The Character Study on Shear Instability of Ocean Internal Waves in Strong Semi-Diurnal Tidal Currents

Zhang Yufei; Zhang Yongchui; Huang Hong; Zhang Ming

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Zhang Yufei，Zhang Yongchui，Huang Hong, et al. The Character Study on Shear Instability of Ocean Internal Waves in Strong Semi-Diurnal Tidal Currents[J]. Haiyang Xuebao，2025, 47(x)：1–13

Citation:

Zhang Yufei，Zhang Yongchui，Huang Hong, et al. The Character Study on Shear Instability of Ocean Internal Waves in Strong Semi-Diurnal Tidal Currents[J]. Haiyang Xuebao，2025, 47(x)：1–13

Citation:

Zhang Yufei，Zhang Yongchui，Huang Hong, et al. The Character Study on Shear Instability of Ocean Internal Waves in Strong Semi-Diurnal Tidal Currents[J]. Haiyang Xuebao，2025, 47(x)：1–13

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The Character Study on Shear Instability of Ocean Internal Waves in Strong Semi-Diurnal Tidal Currents

Zhang Yufei^{1, 3
,},
Zhang Yongchui²,
Huang Hong²,
Zhang Ming^{2
,
,}

1.
National Satellite Ocean Application Service, Beijing 100081, China
2.
Laboratory of Atmospheric Circulation and Short-range Climate Forecast, Meteorological and Oceanographic College, National University of Defense Technology, Nanjing 211101, China
3.
Ocean University of China, Qingdao 266100, China

Received Date: 2025-02-06
Rev Recd Date: 2025-09-02

Available Online: 2025-09-15

Abstract

Abstract

A two-dimensional numerical model of ocean internal waves is established by using the non-static governing equations of the waves without seafloor topography to study the generation, development and evolution characteristics, as well as the structure and properties of internal waves under the background flow, which is the superposition of steady vertical shear flow and the strong barotropic semi-diurnal tidal currents. The main research results are as follows: When there is an initial disturbance and only the tidal currents is used as the background flow, the disturbance will not develop. When the barotropic semi-diurnal tidal currents and the steady vertical shear flows are superimposed as the background flow, the disturbance shows shear instability, and its energy shows an increasing trend and a wave-like change in the same phase as the tidal current. After the internal waves were generated, showing a moving in the direction of forward and reverse shear flow synchronized with the period of the tidal current. The forward moving was much faster than the reverse moving, and overall it moved along the direction of forward shear flow, indicating that the tidal current had a modulating effect on the development of internal waves. The flow function disturbance of the internal wave presents a wave packet shape composed of multiple closed positive and negative circles, with the circulation center appearing in the middle of the water body. The main body of density disturbance appears near the pycnocline and is captured by the pycnocline. Due to the interaction between tidal currents and disturbances, a single frequency harmonic wave can be transformed into a wave packet containing many frequencies, known as the frequency conversion effect of currents. This effect significantly reduces the growth rate of internal wave shear instability and has the characteristics of maintaining stability. The overall trend of the group velocity of internal waves is along the direction of shear flow. The horizontal scale of the unstable internal waves is basically independent of the initial disturbance value. The nature of this internal waves are non-equilibrium gravitational (inertial) waves.
- ocean internal waves,
- strong bartropic tidal currents,
- Vertical shear flows,
- disturbance instability,
- pycnocline.

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References(31)

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