Estimated Speed of Aves Ridge Solitons Packets by Analysis of
Sequential Images from the Moderate Resolution Imaging
Spectroradiometer (MODIS)
By
Edwin Alfonso-Sosa, Ph. D.
September 24, 2012
Recently, 250-m resolution MODIS images acquired by the Earth Observing System Terra and Aqua Satellites during
sunglint conditions allowed us to survey high-frequency nonlinear internal solitary wave occurrences on a near-global
scale (Christopher Jackson, 2007). It is possible to detect internal solitons packets leaving the generation area during
fortuitous conditions: minimum cloud cover, near-specular reflectance pattern of sunlight off the ocean surface
(sunglint) and strong oceanic stratification. On a few days of September 2012 all these favorable conditions concurred
allowing us to track the movement of solitons packets across the Caribbean Sea. Some of the packets traveled 540 km
from Aves Ridge toward Puerto Rico, exciting coastal seiches as was hypothesized by Chapman and Giese (1990). Others
traveled toward Curacao and the Netherland Antilles. Two sets of sequential images were analyzed. The first set covers
SEP 01-04 2012 (YD 245-YD 248) and the second set covers SEP 17-20 2012 (YD 261-YD 264). September is the peak
month of the hurricane season, but luckily most of the tracks were far from the Caribbean Sea and the cloud cover was
notably reduced. The first MODIS image shows four solitons packets west from Aves Ridge, they are named: Lopez245,
Hollander245, Harris and the farthest is Forel. The suffix corresponds to the image yearday. For example, Lopez246 is
the same soliton packet, but one day later. The traveled distance was measured by georefencing the images in Google
Earth and using the application called ruler. Distance traveled measurements were calculated using only the lead soliton
of each packet. We obtained 87 km for Lopez246. The time of each image comes from the metadata file. Time interval
between successive images is 78300 seconds. Dividing travel distance by time interval we obtained a soliton speed of
1.11 m/s. Table 1 displays the calculated lead soliton celerity for Lopez and Hollander packets. A simple visual inspection
of the sequential images shows an evolution within the wave packets. The solitons separation distance (SS) increases the
wave packet width (WPW). The ratio of these two physical parameters, SS/WPW, follows a logarithmic curve for the
Harris Packet (Figure 1). If we plot this ratio against the waves source distance we get a useful linear trend (Figure 2).
Plotting the linear trends for each wave packet (of the first set) against the lead soliton distance allowed us to get a clear
picture of packet evolution, as they move away from the source. The trend lines slope have a tendency to reduce their
values as the packets move away from Aves Ridge (Figure 3). Plotting the slopes of the trend lines (Table 2) against the
lead soliton distance from Aves Ridge shows a logarithmic decrease in the slope value, as we move away from the
source (Figure 4). This evidence supports that the spreading of the solitons occurred just after passing over the Aves
Ridge. The origin point for our distance measurements was selected at the southern tip of the prominent crest, the
origin coordinates were: 14°03’ 12” N, 63°36’ 35” W. There are several MODIS images of internal solitary waves about
10-20 km east of this location moving west toward our origin position, these images show one or two solitary waves but
not packets (see last MODIS image of this paper). These waves could be a lee wave before been released or a solitary
wave generated at other ridge crest about 100 km East. Just after the solitary waves passed over the Aves Ridge the
soliton packets appeared. It is interesting to note that the horizontal scale of soliton packet separation is of the order of
100 km. The second set of images shows packet Apel moving SW (237°) toward Curacao and the Netherland Antilles
and packet Chapman moving NW (294°) toward Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic. From the image analysis we
obtained a speed of 0.81 m/s for the lead soliton of packet Apel. The lead soliton speed of packet Chapman ranged
between 1.22 m/s and 1.75 m/s (Table 3). The estimated time of arrival (ETA) of the soliton packet to Puerto Rico is
shown on Table 4. The true arrival time was mark as the start of large seiche oscillations (> 0.4 feet) in the tidal record of
Magueyes Island (Figure 5). Our ETA’s were offset by 11 hours from the true arrival time (Table 5). One day later, a
second package arrived and excited more large amplitude oscillations. Assuming an average package separation distance
of 92.5 km, it is possible to estimate a speed of 0.97 m/s. In conclusion, our analysis of the second set of MODIS images
revealed that soliton packages speeds ranged between 1.22 to 1.75 m/s, equivalent to a travel time of 3.6 to 5.1 days to
reach Isla Magueyes, Puerto Rico.
