DYNAMICS AND ENERGETICS OF THE M2 SURFACE AND INTERNAL TIDES IN THE ARCTIC OCEAN: SOME MODEL RESULTS - Energy Research Developments: Tidal Energy, Energy Efficiency and Solar Energy - page 86

along isobaths. This orientation makes the revealing of ITW generation sites difficult. An
exception in the Arctic Ocean is a part of the continental slope to the north-west off the New
Siberian islands, where the horizontal flux of barotropic tidal energy is approximately
directed across isobaths. Accordingly, as noted in linear internal wave theory [Baines, 1973],
an ITW generation site can occur in this region. However, if a local latitude is close to the
critical latitude, where tidal and inertial frequencies are coincidence with one another, relative
topographic slopes (topographic slopes normalized by slopes of ITW characteristics) are near
zero or negative. Whence, the critical relative topographic slopes, at which the ITW
generation is maximal, can reduce in the Arctic Ocean. On summing up, we may say that a
commonly accepted view of the ITW generation site as a site where the averaged horizontal
flux of barotropic tidal energy is orthogonal to isobaths and any one of relative topographic
slopes or a part of the appropriate slope is critical (close to unity), fails in the Arctic Ocean.
Figure 5. Chart of the averaged (over a tidal cycle) integral (in depth) density of baroclinic tidal energy
(J/m 2 ) for the M2 wave in the Arctic Ocean.
For the ITW generation site to be revealed in the Arctic Ocean the use of the averaged
integrated (in depth) density of baroclinic tidal energy seems to be preferable.
Judging from Figure 5, a local increase in baroclinic tidal energy density, exceeding
2000 J/m 2 , indeed occurs to the north-west off New Siberian islands. In the remainder of the