Measured Energy Dissipation in Internal Waves

Measured Energy Dissipation in Internal Waves

Internal waves in the ocean are excited by tidal motion of the fluid over topography and propagate below the surface. These waves shape the ocean's topography and are important in determining global ocean circulation patterns and therefore affect global climate. Our research looks at the reflection of internal waves at different boundary angles, specifically modeling the process in which internal tides are dissipated in the ocean along continental slopes. We create internal waves in a laboratory experiment with lasers and seed particles to measure the velocity field of the waves.We then determine the ratio of the incoming and outgoing energy flux of the internal waves, which shows high rates of dissipation. The experimental data is used to verify numerical codes under the same conditions. The numerical codes can then be used to explore other regimes that is not possible in the tank experiments.