Baroclinic Tsunami Generation

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Abstract
An analytical and experimental study of the baroclinic waves generated by a monopole dislocation of the sea floor is presented. Analytical results are based on a two-dimensional and linearized description of motion using a two-layer approximation for density variation; experiments utilize a stratification with finite (nonzero) pycnocline thickness. Scaling parameters which characterize the generation process and the potential role of nonlinear effects are discussed. It is shown that the barotropic modes are not affected by the small differences in potential density typical of ocean stratifications and all previous results for these waves are applicable. The two-layer approximation is found to provide an accurate representation of the (long) baroclinic waves typical of tsunamis. Like the barotropic response, baroclinic generation is impulsive and linear resulting in wave amplitudes proportional to the vertical offset of the sea floor. Near the generation region barotropic waves have amplitudes of ... Abstract An analytical and experimental study of the baroclinic waves generated by a monopole dislocation of the sea floor is presented. Analytical results are based on a two-dimensional and linearized description of motion using a two-layer approximation for density variation; experiments utilize a stratification with finite (nonzero) pycnocline thickness. Scaling parameters which characterize the generation process and the potential role of nonlinear effects are discussed. It is shown that the barotropic modes are not affected by the small differences in potential density typical of ocean stratifications and all previous results for these waves are applicable. The two-layer approximation is found to provide an accurate representation of the (long) baroclinic waves typical of tsunamis. Like the barotropic response, baroclinic generation is impulsive and linear resulting in wave amplitudes proportional to the vertical offset of the sea floor. Near the generation region barotropic waves have amplitudes of ...

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