The Xiamen Symposium on Marine Environmental Sciences

2027 Xiamen Symposium on Marine Environmental Sciences

January 12-15, 2027

Observations of Mixed-Layer Deepening by Large-Amplitude Internal-Wave Breaking in the Northern South China Sea
ID:493 Poster Presentation

2027-01-15 18:00 (China Standard Time)

Session:Session 76 - Internal Waves and Ocean Mixing

Abstract
Large-amplitude internal waves transport energy from the open ocean toward continental slopes and shelves, where shoaling and instability can enhance turbulent mixing and alter upper-ocean structure. However, direct observations linking nearshore internal-wave activity to mixed-layer evolution remain limited. This study investigates a large-amplitude internal-wave event observed over the nearshore slope of the southern Taiwan Strait using coordinated shipboard, satellite, and model-based observations. Shipboard acoustic Doppler current profiler measurements, sea-surface photographs, and satellite imagery revealed pronounced velocity anomalies and surface signatures consistent with a shoreward-propagating internal wave. Microstructure observations collected before and after the wave passage showed substantial changes in the upper-ocean density structure, including mixed-layer deepening and downward displacement of the pycnocline. The observed mixed-layer variation was considerably larger than the low-frequency background variability represented by regional model fields. Enhanced turbulent dissipation, increased Thorpe overturning, elevated buoyancy Reynolds numbers, and more frequent low Richardson numbers were observed near the mixed-layer base and upper pycnocline following the wave passage. Temperature-salinity characteristics did not indicate the arrival of a distinct new water mass, suggesting that the hydrographic changes were more consistent with enhanced local vertical mixing than with strong lateral water-mass replacement. An event-scale energy comparison further showed that the enhanced turbulence was energetically consistent with the observed mixed-layer deepening. These results provide observational evidence that the shoaling of large-amplitude internal waves over nearshore slopes can be accompanied by intensified turbulence and rapid reorganization of the upper-ocean mixed layer. Such intermittent processes may contribute importantly to coastal and marginal-sea mixing but remain difficult to resolve in regional models and reanalysis products.
 
Speaker
Qian Chen State Key Laboratory of Marine Environmental Science, and College of Ocean and Earth Sciences, Xiamen University

Author
qian chen State Key Laboratory of Marine Environmental Science, and College of Ocean and Earth Sciences, Xiamen University, Xiamen, China

    Important Dates

    • Jan 30

      2026

      Session / Event proposals open

    • Mar 31

      2026

      Session / Event proposals close
      (Extended to April 7)

    • Apr 30

      2026

      Session acceptance notifications

    • Apr 30

      2026

      Abstract submissions & registration open

    • Jun 30

      2026

      Abstract submissions close
      (Extended to July 21)

    • Aug 31

      2026

      Abstract acceptance notifications

    • Sep 15

      2026

      Scientific program released

    • Oct 15

      2026

      Early bird registration closes

    • Jan 12–15

      2027

      XMAS 2027