The formation of incised valleys on continental shelves is generally attributed to fluvial erosion under low sea level conditions. However, there are exceptions. A multibeam sonar survey at the northern end of Australia's Great Barrier Reef, adjacent to the southern edge of the Gulf of Papua, mapped a shelf valley system up to 220 m deep that extends for more than 90 km across the continental shelf. This is the deepest shelf valley yet found in the Great Barrier Reef and is well below the maximum depth of fluvial incision that could have occurred under a − 120 m, eustatic sea level low-stand, as what occurred on this margin during the last ice age. These valleys appear to have formed by a combination of reef growth and tidal current scour, probably in relation to a sea level at around 30–50 m below its present position.
Tidally incised depressions in the valley floor exhibit closed bathymetric contours at both ends. Valley floor sediments are mainly calcareous muddy, gravelly sand on the middle shelf, giving way to well-sorted, gravely sand containing a large relict fraction on the outer shelf. The valley extends between broad platform reefs and framework coral growth, which accumulated through the late Quaternary, coincides with tidal current scour to produce steep-sided (locally vertical) valley walls. The deepest segments of the valley were probably the sites of lakes during the last ice age, when Torres Strait formed an emergent land-bridge between Australia and Papua New Guinea. Numerical modeling predicts that the strongest tidal currents occur over the deepest, outer-shelf segment of the valley when sea level is about 40–50 m below its present position. These results are consistent with a Pleistocene age and relict origin of the valley.
Based on these observations, we propose a new conceptual model for the formation of tidally incised shelf valleys. Tidal erosion on meso- to macro-tidal, rimmed carbonate shelves is enhanced during sea level rise and fall when a tidal, hydraulic pressure gradient is established between the shelf-lagoon and the adjacent ocean basin. Tidal flows attain a maximum, and channel incision is greatest, when a large hydraulic pressure gradient coincides with small channel cross sections. Our tidal-incision model may explain the observation of other workers, that sediment is exported from the Great Barrier Reef shelf to the adjacent ocean basins during intermediate (rather than last glacial maximum) low-stand, sea level positions. The model may apply to other rimmed shelves, both modern and ancient. 相似文献
Marine sediments in continental shelf ecosystems harbor a rich biodiversity of benthic communities. In this study, the spatial and temporal diversity and community assemblages of free‐living marine nematodes were studied by sampling at six depths and over 3 years from the southwest continental shelf off Bay of Bengal, one of the least explored tropical shelf ecosystems. The dominant marine nematode species were related with abiotic variables as part of this study. The effects of sediment granulometry generally decreased with increasing depth and the highest nematode density and species diversity were recorded on coarse sand (shallower depths). Multivariate analysis of the nematode community data showed that community structure differed significantly among depths as well as among years. Statistical analyses showed significant correlations between the nematode community and abiotic variables. Sediment texture, organic matter, water pressure and depth profile were crucial factors for determining diversity, vertical profile and feeding types of the nematode community. Other environmental factors, including anthropogenic pressure, did not have an effect on nematode diversity except for the presence of some tolerant species (Metachromadora spp., Sabatieria spp. and Siplophorella sp.). This study represents a baseline of knowledge of free‐living marine nematode communities that can be used in the future to compare nematode assemblages from temperate shelf ecosystems. 相似文献
Northern Norwegian shelf regions are highly productive, supporting fisheries rich in commercially important species such as cod, herring and capelin. It has been long recognized that the mesoscale jets, meanders and eddies associated with interactions between the North Atlantic Current, Norwegian Coastal Current and regional bottom topographic features such as troughs, banks and shelfbreaks play important roles in transporting and retaining zooplankton. To investigate zooplankton distributions and their correspondence with the physical fields, three large-scale surveys with mesoscale resolutions on physical and biological fields were conducted in northern Norwegian shelf regions between latitudes 68°15′N and 70°15′N in springs of 2000–2002. Survey results provide insights into the relationships between zooplankton distributions and the physical features such as fronts, the Norwegian Coastal Current and eddies related to topographic features. The physical and biological data are integrated and analyzed focusing on water types, estimation of geostrophic currents from direct current measurements, along-shelf transport of zooplankton, and retention of zooplankton by the mesoscale meander–eddy over a typical bank area on the shelf. The estimated mean transport in the upper 100 m on the shelf in the survey region is approximately 6.4×103 tonnes wet weight day−1 northward. High zooplankton abundances were found over both Malangsgrunnen and Sveinsgrunnen banks. The specific accumulation rate from northward–southward transport in the upper 100 m over Malangsgrunnen was approximately 0.08 day−1, while variable currents with an offshore gradient of zooplankton abundance over Sveinsgrunnen implies an offshore dispersion of coastal-originated zooplankton cohort. 相似文献
