Poster Number 192
See more from this Division: Topical Sessions
See more from this Session: Coastal and Aeolian Geomorphology Processes and Landforms (Posters)
Abstract:
Earlier work has shown that intense benthic biological reworking, coupled with resuspension due to wave- and current-induced bottom stress, is responsible for the formation of the Sound's sediment-laden near-bottom nepheloid layer. Our work suggests that the density contrast between the heavier nepheloid layer and the lighter ambient seawater subsequently creates an instability that causes the layer to flow down-slope across the seafloor. The extent and widespread occurrence of the dendritic patterns suggest that the density currents are a significant, previously unrecognized, persistent process by which fine-grained sediments are remobilized, transported, and dispersed in the basins of central and western Long Island Sound. Because many contaminants preferentially adsorb onto fine-grained organic-rich sediments and because the Sound is affected by seasonal hypoxia, mechanisms and dispersal pathways by which these fine-grained sediments are transported are important factors determining the eventual fate of contaminants and their potential impact on the environmental health of the estuary. These findings may have applications to other estuarine basins where similar conditions exist.
See more from this Division: Topical Sessions
See more from this Session: Coastal and Aeolian Geomorphology Processes and Landforms (Posters)