IWISTx

Our objective is to understand and quantify sediment transport processes on continental shelves and slopes by internal solitary waves (ISW) using in-situ observations and physics-based modeling. We hypothesize that internal waves may generate strong near-bed flows that are capable of generating sediment transport to alter seafloor roughness and create bedforms across the continental shelf. Our long-term goal is to develop a new modeling capability to estimate sediment transport across continental shelf driven by ISW. We will use field observations and physics-based models to improve our understanding of sediment transport by shoaling ISW in continental shelf waters deeper than 50 m. Our study will be composed of 3 main tasks: 1) field experiment to collect in-situ observations of water-column and near-bed morphodynamics where ISW occur in continental shelf waters, 2) quantify ISW contribution to bottom stress (which drives sediment transport) from near-bed velocity, and 3) estimate near-bed velocities from thermocline oscillations of ISW. These tasks are structured to arrive at the project deliverable of a new modeling capability to estimate sediment transport across continental shelf driven by ISW.