Laboratory Study of the Impact of the Surface Solitary Waves Created by the Internal Solitary Waves on Optical Imaging

Abstract The effects of Surface Solitary Waves (SSWs), which are created by Internal Solitary Waves (ISWs), on optical imaging were investigated in this paper. We explored the connection between SSWs and optical images using simulations and experiments with calm water surface conditions. An experimental platform was built in a controlled laboratory environment where optical images and in‐situ wave data could be gathered simultaneously. SSWs created by different ISWs were successfully observed. The optical images revealed inverse bright and dark patterns for different ISW types (depression or elevation type). Based on theories and experimental results, simulation models of the ISWs and SSWs were built in Unigraphics NX. Using the illumination simulation function of Light Tools, the reason underlying the reversed patterns was explained by the irradiance distribution. Both the experiment and simulation indicated that the SSWs created by the ISWs affected the characteristics of optical images. To further explore how SSWs affect imaging, 16 experiments were designed to investigate the effects of ISW type, amplitude, and water density ratio. It is found that the relationship among the SSW amplitude, ISW amplitude, and density ratio was consistent with earlier studies. The relationships between imaging characteristics (grayscale differences and pattern widths) and the two types of SSWs were consistent.