Internal tides responsible for lithogenic inputs along the Iberian
continental slope
Abstract
This study details sediment resuspension due to internal tides (ITs) and
the subsequent propagation of suspended particles along and off the
Iberian continental slope. Five resuspension sites are identified along
the western Iberian shelf slope using a tidal regional model of the Bay
of Biscay and Iberian continental shelf. Two sites are sources of
lithogenic material, one is a source of biogenic matter, and two are
sources of a mixture of both. The potential pathways for particles from
the resuspension sites toward the GEOVIDE stations are identified using
IBIRYS reanalysis to infer their transport by the ocean circulation. It
appears that each station is influenced by a specific pathway and mixed
particles from several resuspension sites. This methodology enables us
to establish more realistic interpretations of the geochemical in situ
observations combining distinct modeling of ITs and oceanic circulation
as well as in situ sediment properties. It also reveals that the
criticality of the bathymetry slope, commonly used to track the
potential occurrence of ITs, is not sufficient to investigate their role
in sediment resuspension. An explicit resolution of ITs using a
numerical tidal model is required for an exhaustive identification of
the resuspension sites.