Internal tides at Cross Seamount

Abstract

The R.V. Thomas G. Thompson was used to study currents in the North Pacific Ocean over Cross Seamount, a large extinct submarine volcano South of Oahu, Hawai’i. An Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler (ADCP) was used to measure currents over the seamount. A mathematical model for the tide was created using the data collected by the ADCP as a basis. This model was applied both to shallow and deep layers of the water column. The model generated simulated currents in good accordance with the observed flows, although some discrepancies were present. The modelled tidal function varied with depth, indicating the propagation of an internal tide through the water column.