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Gyroscopic waves in the Mediterranean Sea
Author(s) -
van Haren Hans,
Millot Claude
Publication year - 2005
Publication title -
geophysical research letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.007
H-Index - 273
eISSN - 1944-8007
pISSN - 0094-8276
DOI - 10.1029/2005gl023915
Subject(s) - internal wave , buoyancy , homogeneous , physics , inertial wave , gravitational wave , geology , mediterranean sea , geophysics , mediterranean climate , geodesy , wave propagation , mechanics , mechanical wave , longitudinal wave , optics , astrophysics , geography , thermodynamics , archaeology
In the ocean outside areas of dense‐water formation, coherent vertical motions (w) are generally much weaker (∼10 −3 ) than horizontal (u, v) ones. According to theoretical models based upon “the traditional approximation”, i.e. where the horizontal component of the Coriolis force is neglected, describing inertio‐gravity waves in the ocean interior, this holds especially for motions at the inertial frequency f: w(f) < O(10 −2 (u(f),v(f))). We present observations of significant w(f), with mean values of 10 −1 (u(f),v(f)) and occasional values of 1(u(f),v(f)), from the deep Western Mediterranean Sea characterized by very small buoyancy frequency N = 0 ± 0.4f. Our observations also present evidence of vertical propagation of internal waves, originated in the near‐surface density stratified layers, through homogeneous layers below. The observations could be interpreted only within the framework of “non‐traditional approach” with the horizontal component of the Coriolis force fully taken into account.