Observations of semidiurnal M 2 internal tidal parametric subharmonic instability in the northeastern South China Sea

Near-diurnal vertically-standing waves with high vertical wavenumbers k z were observed in the velocity and shear fi elds from a set of 75-d long ADCP moored in the northeastern South China Sea(SCS)away from the“critical”latitude of 28.8°.These enhanced near-diurnal internal waves followed a fortnightly spring-neap cycle.However,they always happened during semidiurnal spring tides rather than diurnal springs although strong diurnal internal tides with the fortnightly spring-neap cycle were prevailing,suggesting that they were generated via subharmonic instability(PSI)of dominant semidiurnal M 2 internal tides.When two semidiurnal internal tidal waves with opposite vertical propagation direction intersected,both semidiurnal subharmonic and super harmonic waves were largely intensifi ed.The observed maximum diurnal velocity amplitudes were up to 0.25 m/s.The kinetic energy and shear spectra further suggested that frequencies of daughter waves were not always perfectly equal to M 2/2.The superposition of two daughter waves with nearly equal frequencies and nearly opposite k z in a PSI-triad leaded to the vertically-standing waves.

Observations of near-inertial waves induced by parametric subharmonic instability

Near-inertial waves(NIWs), which can be generated by wind or the parametric subharmonic instability(PSI) of internal tides, are common in the South China Sea(SCS). Moored current observations from the northern SCS have revealed that the PSI of semidiurnal(D_2) internal tides is another source of NIWs. The objective of this study was to examine the energy variance in the PSI of D_2 tides. The PSI of D_2 internal tides generated NIWs and waves with frequencies around the difference frequency of D_2 and f. The observed NIWs induced by PSI could be distinguished clearly from those elicited by typhoon Krosa. Shortly after Krosa entered the SCS, NIWs began to intensify on the surface and they propagated downward over subsequent days. The near-inertial currents were damped quickly and they became relatively weak before the waves were reinforced beneath the mixed layer when wind stress was relatively weak. Rotation spectra indicated an energy peak at exactly the difference frequency D_2–f of the NIWs and D_2, indicating nonlinear wave-wave interaction among D_2, f, and D_2–f. Depth-time maps of band-pass fi ltered velocities of D_2 –f showed the waves amplifi ed when the NIWs were reinforced, and they intensifi ed at depths with strong D_2 tides. The energies of the NIWs and D_2 –f had high correlation with the D_2 tides. The PSI transferred energy of low-mode D_2 internal tides to high-mode NIWs and D_2–f waves. For the entire observational period, PSI reinforcement was observed only when mesoscale eddies emerged and when D_2 was in spring tide, revealing a close connection between mesoscale eddies and NIWs. Mesoscale eddies could increase the energy in the f-band by enhancing the PSI of D_2 internal tides. Thus, this represents another mechanism linking the energy of mesoscale eddies to that of NIWs.