Short-Period Internal Waves in the Coastal Zone of the Barents Sea According to Expedition and Satellite Observations

In this article, based on the analysis of the results of contact and satellite observations made in August 2016 in the coastal zone of the Barents Sea, the characteristics of short-period internal waves and features of their manifestations on the surface in radar data are estimated. According to a series of rapid CTD probes, 270 internal waves with an average period of about 15 minutes and a height of 1 to 8 meters were registered. It is shown that the intensification of internal waves occurs mainly at low tide: against the background of a relatively calm pycnocline, pronounced train wave systems appear. Satellite images showed 82 packets of internal wave manifestations, with an average of 4 waves per packet. As a rule, the length of the leading ridge in the package was 27 kilometers, and the wave length was 700 meters. The common geometrical characteristics in the manifestations of waves in the areas of distribution, they were divided into two groups: the first was observed on the removal of 40–100 kilometers from the coast with direction North-West along the coast, the second spread from the coast to the North. A possible source of generation of two groups of waves is interaction between tide and unevenness of the bottom topography. The wavelengths and phase velocities are very close according to contact and satellite observations. Direct comparison of data from contact and satellite observations showed that internal waves with an amplitude of 2.5–4 meters are reflected in satellite observations at a depth of pycnocline of about 15 meters.

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