Internal tides off California observed by satellite altimetry

Multi-satellite altimetry data from 1993 to 2019 (27 years) are used to map internal tides off California. All altimetry data (exact-repeat and non-repeat-track) measured during this period are used. Our 3-step mapping procedure consists of two rounds of plane wave analysis with a spatial bandpass filter in between. Internal tide parameters are computed from the World Ocean Atlas 2018 hydrographic climatology. Three internal tide constituents are mapped: mode-1 M2, mode-2 M2, and mode-1 S2. The internal tide field of each constituent is a superposition of multiple internal waves; therefore, at each grid point, we determine five waves in arbitrary horizontal directions. In the end, we divide the multi-wave interference field into 3 components by propagation direction, and the results give a clear view of internal tidal beams.