Anatomy of the tidal scour system at Minas Passage, Bay of Fundy, Canada

Shaw, John; Todd, B J; Wu, Yongsheng

doi:10.1016/j.margeo.2012.07.007

Cited by 35 publications

(26 citation statements)

References 31 publications

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“…Combined, these sources yield a total sediment input of approximately 2.6 x 10 6 m 3 a -1 . Given the many assumptions behind these estimates, this input value is comparable to the accumulation value of 2.0 x 10 6 m 3 a -1 based on subtidal accumulation of 0.5 x 10 6 m 3 a -1 (Amos and Joice 1977) and intertidal accumulation estimates of 1.5 x 10 6 m 3 a -1 (Shaw et al 2012). This relative balance suggests that the Minas Basin acts as a sediment trap, and sediment is not being exported out of the system.…”

Section: Sediment Inputmentioning

confidence: 53%

“…It determined that the dominant input of sediment was from cliff erosion at a rate of 3.09 x 10 6 m 3 a -1 (Amos & Long 1980). The other dominant input sediment source is excavation of sediment from the Minas Channel and Minas Passage, which was estimated at 5 x 10 9 m 3 over the past 3500 years by Shaw et al (2012). This would result in an average annual input of 1.4 x 10 6 m 3 a -1 assuming no change with time.…”

Section: Hill and Gelati (Accepted) Used A Hydrodynamic Model Of Thementioning

confidence: 99%

“…An estimated 1.4 x 10 6 m 3 of sediment is excavated from the floor of the Minas Channel and Minas Passage each year and transported in the Basin (Shaw et al 2012) and 8 x 10 4 m 3 a -1 is introduced by downwearing of platforms. Combined, these sources yield a total sediment input of approximately 2.6 x 10 6 m 3 a -1 .…”

Section: Sediment Inputmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Coastal retreat rates and sediment input to the Minas Basin, Nova Scotia

et al. 2017

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The strong tidal currents of the Minas Passage in the Bay of Fundy, Nova Scotia, have made this area an important site for testing and development of tidal power technologies. Understanding sediment processes in this area is essential for determining the impacts that large-scale tidal power extraction would have on the system. Previous estimates of sediment input to the Basin suggest that much more sediment enters the Basin than accumulates within it; therefore, the bottom sediment texture should be in hydrodynamic equilibrium with bottom currents. A recent study, however, showed that sediment texture is generally finer that what was expected based on current speeds. This paper uses geographic information systems methods to provide updated and more highly resolved measurements of the amount of sediment entering the Minas Basin from the dominant source, which is coastal erosion. Volumetric input from coastal erosion is 1.1 × 106 m3·a−1, which is more than two times smaller than previous estimates. This updated value makes input rates comparable to accumulation rates, and agrees with the hypothesis that bottom sediment texture is not in equilibrium with current speeds. Grain-size distributions also support the hypothesis that the Minas Basin acts as a sediment trap.

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Section: Sediment Inputmentioning

confidence: 53%

Section: Hill and Gelati (Accepted) Used A Hydrodynamic Model Of Thementioning

confidence: 99%

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Coastal retreat rates and sediment input to the Minas Basin, Nova Scotia

et al. 2017

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“…A smaller clockwise eddy with the same current strength is located in the Minas Passage just east of Cape Split. These paired clockwise and counterclockwise eddies are believed to contribute to the genesis of sand and gravel banner banks off Cape Split (Shaw et al 2012; Li et al (Fig. 9a).…”

Section: Spring Tidal Currentsmentioning

confidence: 95%

“…3a, 12). An estimated volume of ϳ5 km 3 has been eroded away from the Minas Channel -Minas Passage area since late Holocene (Shaw et al 2012). This area is thus a major sediment source for the Bay of Fundy.…”

Section: Applications To Regional Substrate Distribution and Patternsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Modelling seabed shear stress, sediment mobility, and sediment transport in the Bay of Fundy

