The initiation of sedimentary furrows by standing internal waves

Longitudinal helical vortices are generally considered to be the cause of longitudinal sedimentary bedforms. In tidal oscillatory flows, however, it is not clear how a regular system of vortices will become fixed for long enough to establish the bedforms. It is proposed that the presence of standing internal waves, with axes parallel to the tidal current, have provided the basic flow pattern on which longitudinal helical vortices develop in Southampton Water. The observed furrows then developed in a pattern determined by the standing internal waves.