Experiments were carried out in a wave flume on internal solitary wave (ISW) of depression-type propagating over a submarine ridge in triangular shape. Tests were arranged in series from combinations of submarine ridges in different height and ISW in different wave amplitudes. The resultant wave motions were found differing from that of surface gravity waves. Experimental results suggested the blockage parameter $ζ$ can be applied to classify various degrees of ISW–ridge interaction, i.e., $ζ<0.5$ for weak encounter, $0.5<ζ<0.7$ for moderate encounter, and $0.7<ζ$ for wave breaking. In addition, three categories of ISW–ridge interaction were also employed by the relationship between the degree of blocking $B$ and dimensionless wave amplitude $ai∕H2$.

1.
Helfrich
,
K. R.
,
Melville
,
W. K.
, and
Miles
,
J. W.
, 1984, “
On Interfacial Solitary Waves Over Slowly Varying Topography
,”
J. Fluid Mech.
0022-1120,
149
, pp.
305
317
.
2.
Helfrich
,
K. R.
, and
Melville
,
W. K.
, 1986, “
On Long Nonlinear Internal Waves Over Slope-Shelf Topography
,”
J. Fluid Mech.
0022-1120,
167
, pp.
285
308
.
3.
Chen
,
C. Y.
,
Hsu
,
J. R. C.
,
Chen
,
H. H.
,
Kuo
,
C. F.
, and
Cheng
,
M. H.
, 2006, “
Laboratory Observations of Internal Solitary Wave Evolution on Steep and Inverse Uniform Slopes
,”
Ocean Eng.
0029-8018,
34
, pp.
157
170
.
4.
Chen
,
C. Y.
,
Hsu
,
J. R. C.
,
Cheng
,
M. H.
,
Chen
,
H. H.
, and
Kuo
,
C. F.
, 2006, “
An Investigation on Internal Solitary Waves in a Two-Layer Fluid: Propagation and Reflection from Steep Slopes
,”
Ocean Eng.
0029-8018,
34
, pp.
171
184
.
5.
Michallet
,
H.
, and
Ivey
,
G. N.
, 1999, “
Experiments on Mixing due to Internal Solitary Waves Breaking on Uniform Slopes
,”
J. Geophys. Res.
0148-0227,
104
(
C6
), pp.
13467
13477
.
6.
Saffarinia
,
K.
, and
Kao
,
T. W.
, 1996, “
A Numerical Study of the Breaking of an Internal Soliton and its Interaction with a Slope
,”
Dyn. Atmos. Oceans
0377-0265,
23
, pp.
379
391
.
7.
Wessels
,
F.
, and
Hutter
,
K.
, 1996, “
Interaction of Internal Waves with a Topographic Sill in a Two-Layered Fluid
,”
J. Phys. Oceanogr.
1520-0485,
26
(
1
), pp.
5
20
.
8.
Sveen
,
J. K.
,
Guo
,
Y.
,
Davies
,
P. A.
, and
Grue
,
J.
, 2002, “
On the Breaking of Internal Solitary Waves at a Ridge
,”
J. Fluid Mech.
0022-1120,
469
(
25
), pp.
161
188
.
9.
,
M. A.
Vidal
,
C.
, and
Medina
,
R.
, 1989, “
Experimental Study of the Evolution of a Solitary Wave at an Abrupt Junction
,”
J. Geophys. Res.
0148-0227,
94
, pp.
557
566
.
10.
Hsu
,
J. R. C.
, and
Ariyaratnam
,
J.
, 2000, “
Pressure Fluctuations and a Mechanism for Sediment Suspension in Swash Zone
,”
Proceedings 27th International Conference on Coastal Engineering
, July 16-21,
ASCE
, Sydney, Australia,
1
, pp.
610
623
.