Onshore propagation of a buoyant ocean front observed using a shore-based marine radar

An analysis is presented of a 2-h-long time series of X-band marine radar images, collected at Duck, North Carolina (USA), that captured the evolution of a buoyant ocean front as it propagated onshore, following a period of upwelling-favorable winds. In plan view, the front exhibits a scallop-shaped structure similar to that previously observed along strongly convergent fronts. This alongshore structure consists of broad frontal crests (a few hundred meters in length) alternating with sharply angled troughs, or frontal cusps. The evolution of these frontal shapes is explored using a reduced-gravity model (Cooper et al., J. Geophys. Res.-Oceans 106 (2001) 16887) that allows for nonlinear self-interaction of a propagating front. A model simulation shows cusps that develop quickly from initially broad troughs and that point toward the buoyant water, features resembling the observations. However, the simulation also shows a continuous oscillation of frontal shapes, while the observed front reaches a quasi-steady plan form. We attribute this difference in behavior to the gradual shoaling of the observed front as it steadily advances, ultimately reaching water depths of less than 2 m, which is comparable to the thickness of the buoyant layer. As a consequence of the shoaling, we suggest the cusps become sites of enhanced mixing, where water inshore of the front is also accelerated seaward.