A numerical study of the generation mechanism of internal solitary waves in the Luzon Strait

Abstract

The South China Sea (SCS) is a hot spot for oceanic internal solitary waves due to many factors, such as the complexity of the terrain environment. The internal solitary waves in the northern SCS mainly originate in the Luzon Strait. The generation mechanism of the internal solitary waves in the Luzon Strait is discussed using a modulation instability. The energy gain of the modulation instability is derived based on the fully nonlinear Schrodinger equation. The peak value of the gain is calculated under different conditions of stratification, wavelength and the initial amplitude of an internal tidal wave. The characteristics of the modulation instability in the Luzon Strait are investigated. The conditions that make the internal tidal wave evolve into an internal solitary wave in the Luzon strait are also obtained. The results show that the internal tide waves can generate the modulation instability in the Luzon Strait and that the maximum gain occur at the eastern sill of the Luzon Strait, where the internal tide waves start to break up into internal solitary trains. The magnitude and the scope of the peak gain are relevant to the stratification and the initial conditions of the internal tide waves. The numerical simulation results are consistent with the in-situ data.