|
© Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution © University of Washington |
|
| Last updated May 2010 |
Observed space-time scales of internal waves and finescale intrusions on the New Jersey Shelf and their likely acoustic implications
John Colosi, Tim Duda, Ying-Tsong Lin, Jim Lynch, and Arthur Newhall
| It has been known for some time that ocean density surfaces possess multi-scale variations in temperature (T) and salinity (S), termed spice (hot and salty, cold and fresh) by Munk in 1981. Compensating T and S variations along a surface of constant density have reinforcing sound speed anomalies and thus have important acoustic implications. With the advent of new technologies to observe small scale, rapidly changing ocean thermohaline structure, spice variations, and their acouustic effects are just starting to be understood. Better known are the impacts of internal waves wich vertically advect ocean sound speed structure. This talk will present analysis of moored T and S observations on the New jersey Shelf region during the SW06 experiment in which the sound speed effects of internal waves and spice can be approximately separated. These results will be contrasted with similar measurements made in the deep waters of the Philippine Sea. Using recent results from coupled mode theory, some discussion of the acoustic implications of the internal wave and spice structure will be presented. In particular, the phase randomizing effects of linear internal waves and spice will diminish the mean acoustical influence of intense but localized nonlinear internal waves. |
Back to the WHOI SW06 home
|
|
© Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution © University of Washington |
|
| Last updated May 2010 |