Mechanisms of Reappeared Period Shifts of Internal Solitary Waves Based on Mooring Array Observations in the Northern South China Sea

Abstract

Mooring observations have revealed that the daily reappeared time (DRt) of internal solitary waves (ISWs) in the northern South China Sea (SCS) manifests systematic shifts. This study aims to reveal the dynamic mechanisms behind this phenomenon using the theory of modulation of shear flow to the internal tide wave (IT) propagation. Approximate solutions for the frequency modulation function (FMF) and the amplitude modulation function (AMF) of ITs are derived and validated by the mooring array measurements on the northern SCS continental shelf in 2019 and 2020. Namely, the mechanisms of the ISW reappeared period shift (RPS derived from DRt) and amplitude variation are attributed to the modulation of low-frequency flow with a period of about 7 days to ITs. The FMF is induced by the vorticity of the low-frequency flow (FS1) and the Doppler shift (FS2). Thus, the sign of the FMF value may be positive (blue shift) and negative (red shift), depending on the algebraic summation of the two terms. The FS2 derived from mooring observed velocities confirms the modulation effects of mean current on the frequency shift and the amplitude variation of ITs and ISWs.