Monthly variation of some parameters about internal solitary waves in the South China sea

• Wave nonlinearity where bottom topography changes sharply is strongest.
• Wave nonlinear speed and characteristic half-width in deep sea are largest.
• Difference between parameters from shallow-water and finite-depth theories is large.
• Finite-depth theory is fitter to internal solitary wave study in South China Sea.

In this paper, by non-dimensional analysis, it is found that finite-depth theory is more appropriate to the study of internal solitary waves (ISWs) in the South China Sea (SCS) than shallow-water theory. The 1-degree grid data of monthly mean temperature and salinity data at standard levels in the SCS are used to solve the linearized vertical eigenvalue problem. The nonlinear parameter and the wave phase speed are computed, then the nonlinear phase speed and the characteristic half-width of ISWs are calculated respectively by two different theories to investigate the difference between these two parameters in the SCS. The nonlinearity is the strongest near the continental slope of the SCS or islands where the bottom topography changes sharply, it is stronger in summer than that in winter; it increases (decreases) as pycnocline depth deepens (shallows), stratification strengthens (weakens) and pycnocline thickness thins (thickens). The nonlinear wave phase speed and the characteristic half-width are the largest in deep sea area, they then reduce peripherally in shallower water. The nonlinear wave phase speed in the SCS changes slightly with time, but the characteristic half-width changes somewhat larger with time. In most of the SCS basin, the nonlinear wave phase speed derived from shallow-water theory is very close to that derived from finite-depth theory, but the characteristic half-width derived from shallow-water theory is about 0.2–0.6 times larger than that derived from finite-depth theory. The ISW induced horizontal current velocity derived from shallow-water theory is larger than that derived from finite-depth theory. Some observed and numerical modeled ISW characteristic half-widths are compared with those derived from shallow-water and finite-depth theories, respectively. It is shown that, the characteristic half-widths derived from finite-depth theory agree better with observational and numerical modeled results than those derived from shallow-water theory in most cases, finite-depth theory is more applicable to the estimation of ISW characteristic half-widths in the northern SCS. It is also suggested that, to derive the precise ISW parameters in further study, the physical non-dimensional ratios which are related with ISW characteristic half-width, amplitude, thermocline and water depths should be calculated, so that an appropriate theory can be chosen for estimation.