High-Resolution Simulations of Nonlinear Internal Gravity Waves in the South China Sea

We employ the parallel, unstructured-grid, nonhydrostatic coastal ocean model SUNTANS to simulate the formation and evolution of internal gravity waves in the South China Sea, a site of some of the largest observed internal waves on Earth. The use of unstructured grids enables the simulations to capture the multiscale behavior of the waves, while the nonhydrostatic capability of the model enables simulation of solitary-like internal gravity waves. The results compare well to satellite imagery and reveal that the dominant internal wave signal in the South China Sea arises from internal waves that are generated daily at the eastern ridge of a two-ridge system in the Luzon Strait, on the eastern boundary of the sea.