Top: Modis Image: LesserAntilles.2012245.aqua.721.250m (01/SEP/2012 17:30 UTC)
Bottom: Modis Image: LesserAntilles.2012246.terra.721.250m (02/SEP/2012 15:15 UTC).
Morell
Susanto
Lopez248
Modis Image: LesserAntilles_2012248_terra_721_250m (04/SEP/2012 15:00 UTC).
Table1. Traveled distance and soliton celerity based on multiple image analysis.
Wave packet
name
Lopez246
Hollander246
Lopez248
Time
Lead
Traveled
Interval
soliton
between
distance
separation
(km)
Images
(km)
(s)
87
70
134.6
7
9
11
78300
78300
171900
Lead
soliton
celerity
(m/s)
1.11
0.89
0.78
Figure 1. Ratio between Soliton Separation (SS) and Wave Packet Width (WPW) for each soliton in the packet.
Figure 2. Ratio SS/WPW for each soliton versus distance from source.
Figure 3. Ratio SS/WPW for eight soliton packets on three different days. The trend lines slope have a tendency to reduce their values as the
packets move away from the source.
Table2. Trend line slope and R-squared for each soliton packet.
Wave Packet
Name
Lead
soliton
distance
from
source
Lopez245
Lopez246
Hollander245
Susanto
Hollander246
Harris
Lopez248
Forel
22.9
99.29
122.78
166.29
189.57
228.26
243.6
265.38
Slope
0.0229
0.0091
0.0065
0.0033
0.0042
0.0024
0.0016
0.0027
R-Squared
1
0.98
0.9863
0.7617
0.9463
0.9384
0.9317
0.8714
Figure 4. Logaritmic decrease in the slope.
Top: MODIS image: LesserAntilles.2012261.aqua.721.250m. 17-SEP 2012 17:30 UTC.
Bottom: MODIS image: LesserAntilles.2012262.terra.721.250m. 18-SEP-2012 15:10 UTC.
Top: MODIS image: LesserAntilles.2012262.terra.721.250m. 18-SEP-2012 15:10 UTC.
Bottom: MODIS image: LesserAntilles_2012263_aqua_250m. 19-SEP-2012 17:20 UTC.
MODIS image: LesserAntilles.2012264.terra.250m. 20-SEP-2012 15:00 UTC.
Table3. Traveled distance and soliton celerity based on multiple image analysis. The suffix in the wave packet name represents the yearday of
the image.
Wave packet
name
Traveled
distance
(km)
Apel261
Apel262
Chapman262
Chapman263
Chapman264
62.96
114.68
136.55
Lead
soliton
separation
(km)
Distance
from Aves
Ridge
(km)
7
9.84
6.24
4.14
1.69
174
236.96
116.26
230.94
367.49
Time
Interval
between
Images
(s)
Soliton
Celerity
(m/s)
78000
0.81
94200
78000
1.22
1.75
Table4. Estimated Time of Arrival (ETA) based on soliton celerity versus the true arrival time of the first wave packet.
Wave Packet
Name
Distance
to Run
(km)
Travel
Time
(d)
Chapman263
309.1
2.94
Chapman264
172.5
1.14
Estimated
Time of
Arrival
(ETA)
9/22/12
15:51
9/21/12
18:22
Arrival
of First
Packet
9/22/12
5:12
9/22/12
5:12
Arrival
minus
ETA
(h)
-10.7
10.8
Figure5. Water Level at Magueyes Island shows large amplitude coastal seiches excited by the arrival of two soliton packets. First excitation was
observed on 20120922 05:12 GMT and the second on 20120923 07:36 GMT.
Table5. Estimated soliton celerity based on the time interval between the arrivals of two soliton packets responsible for the seiche excitation.
Time
Interval
between
Packets
(d)
Time
Interval
between
Packets
(s)
Average
Distance
between
Packets
(km)
Soliton
Celerity
(m/s)
1.1
95040
92.5
0.973
MODIS image: LesserAntilles.2010091.terra.721.250m. April 1, 2010 14:55 UTC
References
Alfonso-Sosa, E., 2011. ¿Dónde están los solitones? : mecanismo necesario para explicar los seiches costeros en la Isla
Magueyes. Reprint 12851, Marine Science Collection, UPR-RUM General Library. 11 pp.
Christopher Jackson, 2007. Internal wave detection using the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS).
JOURNAL OF GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH, VOL. 112, C11012, doi:10.1029/2007JC004220.
Giese, G.S., Chapman, D.C., Black, P.G., Fornshell, J.A., 1990. Causation of large-amplitude coastal seiches on the
Caribbean coast of Puerto Rico. Journal of Physical Oceanography 20, 1449-1458