Interaction and generation of long-crested internal solitary waves in the South China Sea

Abstract

[1] Oblique nonlinear interactions based on the Kadomtsev-Petviashvili equation (also known as the two-dimensional Korteweg–de Vries equation) are extended to internal solitary waves (ISWs) to explain why the amplitude does not decrease owing to the geometric spreading of the cylindrical wavefronts in the South China Sea (SCS). This resonance theory is used to explain a satellite image exhibiting special features, and it is proposed that wave arcs of different amplitude resonate, providing a mechanism for reinforcing a wave by boosting the amplitude. The present theory suggests the amplitude of the ISW that propagates across the SCS basin depends on the interaction of ISWs originating from different sources; hence, studying the generation of an ISW from a single source location cannot predict the ISW correctly.