Remote-sensing evidence for the local generation of internal soliton packets in the central Bay of Biscay

• Type: Article in International Scientific Journal
• Date: 2002

Authors

New, AL (Author) Other; Da Silva, JCB (Author) Other

Journal

Title: Deep-Sea Research Part I: Oceanographic Research Papers

Vol. 49

Pages: 915-934

ISSN: 0967-0637

Publisher: Elsevier

Indexing

ISI Web of Knowledge

Scopus - 71 Citations

Other information

Authenticus ID: P-007-A4R

DOI: 10.1016/s0967-0637(01)00082-6

Abstract (EN): Large-amplitude internal solitary waves (or "solitons") occurring in packets near the shelf break in the Bay of Biscay are well-documented and understood. The presence of similar features has now also been reported in the central Bay, ¿ 150km from the nearest shelf break topography. The present paper analyses available remote-sensing synthetic aperture radar (SAR) data from the ERS satellites in this region. By doing so, we are able to provide convincing support for the hypothesis that these waves, instead of having travelled along the thermocline from the shelf break, are instead generated locally in the central Bay by the surfacing of a beam of internal tidal energy originating from the shelf break. This reinforces the results of a previous independent study, while at the same time providing a much more extensive investigation than was then possible. We have also exploited the large swath width (100 km) and high spatial resolution (100 m × 100 m) of the SAR to examine for the first time the full surface structure of the internal waves in the central Bay, which are found to have a mean wavelength of 1.35 km, and a mean along-crest "coherence" length of 21.55 km.

Language: English

Type (Professor's evaluation): Scientific