Open AccessThe Krakatoa Air‐Sea Waves: an Example of Pulse Propagation in Coupled Systems
Author(s) -
Harkrider David,
Press Frank
Publication year - 1967
Publication title -
geophysical journal of the royal astronomical society
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.302
H-Index - 168
eISSN - 1365-246X
pISSN - 0016-8009
DOI - 10.1111/j.1365-246x.1967.tb02150.x
Subject(s) - gravity wave , atmosphere (unit) , pulse (music) , geology , wind wave , tidal waves , wave propagation , gravitational wave , geophysics , internal wave , mode (computer interface) , phase velocity , rayleigh wave , jump , mechanical wave , physics , atmospheric sciences , mechanics , meteorology , longitudinal wave , optics , oceanography , detector , quantum mechanics , astrophysics , computer science , operating system
Summary The theory of pulse propagation in an atmosphere coupled to an ocean is applied to the air‐sea waves excited by the explosion of the volcano Krakatoa. Numerical results for a realistic atmosphere‐ocean system show that the principal air pulse corresponds to the fundamental gravity mode GR 0 . A small sea wave is associated with the mode GW 0 with phase velocities close to the √( gh ) velocity of the ocean. Free waves with this velocity exist in the atmosphere and transfer energy to the ocean in an efficient manner. These air waves ‘jump’ over land barriers and re‐excite the sea waves. An explosion of 100–150 megatons is required to produce the equivalent of the Krakatoa pressure disturbance.