Interaction of internal waves with the seafloor on the Namibian shelf (SE Atlantic Ocean): Implications for seafloor geomorphology

Abstract The long‐term impact of internal waves on sedimentation and seafloor geomorphology remains poorly constrained. Evidence from geophysical, sedimentological and oceanographic data, complemented by satellite observations from the Namibian shelf, suggests that internal waves breaking on the seafloor can generate straight, alongslope escarpments and channels. The interaction between internal waves and the seafloor induces sediment resuspension and the formation of a nepheloid layer, observed within an area of the seafloor dominated by erosional surfaces. Particle resuspension and transport, together with diapycnal mixing generated by internal waves, may also influence the development of benthic ecosystems and exert a key control on the transport and burial of organic carbon in marine sediments.