Tidal modulation of two-layer hydraulic exchange flows

L. M. Frankcombe (1) , A. Mcc. Hogg (1)

1 RSES - Research School of Earth Sciences [ANU, Canberra]

Time-dependent, two layer hydraulic exchange flow is studied using an idealised shallow water model. It is found that barotropic time-dependent perturbations, representing tidal forcing, increase the baroclinic exchange flux above the steady hydraulic limit, with flux increasing monotonically with tidal amplitude (measured either by height or flux amplitude over a tidal period). Exchange flux also depends on the non-dimensional tidal period, ?, which was introduced by Helfrich (1995). Resonance complicates the relationship between exchange flux and height amplitude, but, when tidal strength is characterised by flux amplitude, exchange flux is a monotonic function of ?.

Domaines: Océan, Atmosphère

L. M. Frankcombe, A. Mcc. Hogg. Tidal modulation of two-layer hydraulic exchange flows. Ocean Science Discussions, 2006, 3 (6), pp.1999-2020. ⟨hal-00298457⟩