Laboratory experiments on internal wave interactions with a pycnocline.

Laboratory experiments have been performed to investigate the interaction of internal waves with a pycnocline. An oscillating cylinder generated internal wave beams, which were observed using the synthetic schlieren technique. Internal waves incident on the pycnocline layer excited higher-frequency modes. In the absence of shear, a discrete spectrum of harmonic modes was generated due to nonlinear effects. These harmonic modes might play a role in the formation of internal solitary waves which have been observed in ocean pycnoclines. With shear, a continuous spectrum of excited modes was found. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]