Thea Josefine Ellevold: Internal Solitary Waves - Invisible waves in the ocean

Internal solitary waves (ISWs) are underwater waves of great amplitude moving horizontally in the layered ocean. The waves induce a velocity field which is felt both at the ocean surface, throughout the entire water column, and at the bottom. When of great amplitude, the waves induce a vortex wake in the bottom boundary layer behind the wave and transport water in the vertical direction displacing, e.g., sediments from the bottom. A fundamental mechanism in the ocean ecosystem is the vertical mixing and movement of particles, e.g., biological materials. In this talk, we present numerical simulations of ISWs of depression and of large amplitude by replicating a laboratory experiment. Furthermore, we discuss the dynamics of ISW-sediment interactions and illustrate particle movements, trajectories, and particle distribution in the water column under the influence of ISWs of large amplitude.