Occasional intensification of semidiurnal internal tide in Bungo Channel, Japan

• Published in: Geophysical research letters Vol. 33; no. 14; pp. L14607 - n/a
• Main Authors: Kawamura, Yuji, Hayami, Yuichi, Kohama, Takeshi, Kaneda, Atsushi, Takeoka, Hidetaka
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Washington, DC American Geophysical Union 01.07.2006; Blackwell Publishing Ltd
• Subjects: Coastal processes; Earth sciences; Earth, ocean, space; Exact sciences and technology; Fronts and jets; Internal and inertial waves; Marine; Nearshore processes; Oceanography; Physical; Turbulence, diffusion, and mixing processes; Far East; Japan; INW, Japan, Bungo Channel; INW, Japan; Mooring; Summer; Intensification; slopes; Density stratification; tides; density currents; intensity; channels; Asia; bays; Current density; Geostrophic current; energy; Standing wave
• ISSN: 0094-8276; 1944-8007
• DOI: 10.1029/2006GL025866

Data of mooring observation in Kitanada Bay, located on the eastern coast of Bungo Channel in Japan, obtained during summer 2001 are analyzed to investigate a modification process of the semidiurnal internal tide by density currents, occasionally occurring in the channel. The mooring data show that the semidiurnal internal tide has the character of low vertical mode standing wave. When the bottom slope near the mooring station is near‐critical, the energy of the semidiurnal internal tide in the lower layer reached the maximum value. Since the density current modifies the density stratification occasionally creating the near‐critical condition, it strongly affects the intensity of the semidiurnal internal tide energy in the lower layer.