Instability Waves in the Gulf Stream Front and Its Thermocline Layer

<p>Linear instability calculations were carried out on a three layer Gulf Stream front model in an attempt to elucidate the interaction of the thermocline layer with surface slopewater shoreward of the front. The basic state is geostrophic balance and constant potential vorticity in the two active layers, but the perturbations are ageostrophic. The flow is found to be unstable to long wave perturbations, the wavelength of the most unstable wave to be of order 10 radii of deformation. The instability is mainly baroclinic, 75-85% of the energy supply to the growing perturbation coming from basic flow potential energy. Calculated wavelengths and growth rates, using parameters typical of the Gulf Stream, are similar to those observed. The eigenfunctions and particle trajectories reveal large cross-frontal excursions in the thermocline layer, and a large, if weak, cyclonic eddy in the surface slopewater in a meander trough.</p>

Name thesis:degree_name

Master of Science (MS)

Level thesis:degree_level

Thesis

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Ocean & Earth Sciences

Year dc:date.available

1993

Author dc:creator

• Lee, Sang-Ki

Contributors dc:contributor

• Chester E. Grosch
• Gabriel T. Csanady
• A. D. Kirwan, Jr.
• John A. Adam

• Waves
• Gulf Stream
• Instability
• Thermocline layer
• Oceanography

Statement dc:rights

• <p>In Copyright. URI: <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/</a> This Item is protected by copyright and/or related rights. You are free to use this Item in any way that is permitted by the copyright and related rights legislation that applies to your use. For other uses you need to obtain permission from the rights-holder(s).</p>

Repository record dc:identifier

https://digitalcommons.odu.edu/oeas_etds/102

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:digitalcommons.odu.edu:oeas_etds-1104