Mechanisms of horizontal circulation induced by breaking of internal Kelvin waves over a slope

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In general, stratification appears in an enclosed bay, such as Tokyo Bay, due to fresh water input from rivers and solar radiation during summer. When external force is given in a stratified flow field, larger amplitude internal waves are induced compared to water surface waves. The internal waves are likely to be deformed and to become internal Kelvin waves due to the Coriolis effect, which break over a slope in a shallow water region. However, the influence of internal Kelvin waves has not been revealed in the previous studies. Therefore, this study aims to clarify the influence of internal Kelvin waves on a stratified flow field by using laboratory experiments and numerical analysis. As a result, flow toward the breaking zone is induced by the breaking of internal Kelvin waves, which does not occur without the Coriolis effect. The flow toward the breaking zone is also found to drive cyclonic horizontal circulation.