Observations of Multi-layer Flow and Wake around Southern Palau

We observed strong (>0.2 m s^-1) flow past the southern tip of a steep island and its wake in two shipboard CTD and velocity surveys. The surveys were conducted a year apart and show the incident flow consists of at least two layers within the top 300 m flowing in opposite directions. Vorticity in the wake is O(1) Rossby number. There are fine-scale features such as 20 m thick velocity cores within the flow layers. Using spice as a tracer, we follow the evolution of a lee eddy over the course of 12 days. We discuss the mean properties, gradients, and variances in the flow, the wake, and the transition between the flow and wake.