Tidal currents and anticyclonic motions on two North Pacific seamounts

Amatzia Genin*, Marlene Noble, Peter F. Lonsdale

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

52 Scopus citations

Abstract

Near-bottom currents were measured for several days at three sites on the summits of Fieberling Guyot (32°26′N, 127°46′W) and Horizon Guyot (19°15′N, 160°00′W). Three moorings comprised of two current meters were deployed on each summit; two moorings were deployed on opposite sides of the rim of the summit and one mooring was deployed near the center of the summit. The observed currents were strong, with maximum speeds of 48 and 24 cm s-1 on Fieberling and Horizon, respectively. The currents at specific frequencies were enhanced relative to those in the surrounding ocean. Diurnal currents were the dominant component of the current field on Fieberling Guyot. They accounted for 39-68% of the energy and had amplitudes around 12 cm s-1. We suspect that these diurnal currents were waves trapped over the seamount. Semidiurnal internal tidal currents were the strongest currents over Horizon Guyot, with amplitudes around 4 cm s-1. The flow patterns determined in this study seemed to affect the biological and geological characteristics of the seamounts.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)1803-1815
Number of pages13
JournalDeep-Sea Research, Part A: Oceanographic Research Papers
Volume36
Issue number12
DOIs
StatePublished - Dec 1989

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