The motion of an internal solitary wave of depression over a fixed bottom boundary in a shallow, two-layer fluid

The motion of a large-amplitude internal solitary wave of depression over a fixed bottom boundary in a shallow, two-layer fluid is investigated experimentally. Measurements of the velocity fields close to the bottom boundary are presented to illustrate the generation of an unsteady boundary jet along the bed. The formation of the jet, the structural characteristics of which show striking similarities with those predicted by recent numerical model studies by Diamessis and Redekopp [J. Phys. Oceanogr. (in press)], is attributed to boundary layer separation in the adverse pressure gradient region of the wave-induced flow.