Modelling the tides and their impacts on the vertical stratification over the Sofala Bank,Mozambique

The Sofala Bank, a wide shelf located along the central coast of Mozambique, hosts tides with high amplitudes. The Regional Ocean Modelling System (ROMS) was used to analyse the tidal currents on the bank and to investigate their effects on the stratification and generation of tidal fronts. During spring tides, barotropic tidal currents with maximum values ranging from 40 cm s^–1 to 70 cm s^–1 are found on the central bank. The major axis of the tidal ellipses for M₂ and S₂ follow a cross-shelf direction with mainly anticlockwise rotation. Similar to observations, three distinct regimes occur: (i) a warm well-mixed region on the inner shelf where the depths are <30 m; (ii) a wellmixed colder region above the shelf edge; and (iii) a stratified region offshore. The model shows that the tides lead to cooling where two criteria are satisfied: the Simpson and Hunter parameter log₁₀(h/U³) <3.2 and the depth h >30 m. The shelf edge of the bank is important for internal tide generation. Two frontal structures result, one offshore between cooler mixed waters and warmer stratified waters and the other in shallow inshore waters, between cooler mixed waters and solar heated mixed waters.     

Stone artifact scatters in western NSW,Australia: Geomorphic controls on artifact size and distribution

Surface scatters of Aboriginal stone artifacts have been exposed in many parts of inland Australia by accelerated erosion that followed the introduction of pastoralism by European settlers in the 19th century. This paper reports on a set of techniques developed to investigate and quantify the effects of these post‐discard disturbance processes in Sturt National Park in northwest NSW, Australia. Backwards, stepwise, linear regression showed the influence of geomorphic parameters such as slope gradient, elevation, landform, and contemporary surface processes on artifact distribution, with artifact maximum dimension as the dependent variable. The results indicate that, even at low gradients, artifact size and slope angle are significantly related, but that the variance in maximum dimension explained by gradient is very low. Similar results were found for the other geomorphic variables. We conclude that artifact movement by surface wash across these surfaces is unlikely to significantly affect artifact distribution. While vertically conflated surface scatters do not preserve “living floors” in a short‐term, functional sense, their apparent horizontal integrity allows investigation of the long‐term use of place by hunter‐gatherer people in the past. Insofar as assemblage integrity is important for assessing site significance in the heritage management industry, our methods provide a means for assessing the degree to which a site has been damaged by water flow. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.