Phys. Rev. Lett. 100, 244504 (2008) [4 pages]Resonant Generation of Internal Waves on a Model Continental SlopeReceived 5 February 2008; published 20 June 2008 We study internal wave generation in a laboratory model of oscillating tidal flow on a continental margin. Waves are found to be generated only in a near-critical region where the slope of the bottom topography matches that of internal waves. Fluid motion with a velocity an order of magnitude larger than that of the forcing occurs within a thin boundary layer above the bottom surface. The resonant wave is unstable because of strong shear; Kelvin-Helmholtz billows precede wave breaking. This work provides a new explanation for the intense boundary flows on continental slopes. © 2008 The American Physical Society URL:
http://link.aps.org/doi/10.1103/PhysRevLett.100.244504
DOI:
10.1103/PhysRevLett.100.244504
PACS:
47.35.Bb, 47.20.Ft, 91.50.Bd
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