Editorial Type:
Article
Article Type:
Research Article

An Experimental Investigation of Internal Tide Generation by Two-Dimensional Topography

Thomas Peacock Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts

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Paula Echeverri Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts

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Neil J. Balmforth University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

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Print Publication:
01 Jan 2008
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.1175/2007JPO3738.1
Page(s):
235–242
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Abstract

Experimental results of internal tide generation by two-dimensional topography are presented. The synthetic Schlieren technique is used to study the wave fields generated by a Gaussian bump and a knife edge. The data compare well to theoretical predictions, supporting the use of these models to predict tidal conversion rates. In the experiments, viscosity plays an important role in smoothing the wave fields, which heals the singularities that can appear in inviscid theory and suppresses secondary instabilities of the experimental wave field.

Corresponding author address: Thomas Peacock, 1-310D, Mechanical Engineering, MIT, Cambridge, MA 02139. Email: tomp@mit.edu

Abstract

Experimental results of internal tide generation by two-dimensional topography are presented. The synthetic Schlieren technique is used to study the wave fields generated by a Gaussian bump and a knife edge. The data compare well to theoretical predictions, supporting the use of these models to predict tidal conversion rates. In the experiments, viscosity plays an important role in smoothing the wave fields, which heals the singularities that can appear in inviscid theory and suppresses secondary instabilities of the experimental wave field.

Corresponding author address: Thomas Peacock, 1-310D, Mechanical Engineering, MIT, Cambridge, MA 02139. Email: tomp@mit.edu

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Journal of Physical Oceanography

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