Some acoustical observations of internal waves and associated turbulence in the coastal ocean

Outstanding features of the coastal ocean influencing the acoustical study of internal waves and turbulence include the large quantities of suspended particulates present therein and the regularity, both in characteristics and occurrence, of internal wave groups. The coastal ocean is often occupied by internal wave groups possessing a well‐known and consistent structure, namely, a set of amplitude‐ordered solitons followed by a sequence of quasilinear waves. Acoustical observations made using backscattered 20‐kHz pulses, of two events conjectured to be internal wave group‐generated mixing and resuspension events, will be presented. The first event occurs at the interface separating Hudson‐Raritan water from continental shelf water; the second event occurs in the ocean bottom boundary layer. A third event generated by an oceanic discharge of material event wherein simultaneous generation of internal waves, turbulence, and a midwater column “turbidity” particulate surge will also be presented. Some implicat...