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GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH LETTERS, VOL. 28, NO. 7, PAGES 1259–1262, 2001

Estimates of Internal Tide Energy Fluxes from Topex/Poseidon Altimetry: Central North Pacific

Richard D. Ray

Space Geodesy Branch, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland

David E. Cartwright

Southampton Oceanography Centre, U.K.

Abstract

Energy fluxes for first-mode M₂ internal tides are deduced throughout the central North Pacific Ocean from Topex/Poseidon satellite altimeter data. Temporally coherent internal tide signals in the altimetry, combined with climatological hydrographic data, determine the tidal displacements, pressures, and currents at depth, which yield power transmission rates. For a variety of reasons the deduced rates should be considered lower bounds. Internal tides are found to emanate from several large bathymetric structures, especially the Hawaiian Ridge, where the integrated flux amounts to about 6 gigawatts. Internal tides are generated at the Aleutian Trench near 172°W and propagate southwards nearly 2000 km.

Received 5 October 2000; accepted 17 January 2001.

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Citation: Ray, R. D., and D. E. Cartwright (2001), Estimates of Internal Tide Energy Fluxes from Topex/Poseidon Altimetry: Central North Pacific, Geophys. Res. Lett., 28(7), 1259–1262.

Copyright 2001 by the American Geophysical Union.