent quantitatively with the measured spectrum of jet oscillations.

Signatures of resonant and non-resonant scattering mechanisms on radar images of internal waves

The results of two polarization airborne radar imagery tests of the ocean surface obtained during the JUSREX'92 experiment are presented. It is shown that the traditional composite surface model with small-scale 'Bragg' waves superposed over larger gravity waves can not explain either the contrasts of internal wave surface manifestations in conditions of a stable atmospheric boundary layer at low grazing angles (LGA), or the apparent difference between the images obtained at different polarizations in unstable atmospheric conditions. We attribute this discrepancy to the presence of mesoscale steep waves, which produce non-resonant scattering and make different relative contributions to the total cross sections for the two polarizations. The possibility of distinguishing between surface manifestations of atmospheric and oceanic origin is also discussed.

POLARIZATION FEATURES OF RADAR IMAGES OF INTERNAL WAVES ON THE OCEAN SURFACE

Radar images of the ocean in two polarizations are analyzed to determine whether surface manifestations of internal waves are formed predominantly by the non-resonance mechanism of interaction of radio waves. Nonresonance scattering and resonance (Bragg) scattering are compared in terms of their degree of dependence on the type of polarization of the incident wave, for the purpose of determining whether a wider selection of polarization options will afford improvements in the detection and analysis of processes occurring at the ocean-atmosphere interface.

On using ambient internal waves to monitor Brunt‐Väisälä frequency

The practicality of obtaining significant information about profiles of Brunt‐Väisälä frequency from surface observations of internal waves is investigated. The inversion method investigated uses a three‐dimensional Fourier transform (two spatial and one temporal) to détermine the dispersion relations of the internal‐wave modes and Abel transforms to estimate those aspects of the Brunt‐Väisälä frequency profile to which internal‐wave dispersion relations are sensitive. If classical Fourier transforms are used to estimate the modal dispersion relations, observations over a 200‐km square region for 17 hours would be necessary to obtain about a 15% error for one profile. However, if nonlinear methods, such as maximum entropy, could be extended to three dimensions, it might be practical to obtain significant information about profiles of Brunt‐Väisälä frequency by observing a 40‐km square region for only 3 hours. This technique cannot be used when there are no significant surface manifestations of internal waves, such as during rough seas or when a significant mixed layer is present. The ambiguity of the inversion is increased when the Brunt‐Väisälä frequency profile has multiple maxima.

The surface manifestation of internal waves: Doppler sonar observations from SWAPP

During the Surface Wave Processes Program (SWAPP, February–March 1990), a ten‐beam dual frequency Doppler sonar system was used to observe the sea surface velocity field. The sonars were mounted on the research platform FLIP and oriented at various angles in azimuth, forming a directional array. Measurements were obtained out to a range of 1100m. Here, a preliminary effort to use the array to observe that component of the sea surface velocity field associated with internal waves is presented. The internal wave signal exists beneath the far stronger signatures of the surface wave and Langmuir fields. The utility of this approach depends on the ability to isolate these competing motions from the total velocity field. The directional properties of the open ocean internal wave field remain largely unknown. The large horizontal scales of the waves, coupled with the great range of scales, render the measurement problem difficult. The desire for adequate internal wave directional measurements prompted the original development of Doppler sonar at S.I.O. in 1974. Sections of the 20‐day Patchex time series are examined, through a variety of weather and surface wave conditions. Emphasis is placed on the problem of distinguishing small‐scale waves from nonpropagating Langmuir cells. In addition, an attempt to use the full 2‐km aperture of the array to estimate the directional properties of the baroclinic tide will be discussed.