Sediment resuspension and the generation of intermediate nepheloid layers by shoaling internal bores

Abstract

Abstract Numerical simulations of sediment resuspension due to shoaling internal bores are performed with a nonhydrostatic model, SUNTANS. Results show strong sediment resuspension induced by internal bores and a turbidity layer intruding offshore in the interior of the water column, known as an intermediate nepheloid layer (INL). Sediment resuspension processes and INLs reproduced in the model are in good agreement with observational data from Otuschi Bay, Japan. The formation of INLs by shoaling internal waves is explained as follows: (1) strong receding currents due to a previous run-up bore cause sediment resuspension along the slope, (2) the interaction of the receding currents and a subsequent run-up bore induce horizontal flow convergence and strong upward currents, (3) the upward currents lift the suspended sediments into the interior of the water column, (4) the run-up bore intrudes below the suspended sediments and forms an INL within the pycnocline. Sediment resuspension processes are also investigated for various internal Iribarren number conditions. The internal Iribarren number represents the ratio of the topographic slope to the internal wave steepness. In low internal Iribarren number conditions, strong currents near the bottom result in sediment resuspension and INL formation. In high internal Iribarren number conditions, sediment resuspension is weak, and INLs do not form.