THE THESIS This thesis describes the investigation of an estuarine front, the 'tidal-intrusion front, which was initially found in the Seiont estuary, North Wales but has subsequently been observed at other locations. In the Seiont, the front forms after low water, moves a considerable distance into the estuary to an upstream limit, retreats from the estuary and finally weakens, all within the duration of the flooding tide. It separates mixed from stratified regimes and is characterised by its surface appearance; inside the estuary, the front is 'V'-shaped with its apex directed towards the estuary head. Associated convergent flows include collection of all surface buoyant material at the apex of the V. Following a considerable field investigation of the front in the Seiont, two short periods were spent studying a similar feature in Loch Creran, Scotland. In the process of investigating other sites to determine the range of estuarine parameters appropriate to a stable tidal-intrusion front, an alternative estuarine convergence was discovered in the Conwy estuary, North Wales. The Conwy shows similar frontal behaviour to the Seiont during the early part of the flood tidal phase, but increased flood currents subsequently break down stratification producing an estuary of the 'well-mixed' class. 5 Throughout the remainder of the flood tide an axial line of debris forms along a substantial proportion of the estuary length. The persistence of the line indicates a secondary circulation which includes surface convergence towards the estuary axis. However, the line disperses at high water and no similar system is apparent during the ebb. The specific aims of the thesis may be summarised with respect to: a) the tidal-intrusion or T.I. front; i) to understand the parameters which govern the movements of the front. ii) to explain and/or reproduce by modelling, the three-dimensional aspects of the 'V'-shaped frontal boundary. b) the axial convergence or A.C. i) to detrmine the nature of the secondary circulation in the Conwy i.e. the pattern of cross-sectional secondary velocities. ii) to determine a mechanism which accounts for both the production of a sustained secondary circulation and its existence only during the flood phase of the tide. and finally, we attempt to define the stable parameter ranges for both types of convergence.

We report observations of Martian mesospheric ice clouds and thermospheric scale heights by the Imaging Ultraviolet Spectrograph on NASA's Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution mission. The clouds are observed between 6A.M. and 8A.M. local time using mid-UV limb observations between 60 and 80km tangent altitude where ice particles that scatter sunlight can appear as detached layers near the equator. The equatorial longitudinal distribution shows populations of clouds near -110 degrees E and -10 degrees E as well as a population near 90 degrees E, which does not have a clear precedent. The cloud populations indicate a wave 3 pattern near 70km, which is confirmed by independent mesospheric temperature observations. Scale heights 100km above the clouds derived from concurrent Imaging Ultraviolet Spectrograph (IUVS) observations also reveal a wave 3 longitudinal structure, suggesting that the temperature oscillations enabling the formation of mesospheric clouds couple to the upper atmosphere. Plain Language Summary The manuscript describes the observation of Martian mesospheric clouds between 60 and 80km altitude by the Imaging Ultraviolet Spectrograph (IUVS) on NASA's MAVEN spacecraft. The cloud observations are uniquely obtained at early morning local times, which complement previous observations obtained primarily later in the diurnal cycle. Differences in the geographic distribution of the clouds from IUVS observations indicate that the local time is crucial for the interpretation of mesospheric cloud formation. We also report concurrent observations of upper atmospheric scale heights near 170 km altitude, which are diagnostic of temperature. These observations suggest that the dynamics enabling the formation of mesospheric clouds propagate all the way to the upper atmosphere.

