A model is formulated to study the influence of large coastline and shelf topography variations on the dynamics of stratified, low-frequency wind-driven frictional shelf waters. At low frequencies, currents nearly follow the isobaths. Therefore, the coordinate system should be a curvilinear system in which the coordinate lines are parallel and perpendicular to the isobaths. Writing the low frequency problem for stratified, frictional, time-dependent linear wind forced shelf flow in these coordinates, it is found that, even when the topography varies alongshore on scales comparable to the shelf width, the solution can be expressed as a sum of curvilinear coastally trapped waves (CCTW) scattered by alongshore variations in bottom topography and bottom friction. The CCTW amplitudes satisfy coupled, forced-wave equations of the same form as those of the straight coast case. The unforced CCTWs speed up when the shelf forms an embayment and when there is no curvature and the shelf is wider. / Calculations show that changes in topography and coastline affect both velocity and sea level, especially the velocity. For example, for frictionless flow and a mode 1 CTW incident to a narrowing shelf, the alongshore velocity amplitude changes markedly in the bend region. In this case curvature and conservation of relative vorticity explain the changes in amplitude of the alongshore coastal velocity at the bend. When friction is included the same qualitative changes occur but the changes in velocity amplitude are smaller because of damping. Similar dynamics apply when a shelf widens. / Calculations were also done with measured wind forcing and results compared with measured sea level on the West Florida Shelf. Since the sea level observations were made at the coast, a formula was derived to estimate sea level at the coast given sea level at the model coast. The model successfully calculated the wind-driven West Florida Shelf sea level fluctuations even in the Big Bend region where coastline and bottom topography vary rapidly alongshore. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 53-11, Section: B, page: 5622. / Major Professor: Allan J. Clarke. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1992.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:fsu.edu/oai:fsu.digital.flvc.org:fsu_76808 |
| Contributors | Rocha Curto, Conrado Alfonzo., Florida State University |
| Source Sets | Florida State University |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Text |
| Format | 89 p. |
| Rights | On campus use only. |
| Relation | Dissertation Abstracts International |
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