Internal Tide in the Drake Passage

Abstract

Internal tidal waves in the Drake Passage have been studied on the basis of moored measurements, numerical modeling, and dispersion relation calculated from the profiles of temperature and salinity. Two main generation sources of internal tides are found: over a submarine elevation and over the Shackleton Ridge. The wavelength based on different estimates is close to 120 km. The numerical model shows that internal perturbations near submarine slopes are in the form of beams, while at a distance of approximately one wavelength the beams diffuse and the beam structure transforms to lower modes. The amplitude of waves near submarine slopes is close to 100 m and decreases to 30 m in the course of their propagation.