Internal Tides West of the Iberian
Peninsula
Eugene G. Morozov and Manuel G. Velarde
Introduction
Semidiurnal internal tides exist almost everywhere in the ocean. It is generally
accepted that internal tides are generated due to the interaction of the barotropic tide
with the slopes of bottom topography. The largest amplitudes are usually found
near underwater ridges and continental slopes [1, 2]. Tidal currents flow over the
slopes of the bottom topography and obtain a vertical component, which induces
periodic vertical displacements of the isopycnals. Hence, internal waves with tidal
periods are generated that propagate from the areas of uneven bottom topography to
the open ocean. As a result, the energy of the barotropic tide is converted into the
energy of the internal tide. The maximum fluxes of energy lost by the barotropic
tide are found in the regions of submarine ridges and continental slopes such as the
South China Sea, the Mascarene Ridge, the Aleutian and Hawaii islands [3, 4].
Extremely strong internal tides are generated in the straits when the currents of the
barotropic tide flow over the sills that cross the straits [5–8].
The maximum amplitudes of the internal tides are found in the regions with
shallow ridge crests or shelves adjacent to deep waters if the inclination of the
slopes is close to the inclination of the characteristic curves of the equation for
internal waves [9]. In this contribution, we analyze internal tides generated over the
Atlantic continental slope of the Iberian Peninsula.
Moored measurements with thermistor chains were carried out on the shelf break
west of Portugal at 41° N [10]. The authors recorded high-frequency internal waves
E. G. Morozov ( ✉ )
Shirshov Institute of Oceanology, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia
e-mail: egmorozov@mail.ru
M. G. Velarde
Instituto Pluridisciplinar, Madrid, Spain
e-mail: mgvelarde@pluri.ucm.es
© Springer International Publishing AG, part of Springer Nature 2018
M. G. Velarde et al. (eds.), The Ocean in Motion, Springer Oceanography,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-71934-4_13
183
Peninsula
Eugene G. Morozov and Manuel G. Velarde
Introduction
Semidiurnal internal tides exist almost everywhere in the ocean. It is generally
accepted that internal tides are generated due to the interaction of the barotropic tide
with the slopes of bottom topography. The largest amplitudes are usually found
near underwater ridges and continental slopes [1, 2]. Tidal currents flow over the
slopes of the bottom topography and obtain a vertical component, which induces
periodic vertical displacements of the isopycnals. Hence, internal waves with tidal
periods are generated that propagate from the areas of uneven bottom topography to
the open ocean. As a result, the energy of the barotropic tide is converted into the
energy of the internal tide. The maximum fluxes of energy lost by the barotropic
tide are found in the regions of submarine ridges and continental slopes such as the
South China Sea, the Mascarene Ridge, the Aleutian and Hawaii islands [3, 4].
Extremely strong internal tides are generated in the straits when the currents of the
barotropic tide flow over the sills that cross the straits [5–8].
The maximum amplitudes of the internal tides are found in the regions with
shallow ridge crests or shelves adjacent to deep waters if the inclination of the
slopes is close to the inclination of the characteristic curves of the equation for
internal waves [9]. In this contribution, we analyze internal tides generated over the
Atlantic continental slope of the Iberian Peninsula.
Moored measurements with thermistor chains were carried out on the shelf break
west of Portugal at 41° N [10]. The authors recorded high-frequency internal waves
E. G. Morozov ( ✉ )
Shirshov Institute of Oceanology, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia
e-mail: egmorozov@mail.ru
M. G. Velarde
Instituto Pluridisciplinar, Madrid, Spain
e-mail: mgvelarde@pluri.ucm.es
© Springer International Publishing AG, part of Springer Nature 2018
M. G. Velarde et al. (eds.), The Ocean in Motion, Springer Oceanography,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-71934-4_13
183