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GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH LETTERS,
VOL. 23, NO. 16,
PAGES 2101–2104,
1996
Surface Manifestation of Internal Tides Generated Near Hawaii
Richard D. Ray
Hughes STX, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland
Gary T. Mitchum
Department of Marine Science, University of South Florida, St. Petersburg, Florida
Abstract
Analysis of Topex/Poseidon satellite altimetry reveals short-wavelength fluctuations in the ocean surface tide that are attributable
to internal tides. A significant fraction of the semidiurnal internal tide generated at the Hawaiian Ridge is evidently phase-locked
to the astronomical potential and can modulate the amplitude of the surface tide by ∼5 cm. The internal tide is thus easily
mapped along satellite groundtracks, and it is found to be spatially coherent over great distances, with waves propagating
well over 1000 km from the Hawaiian Ridge before decaying below noise level. Both first and second baroclinic modes are observed
in both the M2 (lunar) and S2 (solar) tides. The high space-time coherence is in sharp contrast to what is often inferred from current-meter observations,
but it confirms recent speculations from an acoustic experiment north of Hawaii.
Received 8
May
1996;
accepted 6
June
1996.
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Citation: Ray, R. D., and G. T. Mitchum
(1996),
Surface Manifestation of Internal Tides Generated Near Hawaii,
Geophys. Res. Lett.,
23(16),
2101–2104.
Copyright 1996 by the American Geophysical Union.
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