DEVELOPMENT AND DAMPING OF HORIZONTAL CIRCULATION INDUCED BY BREAKING OF INTERNAL KELVIN WAVES

Abstract

This study describes a horizontal circulation induced by the breaking of internal Kelvin waves over a uniform slope. In lakes or coastal regions, wind stress over a water surface or tide at the bay mouth may induce internal waves, which deform as internal Kelvin waves when the inertia radius is equal or less than the spatial scale of a lake or a bay. In general, internal Kelvin waves break due to the topographical features, such as a slope, which is revealed to cause horizontal circulation in the upper layer. The previous studies demonstrated that a horizontal circulation is induced due to the secondary lateral current due to the breaking of internal Kelvin waves over a slope. However, the development and damping of the horizontal circulation have not been clarified. Therefore, this study aims to investigate the occurrence of a horizontal circulation due to the internal Kelvin wave breaking over a slope by using laboratory experiments and numerical computations.