Turbidity Currents Generated at River Mouths during Exceptional Discharges to the World Oceans

Mulder, Thierry; Syvitski, James P. M.

doi:10.1086/629747

Cited by 774 publications

(587 citation statements)

References 28 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

569

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…For concentrations in excess of ∼30 g L −1 , the density of the sediment-laden meltwater exceeds the density of the ambient fjord seawater measured in Columbia Fjord (Mulder and Syvitski, 1995;personal communication from S. Gay, 2011), and the resulting high-concentration gravity flows are capable of carrying sediment along the fjord seabed far from the source (e.g. Prior and others, 1987;Syvitski and others, 1987;Willems and others, 2011).…”

Section: Implications For the Formation And Evolution Of Fjord Sedimementioning

confidence: 99%

Observations and modeling of fjord sedimentation during the 30 year retreat of Columbia Glacier, AK

et al. 2016

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

ABSTRACT. To explore links between glacier dynamics, sediment yields and the accumulation of glacial sediments in a temperate setting, we use extensive glaciological observations for Columbia Glacier, Alaska, and new oceanographic data from the fjord exposed during its retreat. High-resolution seismic data indicate that 3.2 × 10 8 m 3 of sediment has accumulated in Columbia Fjord over the past three decades, which corresponds to ∼5 mm a −1 of erosion averaged over the glaciated area. We develop a general model to infer the sediment-flux history from the glacier that is compatible with the observed retreat history, and the thickness and architecture of the fjord sediment deposits. Results reveal a fivefold increase in sediment flux from 1997 to 2000, which is not correlated with concurrent changes in ice flux or retreat rate. We suggest the flux increase resulted from an increase in the sediment transport capacity of the subglacial hydraulic system due to the retreat-related steepening of the glacier surface over a known subglacial deep basin. Because variations in subglacial sediment storage can impact glacial sediment flux, in addition to changes in climate, erosion rate and glacier dynamics, the interpretation of climatic changes based on the sediment record is more complex than generally assumed.

show abstract

Section: Implications For the Formation And Evolution Of Fjord Sedimementioning

confidence: 99%

Observations and modeling of fjord sedimentation during the 30 year retreat of Columbia Glacier, AK

et al. 2016

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…As a result, the repeated alternation of massive muds and IRD-rich layers deposited at sites MD95-2002 and MD03-2692 between ca 18.3 and 17 ka is interpreted as having formed by rainout through a combination of continuous suspension settling of turbid hypopycnal surface plumes from the 'Fleuve Manche', which originate from the significant density difference between glacial meltwater and cold seawater (e.g. Mulder and Syvitski, 1995), and episodic IRD input. Though the source of the muds is unambiguously attributed to the 'Fleuve Manche', the source of the IRD nevertheless remains unclear.…”

Section: Genetic Interpretation Of Laminated Sediments and Palaeoenvimentioning

confidence: 99%

Timing of massive ‘Fleuve Manche’ discharges over the last 350kyr: insights into the European ice-sheet oscillations and the European drainage network from MIS 10 to 2

Toucanne

Zaragosi

Bourillet

et al. 2009

Quaternary Science Reviews

188

234

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

“…Moreover, Delgada Fan is from the California borderland, a small-active continental margin (Somme et al 2009), characterized by the strong longshore drift-feed of their canyons in a narrow continental shelf (Covault et al 2007). These two sedimentological parameters combined have great capacity to generate high-density turbidity currents at continental slope canyons (Piper & Aksu 1987, Mulder & Syvitski 1995, Mulder et al 2003, therefore Delgada Fan is more inclined to be dominated by HDTC than Magdalena Fan, supporting HDTC fans as good analogs to Delgada Fan.…”

Section: Comparison With Modern Deep-water Fansmentioning

confidence: 99%

Autogenic influence on the morphology of submarine fans: an approach from 3D physical modelling of turbidity currents

2017

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Autogenic controls have significant influence on deep-water fans and depositional lobes morphology. In this work, we aim to investigate autogenic controls on the topography and geometry of deep-water fans. The influence of the sediment concentration of turbidity currents on deep-water fans morphology was also investigated. From the repeatability of 3D physical modeling of turbidity currents, two series of ten experiments were made, one of high-density turbidity currents (HDTC) and another of low-density turbidity currents (LDTC). All other input parameters (discharge, sediment volumetric concentration and grain size median) were kept constant. Each deposit was analyzed from qualitative and quantitative approaches and statistical analysis. In each experimental series, the variability of the morphological parameters (length, width, L/W ratio, centroid, area, topography) of the simulated deep-water fans was observed. Depositional evolution of the HDTC fans was more complex, showing four evolutionary steps and characterized by the self-channelizing of the turbidity current, while LDTC fans neither present self-channelizing, nor evolutionary steps. High disparities on the geometrical parameters of the fans, as characterized by the elevated relative standard deviation, suggest that autogenic controls induced a stochastic morphological behaviour on the simulated fans of the two experimental series. KEYWORDS:Autogenic controls; Deep-water fans morphology; Turbidity currents; Physical modeling; Sediment concentration. (comprimento, largura, razão comprimento/largura, área, topografia RESUMO: Controles autogênicos influenciam significativamente a morfologia dos leques de águas profundas e seus lobos deposicionais. Neste trabalho, objetivamos investigar a ação dos controles autogênicos sobre a topografia e a geometria de leques de águas profundas, bem como a influência da concentração de sedimentos gerados por correntes de turbidez sobre a morfologia destes. Por meio da repetibilidade de experimentos de modelagem física 3D de correntes de turbidez, foram realizadas duas séries de experimentos: correntes de turbidez de alta densidade (HDTC) e correntes de turbidez de baixa densidade (LDTC). Todos os demais parâmetros de entrada (vazão, concentração volumétrica de sedimentos e tamanho de grão) foram mantidos constantes. Cada depósito foi analisado mediante abordagens qualitativas e quantitativas e análise estatística. Em cada série experimental, foi observada a variabilidade dos parâmetros morfológicos dos depósitos gerados

show abstract

Turbidity Currents Generated at River Mouths during Exceptional Discharges to the World Oceans

Cited by 774 publications

References 28 publications

Observations and modeling of fjord sedimentation during the 30 year retreat of Columbia Glacier, AK

Observations and modeling of fjord sedimentation during the 30 year retreat of Columbia Glacier, AK

Timing of massive ‘Fleuve Manche’ discharges over the last 350kyr: insights into the European ice-sheet oscillations and the European drainage network from MIS 10 to 2

Autogenic influence on the morphology of submarine fans: an approach from 3D physical modelling of turbidity currents

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About