← 🌀 Climate

🌀 Internal Waves at the Pycnocline

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🌀 Internal Waves at the Pycnocline

The simulation demonstrates how internal gravity waves propagate along a density interface between two water layers, showing how density contrast and layer depth together control wave speed and amplitude.

🔬 What It Demonstrates

The simulation demonstrates how internal gravity waves propagate along a density interface between two water layers, showing how density contrast and layer depth together control wave speed and amplitude.

🎮 How to Use

Adjust the density contrast and layer depth sliders to change the stratification, then observe how the internal wave's propagation speed and vertical displacement respond at the pycnocline.

💡 Did You Know?

Internal waves near the Luzon Strait in the South China Sea can reach vertical displacements of more than one hundred meters, making them among the largest wave phenomena on Earth despite being completely invisible from a casual glance at the sea surface.