Effect of large-amplitude internal wave on a towed depressor

The effect of large internal waves on a towed depressor is demonstrated using internal wave measurements near the Mascarene Ridge in the Indian Ocean. It was noted that in the moments of passing an area of intense internal waves (with amplitudes up to 85 m) the depressor began to displace up and down in synchronization with the scales of crossed internal waves. The effect took place both for large solitary internal waves and for trains of short-period internal waves. Detailed synchronous analysis of records of vertical displacements of the depressor (measured by depth sensor) and data on internal waves (measured by line temperature sensor) for different events of observable internal waves are presented. A high degree of correlation between the tracks of the depressor and profiles of crossed internal is explained from the point of view of interaction of a hydrodynamical depressor with significant orbital currents created by internal waves of large amplitude.