Reply to Shanmugam, G., Comment on “Internal waves, an under-explored source of turbulence events in the sedimentary record” (Earth-Science Review, 111: 56-81)

Shanmugam (2012) just published a criticism about the study of Pomar et al. (2012) on the potential importance of internal waves in shaping the sedimentary record in lakes and oceans. We would like to acknowledge the effort done by G. Shanmugam for initiating such a discussion. However, while scientific debates and controversies are necessary for the advancement of science in general, and for sedimentology in particular, they should be carried out with coherence and rigor to be constructive. Unfortunately, Shanmugam's comment appears to us not to follow this logic such that it is difficult for us to reply in a sensible manner.