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Observations and models of inertial waves in the deep oceanA study of the structure of the inertial peak in deep ocean kinetic energy is presented, based on records taken from Polymode arrays deployed in the western North Atlantic Ocean. Results are interpreted in terms of both local sources and turning point effects on internal waves generated at lower latitudes, and it is found that three classes of environment and their corresponding spectra emerge from peak height variations: (1) the 1500-m level near the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, with the greatest peak height of 18 dB; (2) the upper and deep ocean over rough topography and the deep ocean underneath the Gulf Stream, with the intermediate peak height of 11.5 dB; and (3) the deep ocean over smooth topography, with the lowest peak height of 7.5 dB. Using the globally valid wave functions obtained by Munk and Phillips (1968), frequency spectra near f are calculated numerically. The model is latitudinally dependent, with the frequency shift and bandwidth of the inertial peak decreasing with latitude.
Document ID
19820032407
Acquisition Source
Legacy CDMS
Document Type
Reprint (Version printed in journal)
Authors
Fu, L.-L.
(California Institute of Technology, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA; MIT, Cambridge MA, United States)
Date Acquired
August 10, 2013
Publication Date
February 1, 1981
Publication Information
Publication: Reviews of Geophysics and Space Physics
Volume: 19
Subject Category
Oceanography
Accession Number
82A15942
Funding Number(s)
CONTRACT_GRANT: NSF OCE-76-80210
CONTRACT_GRANT: NSF OCE-78-19833
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Other

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