ROC researchers join in South China Sea study

2015-05-15

Researchers from Taiwan’s National Sun Yat-sen University and National Taiwan University recently participated in an international study on the energy potential of internal gravity waves in the South China Sea.

Strong currents generated in the Luzon Strait south of Taiwan and wave heights of up to 200 meters result in turbulence levels 10,000 times that in the open sea. Subsequent internal waves are capable of generating 30 megawatts, or 75 percent of Taiwan’s current power capacity, according to findings published in the May 7 issue of renowned science journal Nature.

“The dramatic energy fluxes spell immense potential as a source of power generation,” said Wang Yu-huai, an associate professor at NSYSU’s Department of Oceanography. “We are now looking at ways to harness the waves.”

Wang said such phenomenal wave formation is created by the westward movement of tides from the Pacific Ocean into the South China Sea.

“The channeling of tides through two underwater ridges 2,000 to 2,500 meters in elevation between Taiwan’s Hengchun Peninsula and the northern tip of the Philippines generates 150-meter waves.

“But there are good and bad points to the internal wave mechanism. The vertical mixing of waters pumps cold, nutrient-rich seawater to the surface, protecting coral from overheating caused by climate change and contributing to the sustainability of maritime organisms.

“At the same time, submarines may suddenly drop hundred meters impacted by underwater waves, and the structures of oil rigs are susceptible to damage as well.”

The findings are the result of a 15-year project between Taiwan, Canadian, French, South Korean and U.S. scientists. Other tertiary education institutions involved include Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Stanford University and University of California San Diego.

Source: Taiwan Today (http://taiwantoday.tw/ct.asp?xItem=230421&ctNode=413)