This thesis seeks to answer the question "how much of the internal tide propagating up Knight Inlet, B.C. is reflected by a right-angled bend ?" The internal tide in Knight Inlet is generated by the interaction of the barotropic tide with a shallow sill seaward of the bend. It then propagates in both directions as a travelling Kelvin wave. The up-inlet propagating wave then encounters the bend, where some of it may be reflected. This question is looked at with both theory (Chapter 2) and observations (Chapter 3). The theoretical study investigates the propagation of a Kelvin wave around a bend in a channel. The solution of the linearised long wave equations is expressed as a truncated series of cross-channel modes in each of three regions. The solution is matched across the two common boundaries by a least squares point matching process. The "rectangular bend" gives unsatisfactory results because of a singularity in the velocity field at the sharp inside corner. However, the "annular bend" gives good results. The bend acts as a diffraction grating, with total transmission for certain bend angles and "lobes" of high reflection for intermediate angles. Bends to the left give rise to the same reflection as bends to the right of the same angle, even if the incident Kelvin wave has a small cross-channel decay scale. For the parameters corresponding to the M₂ internal tide in Knight Inlet, the energy flux reflection coefficient is very small, much less than 1%. The method of solution breaks down inexplicably for diurnal tides. The observational study is based upon 2⅓ months of cyclesonde current meter data from four stations in Knight Inlet taken during the summers of 1981 and 1983. The vertical profiles of amplitude and phase of the M₂ constituent of longitudinal velocity and density fluctuations are found to be the same from month to month at a particular station, but different from station to station. These complex amplitude profiles are decomposed into a truncated series of normal modes for waves propagating both up-inlet and down-inlet. The phase speeds and zero-crossing depths of the normal modes do not agree with those calculated by Farmer and Smith (1980a) using 1977 data. Two simple models of the stratification are used to explain the differences in the normal modes in terms of differences in the Brunt-Väisälä frequency profile used to calculate them. At the two stations up-inlet of the sill, acceptable fits can be obtained using only two up-inlet propagating waves, indicating that the data are compatible with the low reflection found in the theoretical study. When down-inlet waves are included in the fit, their amplitudes are found to be small, although care must be taken to avoid trying to fit too many modes since some of them are highly correlated in the depth range for which data are available. At the two stations seaward of the sill, the up-inlet energy flux is of the same order of magnitude as the down-inlet flux, indicating a second source of internal tide seaward of those two stations. The results indicate that only 30-50% of the power removed from the barotropic tide is being fed into the internal tide in the summer. This conclusion is at variance with that of Stacey (1985), whose model shows that most of the power lost from the barotropic tide is being fed into the internal tide. A consistent interpretation of these results is that most of the power lost from the barotropic tide initially goes into the internal tide, but that 50-70% of it is rapidly dissipated through turbulence within a couple of kilometers of the sill. The low frequency component of the velocity signals from the cyclesonde data is also presented (Chapter 4), with a brief analysis . The monthly averaged residual velocity profiles are also found to be fairly repeatable from month to month at a particular station, but different from station to station. These profiles could be useful in validating general circulation models. / Science, Faculty of / Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences, Department of / Graduate

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This thesis is concerned with the dynamics of the middle atmosphere over the southern-most continent on our planet, Antarctica. Building on previous observational and theoretical efforts to understand the dynamics of this region of the atmosphere, the work encompasses instrument improvements as well as data analysis studies of gravity waves in the lower and middle stratosphere, tides in the upper mesosphere and lower thermosphere, and short-period planetary waves in the stratosphere and mesosphere. An upgrade of the Medium-Frequency Spaced Antenna (MFSA) radar at Scott Base, Antarctica, was carried out in 2004/5 in order to ensure continued operation and enhance its capabilities to measure gravity waves. As a result, the quality of the wind measurements was greatly enhanced and the amount of data collected is now greater by a factor of approximately 15 compared with before the upgrade. Analysis of over two decades of wind velocity data from Scott Base yields a reliable climatology of the dynamics of the upper mesosphere and lower thermosphere in this area, namely the tidal oscillations and the background winds. In addition, interannual variability is assessed and periodicities of approximately 11 years and strong positive trends in tidal amplitudes are reported. Mechanisms that could explain the observed behaviour are proposed. The data are then combined with wind measurements from Halley, the longitudinal conjugate site, in order to study the zonal character of the semi-diurnal tide. Zonal wavenumber 1 and 2 waves are both found and mechanisms that could explain the generation of a wavenumber 1 component are suggested. Two further sets of MFSA radar wind measurements are used to investigate the behaviour of planetary waves with periods of between two and four days in the Antarctic middle atmosphere. Satellite temperature measurements further help to create a more complete picture of these waves. Baroclinic and barotropic instabilities, which result from shears of the zonal wind, appear to be responsible for much of the observed wave activity. In addition, a quasi-to day wave event in mid-May 2005 with unusually large amplitudes is examined and suggested to be linked to a solar proton event. Gravity wave activity over Antarctica is studied using temperature profiles obtained through the satellite radio occultation technique. Although the measurements are restricted to below 35 km altitude, high-resolution temperature profiles allow conclusions to be drawn about the seasonal, geographical, and height distribution of gravity wave activity. Mountain waves are found to be important over the Antarctic Peninsula and the Transantarctic mountains where they contribute more than 20% of the observed wave activity in the lower stratosphere. In addition, the analysis indicates the importance of critical-level filtering and Doppler-shifting.

