New Zealand Journal of Marine and Freshwater Research abstracts

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Dynamics of a 3-dimensional, baroclinic, headland eddy

Kerry Black

ASR Limited Marine Consulting and Research
P.O. Box 13048
Hamilton, New Zealand
email: k.black@asrltd.co.nz

John Oldman
Terry Hume

National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research Limited
P.O. Box 11115
Hamilton, New Zealand
email: j.oldman@niwa.co.nz and t.hume@niwa.co.nz

Abstract  Wave, current, and temperature measurements from the north side of Cape Rodney, north-eastern New Zealand, over a 6-week field programme, reveal the detailed internal dynamics of a baroclinic eddy. The measurements include water levels, currents, and water temperatures through the water column and seabed descriptions. A detailed calibration of a 3-dimensional numerical model leads to further examination of the flow and density structure within the eddy, in plan and cross-section. The eddy stretches c. 5 km along the northern side of the headland and is of the order of 1.5–2.0 km wide. The eddy currents are strongest near the bed and against the coast. The eddy is characteristically complex and vertical eddies readily form in parts of the water column during different phases of the tide, although these internal eddies rarely penetrate through the full depth. The dynamics near the surface and near the bed are significantly different and the structure of the eddy is often partitioned vertically and is strongly affected by wind.

Keywords  eddy dynamics; headland; baroclinic; numerical modelling; Cape Rodney; New Zealand

M03078; Online publication date 18 February 2005
Received 9 January 2003; accepted 24 September 2004
New Zealand Journal of Marine and Freshwater Research, 2005, Vol. 39: 91–120
0028-8330/05/3901-0091 © The Royal Society of New Zealand 2005

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