A5071855745- Geological formations and processes
- Geology and Paleoclimatology Research
- Hydrology and Sediment Transport Processes
- Coastal wetland ecosystem dynamics
- Methane Hydrates and Related Phenomena
- Reservoir Engineering and Simulation Methods
- Maritime and Coastal Archaeology
- Underwater Acoustics Research
- Oil and Gas Production Techniques
- Landslides and related hazards
- Marine and coastal ecosystems
- Coastal and Marine Dynamics
- earthquake and tectonic studies
- Marine Biology and Ecology Research
- Isotope Analysis in Ecology
- Geophysical and Geoelectrical Methods
- Geological and Tectonic Studies in Latin America
- Mercury impact and mitigation studies
- Hydrocarbon exploration and reservoir analysis
- Cryospheric studies and observations
- Underwater Vehicles and Communication Systems
- Oceanographic and Atmospheric Processes
- Geological Studies and Exploration
- Water resources management and optimization
- Hydraulic Fracturing and Reservoir Analysis
Geological Survey of Canada
2014-2024
Natural Resources Canada
2014-2024
Submarine channels have been important throughout geologic time for feeding globally significant volumes of sediment from land to the deep sea. Modern observations show that submarine can be sculpted by supercritical turbidity currents (seafloor flows) generate upstream-migrating bedforms with a crescentic planform. In order accurately interpret flows and depositional environments in record, it is able recognize signature bedforms. Field geologists commonly link scour fills containing...
Rivers (on land) and turbidity currents (in the ocean) are most important sediment transport processes on Earth. Yet how rivers generate as they enter coastal ocean remains poorly understood. The current paradigm, based laboratory experiments, is that triggered when river plumes exceed a threshold concentration of ~1 kg/m3. Here we present direct observations an exceptionally dilute plume, with concentrations 1 order magnitude below this (0.07 kg/m3), which generated fast (1.5 m/s), erosive,...
Abstract Burial of terrestrial biospheric particulate organic carbon in marine sediments removes CO2 from the atmosphere, regulating climate over geologic time scales. Rivers deliver to sea, while turbidity currents transport river sediment further offshore. Previous studies have suggested that most resides muddy sediment. However, can carry a significant component coarser sediment, which is commonly assumed be poor. Here, using data Canadian fjord, we show young woody debris rapidly buried...
Turbidity currents are powerful flows of sediment that pose a hazard to critical seafloor infrastructure and transport globally important amounts the deep sea. Due challenges direct monitoring, we typically rely on their deposits reconstruct past turbidity currents. Understanding these is complicated because successive can rework or erase previous deposits. Hence, depositional environments dominated by currents, such as submarine channels, only partially record But precisely how incomplete...
Submarine channels are the primary conduits for terrestrial sediment, organic carbon, and pollutant transport to deep sea. far more difficult monitor than rivers, thus less well understood. Here we present 9 years of time-lapse mapping an active submarine channel along its full length in Bute Inlet, Canada. Past studies suggested that meander-bend migration, levee-deposition, or migration (supercritical-flow) bedforms controls evolution channels. We show first time how rapid (100-450 m/year)...
Until recently, despite being one of the most important sediment transport phenomena on Earth, few direct measurements turbidity currents existed. Consequently, their structure and evolution were poorly understood, particularly whether they are dense or dilute. Here, we analyze largest number monitored to date from source sink. We show internal flow characteristic as runout. Observed frontal regions (heads) fast (>1.5 m/s), thin (<10 m), (depth averaged concentrations up 38%vol), strongly...
Abstract Turbidity currents are one of the main sediment transport processes on Earth, yet notoriously difficult to monitor directly. This article presents first direct and high bandwidth observation a turbidity current using cabled sea floor observatory. On 5 June 2012, platform Ocean Networks Canada, located in 107 m water Fraser River delta slope, was displaced downslope severed from its data cable. The weighed ca 1000 kg water. event took place during river discharge, tides rapid...
