Internal wave kinematics in the upper tropical Atlantic

Horizontal velocity and temperature measurements observed from a two-dimensional array of moored instruments, mooring Fl, are analysed to describe the near-surface internal wave field in the GATE (GARP Atlantic Tropical Experiment) C-scale area. Spectral properties indicate strong deviations from the Garrett and Munk (1972, 1975) deep ocean internal wave models. The frequency spectrum in the upper pycnocline is dominated by three energetic bands centered at 0.0127 (inertial frequency), 0.08 (M2-tidal frequency) and 3 cph. The latter frequency band does not correspond to the local Brunt Vaisala frequency (< 10 cph) and contains about one half of the total internal wave energy of fluctuations with periods less than 10 hours. Cross-spectral analysis of the high frequency internal waves yields corresponding wavelengths of order 1 km consistent with westward propagating first mode wave groups, if the effect of Doppler shift due to a strong mean current is taken into account