Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 14, 2026
09:01
An Ultra-clean Multilayer Apparatus for Collecting Size Fractionated Marine Plankton and Suspended Particles
Published on: April 19, 2018
Ocean science. Enhanced: internal tides and ocean mixing
1Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Victoria, Victoria, British Columbia V8W 3P6, Canada. garrett@uvphys.phys.uvic.ca
Science (New York, N.Y.)
|September 27, 2003
Summary
Ocean internal tides, driven by seafloor topography, transfer tidal energy into the deep ocean. This process generates turbulence, impacting ocean mixing, circulation, and marine ecosystems.
Area of Science:
- Oceanography
- Geophysics
- Climate Science
Background:
- Ocean tides transfer significant energy to internal tides at seafloor features.
- Internal tides are waves with tidal periods propagating through the ocean's density stratification.
Purpose of the Study:
- To explain the generation and impact of internal tides.
- To highlight the role of internal tides in ocean mixing and circulation.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of satellite and in situ observations.
- Explanation of wave propagation and energy transfer mechanisms.
Main Results:
- Internal tides break down into turbulence, causing significant mixing in the deep ocean.
- This mixing influences ocean stratification and global ocean circulation patterns.
Conclusions:
- Internal tides play a crucial role in modulating ocean properties and processes.
- The energy for internal tides originates from the Earth-Moon system's rotational energy.
- Understanding internal tides is vital for predicting climate and biological production.
Related Concept Videos
01:06Primary Production
The total amount of energy acquired by primary producers in an ecosystem is called gross primary production (GPP). However, of this energy, producers use some for metabolic processes, and some is lost as heat, decreasing the amount of energy available to the next trophic level. The remaining usable amount of energy is called the net primary productivity (NPP). In terrestrial ecosystems, NPP is driven by climate, while light penetration and nutrient availability drive NPP in aquatic ecosystems.
01:06Tidal Forces
The origin of Earth's ocean tides has been a subject of continuous investigation for over 2000 years. However, the work of Newton is considered to be the beginning of the proper understanding of the phenomenon. Ocean tides are the result of gravitational tidal forces. These same tidal forces are present in any astronomical body; they are responsible for the internal heat that creates the volcanic activity on Io, one of Jupiter's moons, and the breakup of stars that get too close to black holes.
01:22Effect of Sea Water on Concrete
Concrete exposed to seawater can undergo degradation like the dissolution of ettringite and gypsum, increasing the material's porosity and decreasing its strength. In contrast, the crystallization of salts within the concrete's pores can cause expansion, particularly above the waterline where evaporation occurs. Nonetheless, this expansion only happens when seawater, enabled by the concrete's permeability, manages to infiltrate the structure.
Concrete in areas between tide marks, which undergo...
Concrete in areas between tide marks, which undergo...
01:11Buoyancy and Stability for Submerged and Floating Bodies
In fluid mechanics, buoyancy and stability are key concepts for understanding the behavior of submerged and floating bodies. When a stationary body is fully or partially submerged in a fluid, the fluid exerts a force on the body known as the buoyant force. This force acts vertically upward through a point called the center of buoyancy, which is the center of the displaced fluid volume. According to Archimedes' principle, the magnitude of the buoyant force is equal to the weight of the fluid...
01:30Marine Microbial Ecology
Marine microbial ecosystems are shaped by distinct physicochemical limits, including high salinity, low nutrient availability, and fluctuating oxygen levels. These conditions favor smaller microbial cell sizes, which maximize their surface-to-volume ratio for efficient nutrient uptake.Microbial activity and community composition are closely linked to biogeochemical cycles, particularly in dynamic environments like estuaries, where halotolerant microbes thrive in response to variable salinity...
01:18Deep Sea Microbial Ecology
The deep ocean and its underlying sediments represent vast, largely unexplored microbial habitats that extend far beyond the sunlit photic zone. The photic (euphotic) zone typically spans the upper ~100–200 meters of pelagic waters in the open ocean, but its depth varies geographically and seasonally, where sufficient light supports photosynthetic life. Below this lies the deep sea, spanning roughly 1000–6000 meters (bathypelagic to abyssal zones), with deeper hadal trenches extending beyond...