A Note on the Generation of Boundary Waves of Kelvin Type

Abstract

The generation of Kelvin waves along a straight boundary due to the reflection of cylindrical waves is studied in a rotating sea of constant depth. The result is applied to the discussion of an internal wave of Kelvin type generated by an atmospheric disturbance. In a two-layer model of the ocean a simple formula is derived which gives the Kelvin wave height in terms of the quantities associated with an atmospheric desturbance. The effect of the wind very close and parallel to the coast is most favorable to excite the internal Kelvin wave travelling along the coast to the right (facing offshore in the northern hemisphere), the amplitude of which at the water surface is of the order of 10 cm for a wind field of reasonable scale.