BAROTROPIC AND BAROCLINIC TIDES ON THE SYDNEY CONTINENTAL-SHELF

Analyses of temperature and current meter data collected from a shore- normal mooring array have been used to identify the shoreward propagat ing component of the semidiurnal internal tide on the Sydney shelf. Th e amplitude of the internal tide at the coast was found to be surprisi ngly large by comparison with the barotropic tide and not significantl y attenuated as the tide progresses shoreward. The large amplitude of the internal tide at the coast is shown to be a result of the signific ant level of reflection which occurs at the coast. This result is sign ificant since cases where shoreward propagating internal tides reflect off coastal boundaries are rare. A linear model is able to describe t he structure of individual packets of internal tides across the shelf which have durations of 3-11 days. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science Ltd.