Articles | Volume 29, issue 2
https://doi.org/10.5194/npg-29-141-2022
© Author(s) 2022. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Special issue:
https://doi.org/10.5194/npg-29-141-2022
© Author(s) 2022. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Regional study of mode-2 internal solitary waves at the Pacific coast of Central America using marine seismic survey data
Wenhao Fan
State Key laboratory of Marine Geology, School of Ocean and Earth
Science, Tongji University, Shanghai, 200092, China
State Key laboratory of Marine Geology, School of Ocean and Earth
Science, Tongji University, Shanghai, 200092, China
Yi Gong
State Key laboratory of Marine Geology, School of Ocean and Earth
Science, Tongji University, Shanghai, 200092, China
Shun Yang
State Key laboratory of Marine Geology, School of Ocean and Earth
Science, Tongji University, Shanghai, 200092, China
Kun Zhang
State Key laboratory of Marine Geology, School of Ocean and Earth
Science, Tongji University, Shanghai, 200092, China
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Linghan Meng, Haibin Song, Yongxian Guan, Shun Yang, Kun Zhang, and Mengli Liu
Nonlin. Processes Geophys., 31, 477–495, https://doi.org/10.5194/npg-31-477-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/npg-31-477-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
With seismic data, we observed high-frequency internal waves (HIWs) with amplitudes of around 10 m. A shoaling thermocline and gentle slope suggest that HIWs result from fission. Remote sensing data support this. Strong shear caused Ri below 0.25 over 20–30 km, indicating instability. HIWs enhance mixing, averaging 10-4 m2s-1, revealing a new energy cascade from shoaling waves to turbulence, and enhancing our understanding of energy dissipation and mixing in the northern South China Sea.
Yi Gong, Haibin Song, Zhongxiang Zhao, Yongxian Guan, Kun Zhang, Yunyan Kuang, and Wenhao Fan
Nonlin. Processes Geophys., 28, 445–465, https://doi.org/10.5194/npg-28-445-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/npg-28-445-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
When the internal solitary wave propagates to the continental shelf and slope, the polarity reverses due to the shallower water depth. In this process, the internal solitary wave dissipates energy and enhances diapycnal mixing, thus affecting the local oceanic environment. In this study, we used reflection seismic data to evaluate the spatial distribution of the diapycnal mixing around the polarity-reversing internal solitary waves.
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Short summary
Compared with mode-1 internal solitary waves (ISWs), mode-2 ISWs in the ocean require further study. A mass of mode-2 ISWs developing at the Pacific coast of Central America have been imaged using seismic reflection data. We find that the relationship between the mode-2 ISW propagation speed and amplitude is diverse. It is affected by seawater depth, pycnocline depth, and pycnocline thickness. The ISW vertical amplitude structure is affected by the ISW nonlinearity and the pycnocline deviation.
Compared with mode-1 internal solitary waves (ISWs), mode-2 ISWs in the ocean require further...
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