Generation of Intense Meso-Scale Flows over the Shelf and Slope

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9415484 Chapman This study will extend ideas from previous investigations based on a linear unstratified model. The previous study revealed a new mechanism by which mesoscale features can be generated when the slope current is entirely stable. This new mechanism results from the scattering of coastally trapped waves (CTWs) by variations in the topography and coastline in the presence of a stable, narrow mean current over the continental slope. The extended work will be based on more realistic situations through the use of a primitive equation model. The main processes to be studied are: (1) adjustment of the slope current to the scattering topography; (2) interaction between changes in the current structure with the CTWs; and, (3) importance of instabilities in the mean current on the generation of mesoscale flow.