Ship Waves in the Lee of Isolated Topography

Abstract

A three-dimensional, linear steady-state model, which has been designed for the purpose of simulating the internal wave field which is forced by stratified flow over topography, is described in the present paper. The model directly assimilates radiosonde data on wind and temperature and its primary purpose is to serve in the design of three-dimensional nonlinear experiments. As a test the model is used to predict a sequence of ship wave patterns which were observed in the lee of isolated islands in the Norwegian and Barents Seas. Using radiosonde data from the islands themselves, the model reproduces the observed wave patterns rather accurately.