A mechanism for sediment resuspension by internal solitary waves

A mechanism whereby internal solitary waves can lead to enhanced resuspensi on in coastal regions is presented. The mechanism involves the creation of a local region of separated flow in the boundary layer under the footprint of a wave. This region is susceptible to a global instability which leads t o a coherent dynamics in which gradients in the normal and tangential stres ses acting on the bottom surface are increased tenfold. Such increased bott om stresses and the spatio-temporal character of the flow combine to produc e conditions favorable for resuspension.