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A conundrum in conversion

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  28 September 2011

Stefan G. Llewellyn Smith
Stefan G. Llewellyn Smith*
Affiliation:
Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Jacobs School of Engineering, University of California, San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive, La Jolla CA 92093-0411, USA
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Abstract

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Maintaining the stratification of the ocean requires deep mixing. Part of the energy that provides this mixing is transferred over topography from the surface tides into the internal tides. Numerous theoretical, numerical and experimental studies have aimed at quantifying the energy transfer of this conversion mechanism. Maas (J. Fluid Mech., this issue, vol. 684, 2011, pp. 5–24) constructs model topographies with localized response and no energy transfer into the propagating internal tide, a surprising result that raises questions about models of tidal conversion.

JFM classification

Geophysical and Geological Flows: Internal waves Geophysical and Geological Flows: Ocean processes Geophysical and Geological Flows: Topographic effects
Type
Focus on Fluids
Information
Journal of Fluid Mechanics , Volume 684 , 10 October 2011 , pp. 1 - 4
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2011

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