Collaborative Research: Sediment Dispersal from Vertically Divergent Plumes on a Mountainous Collision Margin: A New Paradigm for Continental Margin Sedimentation

PI将测试高密度浊流在山区碰撞活动边缘设置的生产。 这种浊流的产生可能比目前认为的更频繁。 沉积物扩散受一个分离过程的支配，该过程将沉积物羽流分为表层和底层两部分，并受到独立的物理过程的影响。 表面成分受风、波浪、潮汐和沿岸流的影响，形成具有正浮力的低密度羽流。 底部成分主要受重力、底部形态和边界层过程的影响，形成负浮力、高密度底流。 如果被证明是正确的，它可以证明hypopycnal/hyperpycnal过程是重要的，在创建混浊沉积。 PI将对低密度过程进行水柱测量，并进行海底监测。 他们将尝试在巴布亚新几内亚附近的塞皮克河口取芯，研究与底流有关的沉积物。 该项目与澳大利亚科学家合作。

The PIs will test the production of hyperpycnal turbidity currents in a mountainous collision active margin setting. Such turbidity currents could be generated more frequently than it is currently thought. Sediment dispersal is governed by a decoupling process that divides the sediment plume into surface and bottom components, influenced by independent physical processes. Surface component is influenced by wind, waves, tidal and coastal currents forming a positively buoyant, hypopycnal plume. Bottom component is dominated by gravity, bottom morphology and boundary layer processes forming a negatively buoyant, hyperpycnal underflow. If proved correct, it could demonstrate that hypopycnal/hyperpycnal processes are important in creating turbidity deposits. The PIs will take water column measurements for hypopycnal processes, together with seabed monitoring. They will attempt coring to study the deposits related to underflows at the mouth of the Sepik River, off Papua New Guinea. The project is collaborative with Australian scientists.