Submarine channels are the primary conduits for land-derived material, including organic carbon, pollutants, and nutrients, into deep-sea. The flows (turbidity currents) that traverse these systems can pose hazards to seafloor infrastructure such as cables pipelines. Here we use a novel combination of repeat surveys turbidity current monitoring along 50 km-long submarine channel in Bute Inlet, British Columbia, discharge measurements from main feeding river. These source-to-sink observations...
Abstract The delivery and burial of terrestrial particulate organic carbon (OC) in marine sediments is important to quantify, because this OC a food resource for benthic communities, if buried it may lower the concentrations atmospheric CO 2 over geologic timescales. Analysis sediment cores has previously shown that fjords are hotspots burial. Fjords can contain complex networks submarine channels formed by seafloor flows, called turbidity currents. However, efficiency distribution currents...
This study analyzes turbidity currents across multiple systems using high-resolution oceanographic datasets and laboratory experiments. By comparing velocity trends throughout the currents, we identify two end-member types: short surge flows where peak is followed by rapid decay in sustained a prolonged near constant velocity. Variability explored key parameters, including trigger, system type, slope, grain size, distance offshore. The findings demonstrate that no single parameter explains...
Abstract River deltas and associated turbidity current systems produce some of the largest most rapid sediment accumulations on our planet. These bury globally significant volumes organic carbon determine runout distance potentially hazardous flows shape their deposits. Here we seek to understand main factors that morphology linked in fjords, why locations have well developed submarine channels while others do not. Deltas are analysed initially five fjord from British Columbia Canada, then...
Abstract Submarine turbidity currents are one of the most important processes for moving sediment across our planet; they hazardous to offshore infrastructure, deposit petroleum reservoirs worldwide, and may record tsunamigenic landslides. However, there few studies that have monitored these submarine flows in action, even fewer combined direct monitoring with longer‐term records from core seismic data deposits. This article provides complete yet a current system. The aim here is understand...
Abstract Deep‐water deposits are important archives of Earth’s history including the occurrence powerful flow events and transfer large volumes terrestrial detritus into world’s oceans. However interpretation depositional processes palaeoflow conditions from deep‐water sedimentary record has been limited due to a lack direct observations modern systems. Recent seafloor studies have resulted in novel findings, presence upslope‐migrating bedforms such as cyclic steps formed by supercritical...
Abstract Submarine channels deliver globally important volumes of sediments, nutrients, contaminants and organic carbon into the deep sea. Knickpoints are significant topographic features found within numerous submarine channels, which most likely play an role in channel evolution behaviour sediment‐laden flows (turbidity currents) that traverse them. Although prior research has linked supercritical turbidity currents to formation both knickpoints smaller crescentic bedforms, relationship...
Kitasu Hill and MacGregor Cone formed along the Principe Laredo Fault on British Columbia’s central coast as Wisconsinan ice sheet withdrew from Coast Mountains. These small-volume Milbanke Sound Volcanoes (MSV) provide remarkable evidence for intimate relationship between volcanic glacial facies. The lavas are within-plate, differentiated (low MgO < 7%) Ocean Island Basalts, hawaiites, mugearites that ∼1% decompression melting of asthenosphere with residual garnet. Hill, glaciated...
Howe Sound is a deep, steep-walled fjord on Canada's west coast. The primary sediment source the glacially fed Squamish River. In inner fjord, turbidity currents flow from sandy River Delta at head reaching as far Porteau Creek Sill 15 km to south. Recent observations have shown that of various volumes are generated daily throughout almost month summer meltwater period and through very active submarine channels characterized by upstream-migrating cyclic step bedforms (Hughes Clarke et al....
Abstract Douglas Channel is a 140 km-long fjord system on Canada's west coast where steep topography, high annual precipitation and glacially over-deepened bathymetry have resulted in widespread slope failures. A 5 year project involving numerous marine expeditions to the remote area produced comprehensive assessment of magnitude frequency failures region. classification scheme presented based morphology failure mechanism: (1) debris flows are most common all parts – they often small with...