Study on characteristics of internal solitary waves in the Malacca Strait based on Sentinel-1 and GF-3 satellite SAR data

Abstract

The study of the characteristics of internal solitary waves happened in the Malacca Strait is an urgent problem for submarine, ship navigation and marine engineering. Based on SAR remote sensing data obtained from the high spatial resolution Sentinel-1 and GF-3, the internal solitary wave characteristics of the Malacca Strait are investigated. By use of 20 Sentinel-1 SAR images from June 2015 to December 2016 and 24 GF-3 images from April 2018 to March 2019, the spatial distribution characteristics of internal solitary wave s are statistically analyzed. It is found that the internal solitary waves are usually in the form of wave packets and single solitary waves, and the maximum crest length of the leading wave can reach 39 km. The amplitude and group velocity of internal solitary wave s can be calculated by the inversion model of high-order nonlinear Schrodinger (NLS) equation, and the calculated amplitude of the internal solitary wave s and the propagation group velocity of the wave packets range from 4.7 m to 23.9 m and 0.12 m/s to 0.40 m/s, respectively. The range of phase velocity of single internal solitary waves obtained by KdV equation is 0.26 m/s to 0.60 m/s. In general, the amplitude and the velocity of internal solitary wave s in Malacca strait are related to the topography.