Infrasonic observations of open ocean swells in the Pacific: Deciphering the song of the sea

Microbaroms are infrasonic waves generated by nonlinear interactions of ocean surface waves traveling in nearly opposite directions with similar frequencies. Such interactions commonly occur between ocean waves with ∼10 s periods, which are abundant in the open oceans and correspond to the observed...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Geophysical research letters 2004-10, Vol.31 (19), p.L19303.1-n/a
Main Authors: Willis, M., Garcés, M., Hetzer, C., Businger, S.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Earth, ocean, space
Exact sciences and technology
Marine
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Microbaroms are infrasonic waves generated by nonlinear interactions of ocean surface waves traveling in nearly opposite directions with similar frequencies. Such interactions commonly occur between ocean waves with ∼10 s periods, which are abundant in the open oceans and correspond to the observed 0.2 Hz infrasonic spectral peak. Microbarom observations from Hawai'i during 2002–2003 show a relationship with storm and ocean wave activity in the Pacific. Seasonal patterns of observed microbarom arrival azimuths are affected by the size and distribution of swells, by the dominant wind directions in the atmosphere, and by topographic shadowing.
ISSN:0094-8276
1944-8007
DOI:10.1029/2004GL020684