SAR observing large-scale nonlinear internal waves in the White Sea

The compiled archive of synthetic aperture radar (SAR) images acquired by the Advanced SAR (ASAR) onboard the Envisat satellite over the White Sea during the extended summer periods (May-September) between 2007 and 2011, provides the first detailed analysis of 2-D patterns of internal waves (IWs) in...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Remote Sensing of Environment
Main Authors: Kozlov, Igor, Romanenkov, Dmitry, Zimin, Alexei, Chapron, Bertrand
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: Elsevier Science Inc 2014
Subjects:
SAR imaging
Nonlinear internal waves
The White Sea
Vertical mixing
Asar
White Sea
Online Access:https://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/00195/30617/29216.pdf
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rse.2014.02.017
https://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/00195/30617/
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Summary:The compiled archive of synthetic aperture radar (SAR) images acquired by the Advanced SAR (ASAR) onboard the Envisat satellite over the White Sea during the extended summer periods (May-September) between 2007 and 2011, provides the first detailed analysis of 2-D patterns of internal waves (IWs) in the White Sea. Unambiguously, the primary region of IW activity is the southwestern (SW) Gorlo Strait (GS). LW packets emerging from this area are regularly observed to reach crest lengths up to 200 km, and also to propagate a few hundred kilometers from their origin. Model results confirm that large-scale IWs can be generated every tidal cycle and are able to cross the entire sea. As suggested, the source of these packets is governed by the intense dynamics of the frontal zone in the tidal cycle over local complex bottom. As further revealed, these large-scale IWs cascade into intense large-amplitude short LW packets on the shoaling White Sea shelf, significantly impacting vertical turbulent exchange and the overall hydrology.

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