HRT

Abstract

Most studies of internal tide generation have focused on the role of the barotropic tide interacting with topography. Our study focuses on a mechanism which has not been considered up to now, namely the interaction of a barotropic tide with a baroclinic eddy field. The interaction of a barotropic tidal current and a mesoscale eddy field is investigated to determine the ambient conditions under which energy is transferred most efficiently from barotropic to baroclinic tides. We examine the transfer of energy as a function of latitude and eddy field structure. The existence of critical latitudes is also discussed in this context.