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Abstract
High current velocities of a transitory nature have been recorded on the Australian continental shelf. This study attempts to determine if these are due to some form of breaking internal waves. Simple predictive models were developed. A series of experiments attempted to verify the predictive model: breaker height index for an internal wave and the height and celerity of the broken wave to the stage of runup. In most cases, experimental results were in good agreement with the predicted values. Although it has not been possible to relate the observed transient velocities to the breaking mechanisms, empirical relations indicating the magnitude and temporal extenty of these velocities was obtained.