Preliminary Characterization of Evolving Horizontal and Vertical Spatial Structures in Internal Waves Based on High Resolution Broadband Acoustic Profiling Observations
Abstract
We present new observations (SW06, July 29-August 27th, 2006) of evolving spatial structures in nonlinear internal waves from a broadband, high frequency profiler deployed in both horizontal (HZ) and vertical (VT) modes. The data include highly resolved (order 0.5 cm along beam) observations of acoustic backscatter between 150 kHz and 690 kHz from four chirp transducers, capturing stages of internal wave formation, propagation, and dissipation. The evolution of acoustic backscattering structures was observed during a multi-platform experiment, SW06, for 28 internal wave trains off the coast of New Jersey. Acoustic profiles in both HZ and VT modes (alternating) were obtained for waves with a range of maximum epsilon values, from early stages after generation, though the evolution of the non-linear internal wave and its interactions with other interfering waves, to dissipation. With the aid of ancillary measurements available from vertically resolved net tows to characterize biological contributions to backscatter, and direct turbulence measurements from other SW06 participants, we present a preliminary characterization of the vertical and horizontal spatial scales in turbulent regions of internal waves, as detected by highly resolved acoustic backscatter measurements obtained by profiling through the maximum epsilon layer.
- Publication:
-
AGU Fall Meeting Abstracts
- Pub Date:
- December 2006
- Bibcode:
- 2006AGUFMOS22A..05F
- Keywords:
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- 4524 Fine structure and microstructure;
- 4568 Turbulence;
- diffusion;
- and mixing processes (4490)