Run-up of internal waves on a gentle slope in a two-layered system

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Abstract
This paper describes the dissipative phase of internal-wave run-up on uniform slopes of 0.030 and 0.054 rad as observed in a series of laboratory experiments. The waves were generated continuously at the interface of two miscible layers of differing density. As each wave in the perodic train propagated onto the slope, it steepened and developed into a solitary-like wave before finally overturning. Surrounding fluid was engulfed into the wave as it overturned and the resulting gravitational instability produced considerable turbulence and mixing. The broken wave took the form of a discrete bolus of dense fluid which propagated for some distance up the slope. Bulk parameters which characterize the nature of the bolus were defined and the dependence of these on the incident wave parameters and their behaviour during the run-up phase were examined.