Spatial and temporal variability in mode-1 and mode-2 internal solitary waves from MODIS-Terra sun glint off the Amazon shelf

Abstract. The Amazon shelf is a key region for intense internal tides (ITs) and nonlinear internal solitary wave (ISWs) generation associated with them. The region shows well-marked seasonal variability (from March to July, MAMJJ, and from August to December, ASOND) of the circulation and stratification, which can both induce changes in the ISW physical characteristics. The description of the seasonal and neap–spring tidal variability in the ISWs off the Amazon shelf is performed for the first time using a meaningful data set composed of 140 MODIS-Terra imagery from 2005 to 2021, where about 500 ISW signatures were identified in the sun glint region. Previous studies have documented the existence of mode-1 ISWs, but the region appears as a newly described hotspot for mode-2 ISWs. ISW packets separated by typical mode-1 (95–170 km; 2.1–3.8 m s−1) and mode-2 (46–85 km; 1.0–1.9 m s−1) IT wavelengths have been identified and mapped coming from different IT generation sites. For each ISW, a group of waves (3 to 10) is generally follows the largest crest. The intra-packet distance between each wave in the group is about 10 to 20 km. Regions of higher occurrence of ISWs are spaced by a IT mode-1 wavelength. We make the assumption that it might correspond to the IT reflection beams at the surface, which may generate newer ISWs. The mean mode-1 and mode-2 inter-packet distances do not show significant differences according to their IT generation sites. The ISW activity is higher (more than 60 % of signatures) during spring tides than neap tides. In the region under the influence of the North Equatorial Counter Current (NECC), ISWs are separated by a mean mode-1 IT wavelength which is 14.3 % higher during ASOND than during MAMJJ due to a deeper thermocline and the reinforcement of the NECC. These ISWs are also characterized by a wider inter-packet distance distribution (higher standard deviation) that may be related to the stronger eddy kinetic energy (EKE) during ASOND compared to MAMJJ. The mean inter-packet distance of mode-2 ISWs remains almost unchanged during the two seasons, but the inter-packet distance distribution is wider in ASOND than in MAMJJ as for mode 1. Note that these results need to be treated with caution, as only few occurrences of mode-2 waves were found during MAMJJ. In the region of the NECC, the direction of propagation for all modes is very similar in MAMJJ (about 30∘ clockwise from the north), whereas, for ASOND, the ISWs propagate in a wider pathway (from 0 to 60∘ clockwise from the north), due to a much larger eddy activity. During ASOND, as the background flux goes further east, the inter-packet distances become larger (4 % for mode 1 and 7.8 % for mode 2). These results show that the reinforcement of the NECC in ASOND appears to play a role in diverting the waves towards the east, increasing their phase velocities and their eastern traveling direction component when compared to MAMJJ. Calculations of the IT velocities using the Taylor–Goldstein equation supported our results regarding the presence of ISWs associated with mode-2 ITs and additionally the IT seasonal variability.