The EUFAR transnational access project A.NEW (Airborne observations of Nonlinear Evolution of internal Waves generated by internal tidal beams)

Internal Solitary Waves (ISWs) are ubiquitous features in the coastal oceans. The propagation and breaking of ISWs contribute significantly to turbulent mixing in the near-surface layers, through the continual triggering of instabilities as they propagate into shallow water over the continental shelf. We report on the first results of an EU funded project denominated A.NEW (Airborne observations of Nonlinear Evolution of internal Waves generated by internal tidal beams). Here we show, for the first time, coincident multi-sensor airborne observations off the Portuguese coast, which reveal the 3D structure of air bubble entrainment in the internal wave field. Coincident thermal infrared imaging shows the surface thermal signatures of ISWs and reveals the turbulent character of some internal waves on the shelf.