ROTARY VELOCITY SPECTRA FROM SHORT DRIFTER TRACKS

The authors describe a method utilizing short-duration drifter tracks to compute rotary velocity amplitudes and phases for tidal frequency b ands. These are compared to amplitudes and phases from a tidal model, revealing the regions where strong internal tides dominate the observe d record or the times when inertial motions compete with the tidal sig nals. This method therefore enables a direct comparison between Lagran gian drifter data and Eulerian model simulations, while providing info rmation on possible origin and spatial variability of tidal currents.