Source site of internal solitary waves in the northern South China of westward shoaling thermocline

Abstract. This study use a three dimensional general circulation model, MITgcm with non-hydrostatic option, to study the source site of internal solitary waves (ISWs) observed in the northern South China Sea. Simulation reveals that besides Luzon Strait, ISWs in the northern SCS are also generated around Dongsha Islands and near the continental shelf break. It is one of the reasons that there are more wave package to the west of 120° E in SAR images, and even more to the west of 118° E. The generation process and propagation feature of ISWs in these source sites are described.