Publication Date:
2022-05-25
Description:
Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution December 1986
Description:
The focus of this dissertation is on the description and dynamical
interpretation of the tidal band current fluctuations over the
continental shelf off northern California. The term "tidal band" is
used here to denote fluctuations with periods from about one-half to
one day, including all the major diurnal and semidiurnal tidal
constituents. The semidiurnal frequency is super-inertial, and the
diurnal frequency sub-inertial, at this mid-latitude location.
Kinetic and potential energy are strongly peaked at the diurnal and
semidiurnal frequencies. Although inertial currents are occasionally
observed, particularly during the winter when internal wave energy in
general is elevated in this locale, they do not contribute
significantly to the current variance. Consequently, the treatment
here is divided into discussion of the diurnal and semidiurnal
variability. Each chapter emphasizes a process which can cause the
tidal currents to deviate from what would be anticipated based solely
on observations of sea level. In Chapter II, the diurnal current
variability is discussed, and the role played by atmospheric forcing
is examined in detail. In Chapter III, the barotropic semidiurnal
tidal currents over the shelf are described, and the effect of
small-scale bumps in the coastline is evaluated. The baroclinic
semi diurnal tidal currents, which are dependent upon the local
time-varying hydrographic conditions, are examined in Chapter IV.
Description:
Support from the WHOI
Education Office, a NASA traineeship, and NSF grants OCE 80-14941 and
OCE 84-17769.
Keywords:
Tidal currents
;
Continental shelf
Repository Name:
Woods Hole Open Access Server
Type:
Thesis
Format:
application/pdf
