Pt. Shaw et al., LOW-FREQUENCY OSCILLATIONS ON THE OUTER SHELF IN THE SOUTHERN MID-ATLANTIC BIGHT, Deep-sea research. Part 2. Topical studies in oceanography, 41(2-3), 1994, pp. 253-271
Current meter data collected during the SEEP-II spring experiment off
the coasts of Delaware, Maryland and Virginia were analyzed to examine
the low-frequency phase propagation on the outer shelf and upper slop
e. In the low frequency band (periods between 24 and 12 days), there w
as a distinct offshore phase propagation in the data. The amplitude wa
s nearly constant on the shelf and decreased offshore on the slope. In
the vertical direction, there was an upward phase propagation on the
shelf. These oscillations were probably topographic waves generated ne
ar the shelf-slope front. In the synoptic band (periods between 8 and
4.8 days), oscillation amplitudes were higher on the slope than on the
shelf; the phase was nearly constant across the shelf and slope. The
coherent motions were probably associated with the oscillations of the
shelf-slope front. In the wind band with periods shorter than 4 days,
the amplitude decreased rapidly offshore, similar to coastally trappe
d waves. Offshore veering of currents in the bottom boundary layer was
observed at the 400 and 1000 m isobaths and was probably related to l
ow-frequency oscillations at mid-depths.