New Zealand Journal of Marine and Freshwater Research abstracts

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Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler measurements of the semi-diurnal internal tide on the west coast of New Zealand

ROSS VENNELL

Department of Marine Science University of Otago P. O. Box 56 Dunedin, New Zealand

MIKE MOORE

New Zealand Oceanographic Institute National Institute of Water and Atmospheric
Research Ltd
P.O.Box 14 901,Kilbirnie Wellington, New Zealand

Abstract Current measurements made by an Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler detail the vertical structure of the internal tide for a site at the continental shelf break on the west coast of New Zealand. The measurements, made over 10 h in late winter, had an 8 m vertical resolution. Tidal analysis of the velocity data shows a 60° change in tidal phase and a 90° change in tide ellipse orientation across the base of the mixed layer. The profiles of tidal ellipse parameters are shown to be consistent with the sum of a barotropic tide and an internal tide in a two density-layer ocean. The barotropic tidal amplitude was 10 cm s"¹ whereas the internal tide had a 6.3 cm s"¹ amplitude. Both the barotropic and internal modes propagate in a direction approximately normal to the topography.

Keywords internal tides; profile; west coast New Zealand; Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler; semidiurnal tide M92038 Received 3 July 1992; accepted 23 December 1992

New Zealand Journal of Marine and Freshwater Research, 1993: Vol. 27: ; The Royal Society of New Zealand 1993
Received 3 July 1992; accepted 23 December 1992

PDF file of entire paper: medium quality (506K); (scanned from paper original: notes about this process)

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