et al. 2015

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Information about seabed stability and sediment dynamics is part of the fundamental geoscience knowledge required for the extraction of tidal energy in the Bay of Fundy and for the integrated management of the Bay. Waves, tidal currents, and wind-driven and circulation currents were obtained from oceanographic models to assess the wave and current processes for the broader Bay of Fundy. The wave and current outputs were coupled with observed grain size in a sediment transport model to predict, for the first time, the seabed shear stresses, sediment mobility, and sediment transport patterns for the entire Bay. The root mean square tidal current, highest in the upper Bay (>1.4 m·s −1 ), is reduced to moderate in the central Bay (0.5-0.8 m·s −1 ) and decreases further in the outer Bay (0.2-0.5 m·s −1 ). The maximum tidal current occurs in the Minas Passage and is >5 m·s −1 . The mean significant wave height, in contrast, is the greatest in the outer Bay (ϳ1.3 m) and gradually decreases to the northeast in the central and upper Bay (<0.5 m). Seabed shear in the Bay of Fundy is mostly due to tides, and wave effects are only important in coastal areas. The strongest mean shear velocity of 10 cm·s −1 occurs in the Minas Passage area. Strong shear velocity of 4-5 cm·s −1 also occurs in Minas Basin, in the central Bay, and in the narrows around Grand Manan Island. Sediment mobilization in the Bay of Fundy is predominantly by tidal current. Mobilization frequency is >30% of the time over most of the Bay and reaches 100% of the time in some areas. The maximum total-load sediment transport rate under spring tide can reach ϳ5 kg·m −1 ·s −1 and is to the northeast during flood and to the southwest during ebb. Net sediment transport flux, however, is dominantly to the northeast and reaches 2 kg·m −1 ·s −1 . Eddies of net transport are found to occur around headlands and at the narrows of Grand Manan Island, largely due to the occurrence of eddies of residual tidal flows. The regional distribution of substrate types and bedform fields and patterns of seabed erosion and deposition are well correlated with tidal current strength and sediment transport patterns.Résumé : Des données concernant la stabilité du plancher océanique et la dynamique des sédiments constituent une partie fondamentale des connaissances géologiques requises pour l'extraction de l'énergie marémotrice dans la baie de Fundy et pour une gestion intégrée de la baie. Les vagues, les courants de marée, les courants poussés par les vents et les courants de circulation ont été obtenus de modèles océanographiques afin d'évaluer les processus des vagues et des courants pour l'ensemble de la baie de Fundy. Les données de sortie sur les vagues et les courants ont été jumelées aux granulométries observées dans un modèle de transport de sédiments afin de prédire, pour la première fois, les contraintes de cisaillement sur le plancher océanique, la mobilité des sédiments et les patrons de transport pour toute la baie. Le courant de marée moyen quadratique, plus éle...

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Tidally influenced deposits in the Río Alías Strait connecting a marginal basin with the Mediterranean Sea (Pliocene, South‐East Spain)

Sola,

Puga‐Bernabéu,

Braga

2024

The Depositional Record

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The Río Alías Strait developed in the Early Pliocene as a narrow marine corridor at the connection of the microtidal Mediterranean Sea and the north‐eastern margin of the Almería‐Níjar Basin in the eastern Betic Cordillera (South‐East Spain). The orientation and topography of the strait were controlled by the transpressive Carboneras and Polopos/South Cabrera fault systems. Ten sedimentary facies occur in the up to 150 m thick mixed biogenic carbonate‐terrigenous succession distinguished on the basis of their lithology, components, grain size, stratal geometries and sedimentary structures, which were observed in seven sections at well‐exposed outcrops of four sectors. The sedimentary record of the Río Alías Strait reflects the morphological constraints, which conditioned its sedimentary dynamics and facies distribution. Even in this microtidal setting, tidal current amplification through narrow constrictions produced thick accumulations of large cross‐stratified bodies up to 15 m thick formed by the opposite migration of three‐dimensional simple and compound dunes. The Río Alías Strait reconstruction shows: (1) a very narrow constriction in the central sector from which “constriction‐related deltas” (CRDs) formed in the flood downstream (westward) and ebb (upstream) directions and (2) a relatively deep depression (>65 m water depth) separating the eastern and central‐east sectors, where tidal current energy was attenuated and dunes were not generated. The closure of the strait resulted from the tectonic uplift of the antecedent upland of Sierra Cabrera at the northern side, which promoted the southward progradation of deltaic systems over the strait. The Río Alías Strait represents the only clear record of a microtidal strait in the Betic Cordillera since the Miocene. The case study presented here improves existing models on the sedimentary dynamics of ancient tidal‐dominated straits by expanding the knowledge on their spatial environment variability.

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Anatomy of the tidal scour system at Minas Passage, Bay of Fundy, Canada

Cited by 35 publications

References 31 publications

Coastal retreat rates and sediment input to the Minas Basin, Nova Scotia

Coastal retreat rates and sediment input to the Minas Basin, Nova Scotia

Modelling seabed shear stress, sediment mobility, and sediment transport in the Bay of Fundy

Tidally influenced deposits in the Río Alías Strait connecting a marginal basin with the Mediterranean Sea (Pliocene, South‐East Spain)

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