Strong Tidal Mixing and Ventilation of Cold Intermediate Water at Kashevarov Bank, Sea of Okhotsk

Tidal mixing at the Kashevarov Bank, Sea of Okhotsk, has been investigated using observations of bottom pressure and currents. The tides are dominated by the diurnal constituents. The water motion over the Bank is predominantly controlled by strong diurnal tidal currents, which bring cold water on the bank from its source, a cold intermediate layer. The temperature fluctuations are about 1.2°C at the southern edge of the bank. The maximum observed velocity is about 164 cm/s at the top of the bank. A superposition of the original diurnal constituents K^sub 1^ and O^sub 1^ reveals a strong fortnightly (M^sub f^) variability of the current speed. Tidal-induced mixing is responsible for ventilation of the cold intermediate layer of the Sea of Okhotsk. Strong tidal mixing creates a well-defined tidally mixed front around the bank. This front acts like a barrier separating well-mixed water on the bank from stratified water on its flanks. There is a residual current of the order of 10 cm/s.[PUBLICATION ABSTRACT]