Heath: Observations on Chatham Rise c . . .

New Zealand Journal of Marine and Freshwater Research abstracts

Observations on Chatham Rise currents

R. A. HEATH

New Zealand Oceanographic Institute Division of Marine and Freshwater Science Department of Scientific and Industrial Research P. O. Box 12-346, Wellington North New Zealand

Abstract Observations from a string of 3 current meters over a 34 day period on the Chatham Rise, New Zealand reveal: (1) the strongest flow is that associated with the M₂ barotropic tide and is consistent with a trapped wave rotating anticlockwise around New Zealand; (2) a lesser M₂ baroclinic signal which accounts for about a quarter of the M₂tidal variance; (3) an unusually strong diurnal tide signal which is probably associated with a continental shelf wave; and (4) a mean flow with an eastward component but with meridional components, which are consistent with a model of the Subtropical Convergence, with northward flow near the surface and southward flow near the bottom.

Keywords water circulation; continental shelves; sea level; tides; physical oceanography; Chatham Rise; currents

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