Leo Maas
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Tides: Rectified flows
Internal tides are both generated as well as advected by barotropic tides. The combined process acts to generate not only overtides, but also a mean flow. In a homogeneous sea, this barotropic, tidally-rectified flow extends over at most two tidal excursions beyond the slope in bottom topography. In the Northern Hemisphere it is directed such that it has the shallow side at its right-hand side. Stratification suppresses the vorticity stretching mechanism, responsible for the rectification, further away from the bottom. Apart from a frictional reduction close to the sea bed, this thus predicts a bottom enhancement of the tidally rectified flow.
Publications:
Lam, F.-P.A., Maas, L.R.M., Gerkema, T. (2003) Spatial structure of tidal and residual currents as observed over the shelf break in the Bay of Biscay.  Submitted to Deep-Sea Research I. ( Download PDF-file )   Maas, L.R.M., Zimmerman, J.T.F. (1989) Tide-topography interactions in a stratified shelf sea II. Bottom-trapped internal tides and baroclinic residual currents.  Geophysical and Astrophysical Fluid Dynamics, 45: 37-69.   Maas, L.R.M., Zimmerman, J.T.F. (1989) Tide-topography interactions in a stratified shelf sea I. Basic equations for quasi-nonlinear internal tides.  Geophysical and Astrophysical Fluid Dynamics, 45: 1-35.   Maas, L.R.M., Zimmerman, J.T.F., Temme, N.M. (1987) On the exact shape of the horizontal profile of a topographically rectified tidal flow.  Geophysical and Astrophysical Fluid Dynamics, 58: 105-129.   Maas, L.R.M. (1987) Tide-topography interactions in a stratified shelf sea. Ph.D. Thesis.  University of Utrecht: 241 pp.   Ou, H.W., Maas, L. (1986) Tidal-induced buoyancy flux and mean transverse circulation.  Continental Shelf Research, 5: 611-628.