Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • Article
  • Published:

Tidally generated internal wave packets in Massachusetts Bay

Abstract

Observations in Massachusetts Bay of high-frequency internal wave packets indicate that they are caused by lee waves generated outside a submarine bank at the Bay's seaward margin during ebb tide. The lee waves propagate into the Bay as the tide turns to flood, steepen nonlinearly, and develop into the packet. A 200-kHz acoustic back-scattering system detected the evolution of the packets. Large overturning events were observed acoustically and in density profiles. Plankton distributions undergo strong vertical displacements and mixing associated with the wave packet passage.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Buy this article

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Halpern, D. J. mar. Res. 29, 116–132 (1971).

    Google Scholar 

  2. Lee, C.-Y. & Beardsley, R. C. J. geophys. Res. 79, 453–462 (1974).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  3. Farmer, D. & Smith, J. D. in Hydrodynamics of Estuaries and Fjords (ed. Nihoul, J. C. J.) (Elsevier, Amsterdam, 1978).

    Google Scholar 

  4. Gargett, A. E. Deep Sea Res. 23, 17–32 (1976).

    Google Scholar 

  5. Ziegenbein, J. Deep Sea Res. 16, 479–487 (1969).

    Google Scholar 

  6. Ingram, R. G. J. mar. Res. 36, 715–724 (1978).

    Google Scholar 

  7. Hunkins, K. & Fliegel, M. J. geophys. Res. 78, 539–548 (1973).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  8. Thorpe, S. A., Hall, A. & Crofts, I. Nature 237, 96–98 (1972).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  9. Ivanov, V. A. & Konyayev, K. V. Izv., Atm. Oc. Phys. 12, 251–255 (1976).

    Google Scholar 

  10. Osborn, A. R., Brown, J. R., Burch, T. L. & Scarlet, R. I. Offshore Technology Conference, paper 2797, 537–544 (1977).

  11. Perry, R. B. & Schimke, G. R. J. geophys. Res. 70, 2319–2324 (1965).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  12. Maxworthy, T. J. geophys. Res. 84, 338–346 (1979).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  13. Long, R. R. Tellus 24, 88–99 (1972).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  14. Peregrine, D. H. J. Fluid Mech. 25, 321–330 (1966).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  15. Turner, S. Buoyancy Effects in Fluids (Cambridge University Press, 1973).

  16. Halpern, D. NOAA Tech. Rept. ERL 229-POL 7 (US Dept. Commerce, 1972).

  17. Voorhis, A. D. Deep Sea Res. 15, 599–608 (1968).

    Google Scholar 

  18. Joyce, T. et al. WHOI Tech. Rept. 76–74 (Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, 1976).

  19. Orr, M. H. & Hess, F. R. J. geophys. Res. 83, 4062–4068 (1978).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  20. Griscom, C. A. J. geophys. Res. 72, 5599–5611 (1967).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  21. Thorpe, S. A. Phil. Trans. R. Soc. A 263, 563–614 (1968).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  22. Hooke, W. M., Hall, F. F. & Gossard, E. E. Boundary-layer Meteorol. 5, 29–41 (1973).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  23. Otterstein, H. Radio Sci. (U.S.A.) 4, 1179–1193 (1969).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  24. Brown, G. L. & Roshko, A. J. Fluid Mech. 64, 775–816 (1974).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  25. Roshko, A. Am. Inst. Aeronaut. Astronaut. 14, 1349–1357 (1976).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  26. Thorpe, S. A. J. Fluid Mech. 85, 7–31 (1978); J. geophys. Res. 83, 2875–2885 (1978).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  27. Brown, N. L. Proc. Int. Conf. Engng in the Ocean Environment 2, 270–278 (1974).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  28. Kamykowski, D. J. mar. Res. 33, 67–89 (1974).

    Google Scholar 

  29. Marra, J. Mar. Biol. 46, 191–202 and 203–208 (1978).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  30. Haury, L. R., Wiebe, P. H. & Boyd, S. H. Deep Sea Res. 23, 1217–1229 (1976).

    Google Scholar 

  31. Fasham, M. J. R. & Pugh, P. R. Deep Sea Res. 23, 527–538 (1976).

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Haury, L., Briscoe, M. & Orr, M. Tidally generated internal wave packets in Massachusetts Bay. Nature 278, 312–317 (1979). https://doi.org/10.1038/278312a0

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/278312a0

This article is cited by

Comments

By submitting a comment you agree to abide by our Terms and Community Guidelines. If you find something abusive or that does not comply with our terms or guidelines please flag it as inappropriate.

Search

Quick links

Nature Briefing

Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science, free to your inbox daily.

Get the most important science stories of the day, free in your inbox. Sign up for Nature Briefing