Articles | Volume 31, issue 4
https://doi.org/10.5194/npg-31-477-2024
https://doi.org/10.5194/npg-31-477-2024
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21 Oct 2024
Research article | Highlight paper |  | 21 Oct 2024

Energy transfer from internal solitary waves to turbulence via high-frequency internal waves: seismic observations in the northern South China Sea

Linghan Meng, Haibin Song, Yongxian Guan, Shun Yang, Kun Zhang, and Mengli Liu

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The authors make innovative use of seismic data to gain new insights into ocean dynamics, particularly regarding nonlinear internal waves and mixing processes.
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.