Irregular Thermocline 



Displaced thermoclines are found in frontal areas where the 

 entire thermocline has shifted or buckled and inversions have 

 usually occurred. The vertical changes are larger than the usual 

 2-4 cycles per mile. Examples of irregular thermoclines, marked 

 D-l and D-2 (fig. 10), are presented in figures 14A and 14B. Both 

 irregular thermoclines are characteristic of regions where two water 

 masses impinge on each other. These frontal features do not re- 

 main in a fixed position, but shift, dissipate, and reform. 



Although Doppler effects can apparently cause differences in 

 the wavelength method of characterizing thermocline roughness, a 

 natural geographic or time difference in thermocline roughness 

 can also be a factor. The average roughness of 1400-2400 feet is 

 equivalent to 2^-4 minutes, or near the Vaisala frequency. 



28 



