WATER MOTION STUDIES 



Water movement throughout the entire water column is the 

 most intensively studied variable at the tower, for it affects sur- 

 face and subsurface navigation, acoustic transmission, and the 

 permanence of equipment placed on the sea floor. 



The water motions most studied are the large subsurface 

 slow-motion undulations called internal waves. 



Other slow motions are related to tide and seiches. The 

 more rapid motions are caused by swell and wind waves. All of 

 these influence the physical, chemical, acoustic, and biological 

 structure of the marine environment. 



INTERNAL WAVES 



Thermal structure 



Horizontal currents 



Vertical currents and turbulence 



Speed, height, and direction of propagation 



Coherence 



Sea-surface slicks 



SURFACE TEMPERATURE 



SWELL AND WIND WAVES 



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