Sediment Resuspension and Transport by Internal Solitary Waves

Abstract

Large-amplitude internal waves induce currents and turbulence in the bottom boundary layer (BBL) and are thus a key driver of sediment movement on the continental margins. Observations of internal wave–induced sediment resuspension and transport cover significant portions of the world's oceans. Research on BBL instabilities, induced by internal waves, has identified several mechanisms by which the BBL is energized and sediment may be resuspended. Due to the complexity of the induced currents, process-oriented research using theory, direct numerical simulations, and laboratory experiments has played a vital role. However, experiments and simulations have inherent limitations as analogs for oceanic conditions due to disparities in Reynolds number and grid resolution, respectively. Parameterizations are needed for modeling resuspension from observed data and in larger-scale models, with the efficacy of parameterizations based on the quadratic stress largely determining the accuracy of present field-scale efforts.