Accurate prediction of nearshore waves and currents is of critical importance in littoral naval operations. This study examines the effects of complex bathymetry on nearshore currents. Data collected by an array of 12 pressure and velocity sensors in the Nearshore Canyon Experiment (NCEX), conducted near La Jolla, California in 2003, were analyzed to investigate the variability of nearshore currents near a submarine canyon. Time series of pressure, 3-component velocity, and wave heights along the 10 meter depth contour were analyzed to determine the relative importance of tides, waves, and winds in the forcing of nearshore currents outside the surf zone. Additionally, the spatial variability of the observed currents was investigated in relation to the nearby canyon head. Case studies are examined to determine how different wave and tide conditions affect the currents near the canyon. In low-moderate wave conditions, tides dominate longshore currents, whereas cross-shore currents show the passage of irregular bore-like features. The currents are coherent away from the submarine canyon and decay towards the canyon head. Strong longshore currents were observed near the canyon head during a large wave event that were likely driven by an alongshore pressure gradient associated with wave set-up variations.

Baroclinic tides play a significant role in driving deep-ocean mixing, which not only influences the transport of nutrients and other biological tracers, but also affects the large scale circulations. This thesis combines advanced numerical modeling techniques and available observations to investigate the characteristics of baroclinic tides in the Red Sea, and understand their formation and fate, and their influence on the circulation and ecosystem. Based on a validated 3D, non-hydrostatic and high-resolution MIT General Circulation Model (MITgcm), we first established four potential areas for the generation of baroclinic tide in the Red Sea: the Strait of Bab-el-Mandeb (BAM), the southern Red Sea, the Gulf of Suez, and the Strait of Tiran. These areas are consistently suggested by the spatial distribution of baroclinic tidal kinetic energy and energy fluxes. The majority of the baroclinic energy disappears within the basin; either dissipates due to friction and bottom drag or converts back into barotropic energy due to pressure. We next conducted 2D numerical simulations to investigate the generation mechanism behind the formation of the observed internal solitary waves(ISWs) in the southern Red Sea, revealing the dominant role of tide-topography interactions. Instead of evolving from the disturbed thermocline due to a locally impinging tidal beam ISWs are generated from the depression formed near the shelf. As this depression propagates out of the shelf, it gradually steepens and ultimately breaks into a group of ISWs. To further study the breaking and dissipation processes of the ISWs, we implemented a regional high-resolution MITgcm for the southern Red Sea with a realistic topography revealing that the breaking process is triggered by the fission mechanism. The associated particles transport is further quantitatively analyzed, revealing a significant transport, both vertically and horizontally. The thesis, finally examined the tidal influences on the basin-scale circulation of the Red Sea. Comparison experiments with and without tides show that, the intrusion of the Gulf of Aden Intermediate Water (GAIW) in summer is strongly influenced by the tides. It is suggested that tides enforce more turbulence and mixing at the strait, which significantly increase the diffusivity of heat and salinity.

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Graduation date: 1981 / Best scan available for figures and pages listing computer code. Original is a photocopy.