Propagation and vertical structure of the tidal flow in Nares Strait
The southward freshwater flux though Nares Strait is an important component of the Arctic's freshwater budget. On short time scales, flow through the strait is dominated by the tides, and tidal dynamics may be important for the magnitude of the freshwater flux over longer periods. Here we build...
Published in: | Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans |
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American Geophysical Union
2019
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ftnerc:oai:nora.nerc.ac.uk:519914 2023-05-15T16:05:57+02:00 Propagation and vertical structure of the tidal flow in Nares Strait Davis, Peter E.D. Johnson, Helen L. Melling, Humfrey 2019-01 text http://nora.nerc.ac.uk/id/eprint/519914/ https://nora.nerc.ac.uk/id/eprint/519914/1/Davis_et_al-2019-Journal_of_Geophysical_Research__Oceans.pdf https://doi.org/10.1029/2018JC014122 en eng American Geophysical Union https://nora.nerc.ac.uk/id/eprint/519914/1/Davis_et_al-2019-Journal_of_Geophysical_Research__Oceans.pdf Davis, Peter E.D. orcid:0000-0002-6471-6310 Johnson, Helen L.; Melling, Humfrey. 2019 Propagation and vertical structure of the tidal flow in Nares Strait. Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans, 124 (1). 281-301. https://doi.org/10.1029/2018jc014122 <https://doi.org/10.1029/2018jc014122> cc_by CC-BY Publication - Article PeerReviewed 2019 ftnerc https://doi.org/10.1029/2018JC014122 https://doi.org/10.1029/2018jc014122 2023-02-04T19:46:28Z The southward freshwater flux though Nares Strait is an important component of the Arctic's freshwater budget. On short time scales, flow through the strait is dominated by the tides, and tidal dynamics may be important for the magnitude of the freshwater flux over longer periods. Here we build upon our existing knowledge of the tides in the region by exploring their propagation and vertical structure using data from four bottom mounted ADCPs deployed in Nares Strait between 2003 and 2006. We observe that propagating barotropic semi‐diurnal tidal waves interact to create a standing wave pattern, explaining the abnormally large tidal amplitudes that are observed in this region. In the along‐strait direction, semi‐diurnal tidal currents exhibit strong variations with depth. In contrast, the diurnal tides propagate northward through the strait as progressive waves, and the tidal currents are broadly depth invariant. Proximity of Nares Strait to the semi‐diurnal critical latitude, and the topographical restriction imposed by the steep side‐wall of Ellesmere Island are primary drivers behind the observed vertical variability. In the upper part of the water column, baroclinic activity increases the tidal current amplitude by up to 25%. In the across‐strait direction, a two layer structure exists in both the diurnal and semi‐diurnal tidal flow, with an apparent phase lag of approximately a quarter of a tidal cycle across the strait for the semi‐diurnal tide. Our results suggest that strong vertical motion exists against the side‐walls of Nares Strait, as the across‐strait flow interacts with the steeply sloping bathymetry. Article in Journal/Newspaper Ellesmere Island Nares strait Natural Environment Research Council: NERC Open Research Archive Ellesmere Island Nares ENVELOPE(158.167,158.167,-81.450,-81.450) Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans 124 1 281 301 |
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Open Polar |
collection |
Natural Environment Research Council: NERC Open Research Archive |
op_collection_id |
ftnerc |
language |
English |
description |
The southward freshwater flux though Nares Strait is an important component of the Arctic's freshwater budget. On short time scales, flow through the strait is dominated by the tides, and tidal dynamics may be important for the magnitude of the freshwater flux over longer periods. Here we build upon our existing knowledge of the tides in the region by exploring their propagation and vertical structure using data from four bottom mounted ADCPs deployed in Nares Strait between 2003 and 2006. We observe that propagating barotropic semi‐diurnal tidal waves interact to create a standing wave pattern, explaining the abnormally large tidal amplitudes that are observed in this region. In the along‐strait direction, semi‐diurnal tidal currents exhibit strong variations with depth. In contrast, the diurnal tides propagate northward through the strait as progressive waves, and the tidal currents are broadly depth invariant. Proximity of Nares Strait to the semi‐diurnal critical latitude, and the topographical restriction imposed by the steep side‐wall of Ellesmere Island are primary drivers behind the observed vertical variability. In the upper part of the water column, baroclinic activity increases the tidal current amplitude by up to 25%. In the across‐strait direction, a two layer structure exists in both the diurnal and semi‐diurnal tidal flow, with an apparent phase lag of approximately a quarter of a tidal cycle across the strait for the semi‐diurnal tide. Our results suggest that strong vertical motion exists against the side‐walls of Nares Strait, as the across‐strait flow interacts with the steeply sloping bathymetry. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Davis, Peter E.D. Johnson, Helen L. Melling, Humfrey |
spellingShingle |
Davis, Peter E.D. Johnson, Helen L. Melling, Humfrey Propagation and vertical structure of the tidal flow in Nares Strait |
author_facet |
Davis, Peter E.D. Johnson, Helen L. Melling, Humfrey |
author_sort |
Davis, Peter E.D. |
title |
Propagation and vertical structure of the tidal flow in Nares Strait |
title_short |
Propagation and vertical structure of the tidal flow in Nares Strait |
title_full |
Propagation and vertical structure of the tidal flow in Nares Strait |
title_fullStr |
Propagation and vertical structure of the tidal flow in Nares Strait |
title_full_unstemmed |
Propagation and vertical structure of the tidal flow in Nares Strait |
title_sort |
propagation and vertical structure of the tidal flow in nares strait |
publisher |
American Geophysical Union |
publishDate |
2019 |
url |
http://nora.nerc.ac.uk/id/eprint/519914/ https://nora.nerc.ac.uk/id/eprint/519914/1/Davis_et_al-2019-Journal_of_Geophysical_Research__Oceans.pdf https://doi.org/10.1029/2018JC014122 |
long_lat |
ENVELOPE(158.167,158.167,-81.450,-81.450) |
geographic |
Ellesmere Island Nares |
geographic_facet |
Ellesmere Island Nares |
genre |
Ellesmere Island Nares strait |
genre_facet |
Ellesmere Island Nares strait |
op_relation |
https://nora.nerc.ac.uk/id/eprint/519914/1/Davis_et_al-2019-Journal_of_Geophysical_Research__Oceans.pdf Davis, Peter E.D. orcid:0000-0002-6471-6310 Johnson, Helen L.; Melling, Humfrey. 2019 Propagation and vertical structure of the tidal flow in Nares Strait. Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans, 124 (1). 281-301. https://doi.org/10.1029/2018jc014122 <https://doi.org/10.1029/2018jc014122> |
op_rights |
cc_by |
op_rightsnorm |
CC-BY |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1029/2018JC014122 https://doi.org/10.1029/2018jc014122 |
container_title |
Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans |
container_volume |
124 |
container_issue |
1 |
container_start_page |
281 |
op_container_end_page |
301 |
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1766401866677092352 |