Meandering of the coastal upwelling jet near Cape Mendocino
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Authors
Fasciano, William Culp.
Subjects
Cape Mendocino
Upwelling
Bottom topography
Laboratory models
Meandering coastal jet
Upwelling
Bottom topography
Laboratory models
Meandering coastal jet
Advisors
Ramp, Steven R.
Date of Issue
1989
Date
June 1989
Publisher
Monterey, CA; Naval Postgraduate School
Language
en_US
Abstract
The physics of a rotating tank laboratory model, developed by Narimousa
and Maxworthy (1985) to simulate the dynamics of coastal upwelling, is tested
by applying the model to real ocean data from shipboard surveys in the Coaste1
Transition Zone off central California. The primary goal is to test the hypothesis
that flow over bottom topography, i.e., the Mendocino Ridge, is an important
mechanism for generating the meandering structure of the coastal upwelling jet.
More specifically, the goal is to test the model's ability to reproduce the offshore
and alongshore meandering length scales observed from satellite imagery and
maps of dynamic height.
Results show that the model incorrectly predicts the necessary conditions
for eddy shedding in areas where this phenomenon is observed. The prediction
criterion parameter (9.) is not considered physically meaningful. Evidence is
presented to show that the model significantly overestimates the Richardson
number along with offshore and alongshore meandering length scales of the
upwelling coastal jet. Some possible explanations for this are discussed.
Type
Thesis
Description
Series/Report No
Department
Physical Oceanography
Organization
Naval Postgraduate School (U.S.)
Identifiers
NPS Report Number
Sponsors
Funder
Format
59 p.
Citation
Distribution Statement
Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited.
Rights
This publication is a work of the U.S. Government as defined in Title 17, United States Code, Section 101. Copyright protection is not available for this work in the United States.