Abstract The focus in the present study is on characterizing spatial patterns of textural and petrological variabilities, and on evaluating mechanisms influencing the textural and petrological components of modern river, beach and shelf sands in a volcanically active back‐arc tectonic setting. Abashiri Bay and the surrounding area in eastern Hokkaido, Japan, has volcanic source land within a back‐arc region associated with subduction of the Pacific Plate beneath the Okhotsk (North American) Plate. A total of 41 river, beach and shelf sands were obtained for grain‐size and modal composition analyses. Multivariate analytical techniques of hierarchical cluster and principal component analyses were performed on the textural and petrological data for investigating relations among quantitative variables. On the basis of grain‐size data, four sedimentary zones were identified: zone I, palimpsest zone; zone II, relict zone; zone III, modern (proteric) zone; zone IV, coastal sedimentary zone. All sands are feldspatholithic and quartz‐deficient. The framework (quartz, feldspar and rock fragment) modal compositions were also classified into four clusters, A–D. The characteristic components of each cluster are as follows: cluster A, felsic volcanic rock fragments; cluster B, andesitic–basaltic volcanic rock fragments; cluster C, mixed or plagioclase; cluster D, sedimentary rock fragments. Almost all sands in western and central Abashiri Bay belong to cluster A, where the original compositions are influenced by Kutcharo pyroclastic flow deposits. Andesitic–basaltic lava and Neogene volcaniclastic and sedimentary rocks have a major influence on the compositions of shelf sands in eastern Abashiri Bay. The modal compositions are basically controlled by the source lithology. Compositional maturity (percentage of quartz to feldspar and rock fragments; Q/FR%) slightly increased, in order, from river (1.2), zone IV (coastal, 1.7), zone II (relict, 2.2), zone I (palimpsest, 3.6), to zone III (modern proteric, 7.0). Greater maturity in the recycled sediments is indicative of weathering under the sea or abrasion by transportation induced by sea‐level fluctuations, waves, or sea currents. Several controlling factors – (i) source lithological; (ii) mineralogical; (iii) climatic; and (iv) geomorphological controls – might still cause low maturity through all sedimentary zones other than the continental margin sands previously reported. 相似文献
We estimated monthly fluxes of 210Pb in shelf sediments beneath a high productivity area off central-southern Chile (36°S) during 1 year (September 2002-August 2003). Sediment cores were obtained using a multiple corer and were analyzed mainly for 210Pb, total pigments, and macrofauna abundance. The 210Pb inventories and fluxes were estimated for surface sediments (0-5 cm) and bioturbation coefficients were inferred using chlorophyll-a (reactive) profiles. In general, 210Pb content was inversely correlated with phytodetritus fluxes. High photosynthetic pigment contents in surface sediments were consistently associated with lower 210Pb contents. Macrofaunal activity responded to oxygen and organic matter supplies at the sediment surface, generally concentrated in the first centimeters, but particularly so during months of high organic matter fluxes and deficient bottom water oxygen conditions. At this study site, several processes involved in the 210Pb surface distribution make it difficult to accurately estimate ages at the surface. We postulate that the organic fluxes promote changes in the faunal activity, which, in combination with sediment resuspension and water circulation over the shelf, produce seasonal variations in the 210Pb inventories. 相似文献
Extensive mud deposits superimposed on the predominantly sandy inner continental shelf adjacent to the Patos Lagoon estuary, indicates that the Lagoon is a potential source of fine sediments to the coastal sedimentary system. The lagoon is large and shallow, and the water movement is mainly controlled by wind-driven set-up and set-down. The mean river inflow is around 2000 m3 s−1, although peak flow rates exceeding 20,000 m3 s−1 have been observed during El Niño periods. Though the tidal elevations are small, tidal velocities in the lagoon's inlet can be significant due to the large extension of the backwaters. Moreover, significant exchange flows can be generated between the estuary and coastal area due to barotropic pressure gradients established as a function of wind and freshwater discharge. The predominant net flow is seawards, but opposite near-bed flows due to pronounced vertical salinity stratification can also be observed. The coastal area is characterized by small tidal effects, large scale ocean circulation, wind-induced residual flows and wave-driven currents, where the waves originate from swell or are locally generated. 相似文献