Internal waves describe the (linear) response of an incompressible stably stratified fluid to small perturbations. The inclination their group velocity with respect vertical is completely determined by frequency. Therefore reflection on a sloping boundary cannot follow Descartes' laws, and it expected be singular if slope has same as velocity. In this paper, we prove that in critical geometry w...

In the first of a multistage process to understand the generation of internal waves from rough topography, we have performed laboratory experiments to study wave generation over and in the lee of smalland large-amplitude sinusoidal topography. The model hills are towed at a range of speeds along the surface of a uniformly salt-stratified fluid. The experiments show that internal waves are gener...

Using field experiments and mathematical models, we tested whether internal waves enhance photosynthesis as they move phytoplankton through a nonlinear light field in situations where photosynthesis is light limited. Phytoplankton circulated at depths mimicking isotherm displacement for moderate wind speeds had elevated photosynthetic rates compared to static incubations. Experiments and modeli...

Globally, the Celtic Sea shelf break is ranked highest as an energetic ‘‘hot spot’’ of tidal energy conversion, therefore making it the most significant contributor to global internal tidal energy flux. In this paper, the three-dimensional dynamics of baroclinic tides in the shelf-slope area of the Celtic Sea was investigated numerically and using observational data collected on the 376th cruis...

Mode-1 internal tides were observed the western North Atlantic using an ocean acoustic tomography array deployed in 1991–1992 centered on 251N, 661W. The pentagonal array, 700-km across, acted as an antenna for mode-1 internal-tides. Coherent internal-tide waves with O(1m) displacements were observed traveling in several directions. Although the internal tides of the region were relatively quie...

Internal waves are a ubiquitous and significant means of momentum and energy transport in the oceans, atmosphere, and astrophysical bodies. Here, we show that internal wave propagation in nonuniform density stratifications, which are prevalent throughout nature, has a direct mathematical analogy with the classical optical problem of a Fabry-Perot multiple-beam light interferometer. We rigorousl...

Glossary Deep water A surface wave is said to be in deep water if its wavelength is much shorter than the local water depth. Internal wave A internal wave travels within the interior of a fluid. The maximum velocity and maximum amplitude occur within the fluid or at an internal boundary (interface). Internal waves depend on the density-stratification of the fluid. Shallow water A surface wave i...

Laboratory experiments and field observations suggest that the degeneration of basin-scale internal standing waves into packets of solitary waves is an important mechanism for the transfer of energy within the internal wavefield in lakes. Since these shorter solitary waves break at the boundaries, this process provides a flux path from the wind to the turbulent benthic boundary layer. However, ...