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Sutherland 2002
Sutherland, B.R. (2002). Large-amplitude internal wave generation in the lee of step-shaped topography. Geophysical Research Letters 29: doi: 10.1029/2002GL015321. issn: 0094-8276.

Laboratory experiments show that as uniformly stratified fluid flows over a smoothly-varying step, two wave-like phenomena result: boundary-trapped lee waves, characterized by an undular shear layer downstream of the base of the step, and internal waves, which propagate vertically away from the step. The frequency of both types of waves is an approximately constant fraction of the buoyancy frequency. The frequency of internal waves is moderately smaller than lee waves if the step size is small but, if the step size is large, the frequencies match more closely. Thus nonlinear dynamics act so that internal waves are generated not by topography alone but also by flow over the boundary-trapped lee waves that act as fluidic hills. This new mechanism for internal wave generation may be an important factor in mixing over rough topography in the ocean.

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Abstract

Keywords
Oceanography, Physical, Internal and inertial waves, Meteorology and Atmospheric Dynamics, Waves and tides, Meteorology and Atmospheric Dynamics, Mesoscale meteorology
Journal
Geophysical Research Letters
http://www.agu.org/journals/gl/
Publisher
American Geophysical Union
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