A possible generation mechanism for internal waves near the edge of a submesoscale eddy

I.P. Chunchuzov; O.M. Johannessen; G.O. Marmorino

doi:10.1080/16000870.2021.1947610

A possible generation mechanism for internal waves near the edge of a submesoscale eddy

Tellus

Volume 73 (2021): Issue 1

By: I.P. Chunchuzov, O.M. Johannessen and G.O. Marmorino

Open Access

|Jan 2021

Abstract

Recently, it has been shown for the first time by observations that an anticyclonic mesoscale eddy can generate internal waves (wavelengths of 0.4 to 1 km) that carry energy away from the eddy. In the present study, we investigate a possible mechanism for generating internal waves near the edge of a submesoscale eddy. The study was motivated by airborne infrared imagery that shows curved thermal bands (wavelengths ∼70 m) near the edge of a 1-km-diameter cyclonic eddy. We hypothesize that these bands represent internal wave wakes generated by turbulent perturbations having scales of a few tens of meters that are advected along the eddy’s thermal perimeter. An analytical theory is developed to investigate this for an idealized perturbation advected by a circular current. Calculations show that, for a reasonable choice of parameter values, an internal wave wake develops around the eddy that has spiral-like phase lines resembling the orientations and wavelengths of the field observations. The general validity of our proposed mechanism should be verified with further studies.

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Articles in this issue

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/16000870.2021.1947610 | Journal eISSN: 3035-9554

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Language: English

Page range: 1947610 - 1947610

Published on: Jan 1, 2021

Published by: Stockholm University Press

In partnership with: Paradigm Publishing Services

Keywords:

submesoscale eddy,

internal waves,

thermal bands,

spiral-like phase lines

© 2021 I.P. Chunchuzov, O.M. Johannessen, G.O. Marmorino, published by Stockholm University Press
This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

Volume 73 (2021): Issue 1