https://doi.org/10.1140/epjs/s11734-025-01852-0
Regular Article
Numerical simulation of internal solitary waves generation and propagation in the northern South China Sea under the influence of various factors
College of Mathematics and Systems Science, Shandong University of Science and Technology, 266590, Qingdao, China
a
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Received:
27
May
2025
Accepted:
8
August
2025
Published online:
21
August
2025
Abstract
Internal solitary waves (ISWs) play a critical role in ocean dynamics, engineering safety, and marine ecosystems, particularly in the northern South China Sea where they occur frequently. Their propagation is significantly influenced by the ocean dynamic environment. This paper mainly investigates the effects of seafloor topography, oceanic thermohaline stratification, and the Kuroshio Current on the generation and propagation of tidally generated ISWs in the northern South China Sea. First, idealized topography data, oceanic thermohaline stratification data, and Kuroshio current data were developed. Then, a continuous layered numerical model based on the Korteweg–de Vries theory was constructed. Furthermore, the generation and propagation of ISWs in the northern South China Sea were numerically simulated to investigate the influence of these three factors. The results indicate that the nonlinear phase velocity variation of ISWs in the northern South China Sea is influenced by the topographic slope, and the enhanced nonlinear effect of the parabolic continental slope leads to rapid phase velocity changes. Seasonal variations in water temperature and salinity in the surface layer of the ocean lead to differences in vertical temperature differences and stratification intensity. This causes the propagation velocity of ISWs to be significantly faster than the annual average in summer and autumn, but slower in spring and winter. When the flow direction of the Kuroshio is perpendicular to the propagation direction of the ISW, the influence of the Kuroshio on the propagation of the ISW is relatively small.
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Guocai Rong, Huanhe Dong, Yong Fang, and Yuan Kong contributed equally to this work.
© The Author(s), under exclusive licence to EDP Sciences, Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature 2025
Springer Nature or its licensor (e.g. a society or other partner) holds exclusive rights to this article under a publishing agreement with the author(s) or other rightsholder(s); author self-archiving of the accepted manuscript version of this article is solely governed by the terms of such publishing agreement and applicable law.
