The response of currents in Trinity Bay,Newfoundland, to local wind forcing

Abstract

Analysis of current measurements taken between June and October 1984 at four moorings in Trinity Bay, Newfoundland, is discussed. The alongshore component of current exhibits baroclinic fluctuations coherent with the along‐bay component of wind stress at periods between 3 and 7 days. A two‐layer model of internal Kelvin waves propagating around the perimeter of an elongated bay and forced by a spatially uniform wind stress is presented. The observations support several features of the model response to wind forcing. Along the side of the bay on which Kelvin waves are incoming, the amplitude of the response increases into the bay and decreases with increasing frequency. Along the outgoing side of the bay the amplitude of the response generally shows a maximum at a frequency between 0.2 and 0.3 cpd. The phase lag between current and wind is consistent with a forced response. An example is given of upwelling and downwelling on opposite sides of the bay in agreement with the model behaviour.