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1.
Puget Sound is a fjord-like estuary and bottom-water intrusions are major circulation features which play a dominant role in the replacement of water below still depth. New observations on the inside and outside of the entrance sill show that, while intrusions occur during neap tides as previously thought, the onset of the intrusions is a results off fluctuations in the horizontal density gradient caused by salinity variations across the sill. Salinity changes outside the sill in the Strait of Juan de Fuca estuary appear to be the result of storms on the Pacific Coast causing reversals of surface flow and variations in deep flow more than 135 km from the coast. Previous observations have shown deep salinity variations midway along the straight, but these are the first to show this effect can penetrate the full length of the Strait causing near-bottom salinity variations of sufficient magnitude to influence flow into Puget Sound. This influence probably occurs from the onset of storms in autumn through subsidence in spring, although occasional large storms occur in summer. Although Puget Sound is more characteristic of a fjord, the simple model calculations here suggest similar processes may occur in lower-layer flow at the mouth of coastal plain estuaries. 相似文献
2.
We describe the tidal circulation and salinity regime of a coastal plain estuary that connects to the ocean through a flood
tide delta. The delta acts as a sill, and we examine the mechanisms through which the sill affects exchange of estuarine water
with the ocean. Given enough buoyancy, the dynamics of tidal intrusion fronts across the sill and selective withdrawal (aspiration)
in the deeper channel landward appear to control the exchange of seawater with estuarine water. Comparison of currents on
the sill and stratification in the channel reveals aspiration depths smaller than channel depth during neap tide. During neap
tide and strong vertical stratification, seawater plunges beneath the less dense estuarine water somewhere on the sill. Turbulence
in the intruding bottom layer on the sill promotes entrainment of fluid from the surface layer, and the seawater along the
sill bottom is diluted with estuarine water. During ebb flow, salt is effectively trapped landward of the sill in a stagnant
zone between the aspiration depth and the bottom where it can be advected farther upstream by flood currents. During spring
tide, the plunge point moves landward and off the sill, stratification is weakened in the deep channel, and aspiration during
ebb extends to the bottom. This prevents the formation of stagnant water near the bottom, and the estuary is flooded with
high salinity water far inland. The neapspring cycle of tidal intrusion fronts on flood coupled with aspiration during ebb
interacts with the sill to play an important role in the transport and retention of salt within the estuary. 相似文献
3.
Residual Exchange Flows in Subtropical Estuaries 总被引：1，自引：0，他引：1
Arnoldo Valle-Levinson Guillermo Gutierrez de Velasco Armando Trasviña Alejandro J. Souza Reginaldo Durazo Ashish J. Mehta 《Estuaries and Coasts》2009,32(1):54-67
Observations of residual exchange flows at the entrance to four subtropical estuaries, two of them semiarid, indicate that
these flows are mainly tidally driven, as they compare favorably with theoretical patterns of tidal residual flows. In every
estuary examined, the tidal behavior was that of a standing or near-standing wave, i.e., tidal elevation and tidal currents
were nearly in quadrature. The pattern of exchange flow that persisted at every estuary exhibited inflow in the channel and
outflow over the shoals. Curiously, but also fortuitously, this pattern coincides with the exchange pattern driven by density
gradients in other estuaries. The tidal stresses and the residual elevation slopes should be the dominant mechanisms that
drive such tidal residual pattern because the Stokes transport mechanism is negligible for standing or near-standing waves.
Time series measurements from the semiarid estuaries showed fortnightly modulation of the residual flow by tidal forcing in
such a way that the strongest net exchange flows developed with the largest tidal distortions, i.e., during spring tides.
This modulation is opposite to the modulation that typically results in temperate estuaries, where the strongest net exchange
flows tend to develop during neap tides. The fortnightly modulation on tidal residual currents could be inferred from previous
theoretical results because residual currents arise from tidal distortions but is made explicit in this study. The findings
advanced herein should allow the drawing of generalities about exchange flow patterns in subtropical estuaries where residual
flows are mainly driven by tides. 相似文献
4.
磨刀门已由"径流型"向"径流-波浪型"河口转变,波浪已是该河口主要动力之一,但波浪对河口洪季水流及泄洪的影响缺少研究。在2-D潮流数学模型中添加随潮位实时变化的波浪辐射应力,建立波浪潮流耦合数学模型;波浪求解采用缓坡方程,背景水深由潮流模型实时提供,可通过比较考虑和未考虑波浪影响的河口流场来分析波浪对泄洪的影响。在年均常浪作用下,磨刀门河口洪季涨落潮阶段均有明显的波生环流结构。由于波浪作用方向向陆,波生流减弱了浅滩区的向海余流,增大了浅滩向陆余流;受浅滩向海余流减弱影响,河口动力自调整后形成归槽水流,促使深槽内向海余流增大。波浪有顶托河口泄洪之势,可改变滩槽泄洪分配比例;年均常浪的波高较小,其对潮流及泄洪的影响区域限制在浅水区,故对泄洪的负面影响有限。 相似文献
5.
Water and sediment movement in The Wash embayment has been determined from an extensive set of data, consisting of tidal current readings and suspended sediment concentration measurements. Instantaneous and residual currents in the embayment show a distinct lateral inhomogeneity, whereas vertically the water column is almost homogenous. The central deep water area (30–40 m) of the embayment is dominated by a residual landward water movement, whilst on the margins, the residual movement is seaward. Sediment is supplied predominantly in suspension from the north, through the northern extremity of Boston Deep. Suspended sediment pathways are coincident with the spring tide water movements and the subtidal channels act as the main conduits. Approximately 6·8 × 106 tonnes yr?1 of suspended sediments are supplied to the embayment from offshore areas. Bedload sediment supply is of lesser importance, ～ 1·4 × 104 tonnes yr?1. Whereas suspended sediment movement appears to be the dominant mode of transport throughout the embayment, bedload transport is important in reforming the sea bed into a variety of bedforms which are particularly well developed on the margins of channels and shoals. 相似文献
6.
A three-dimensional numerical model is used to investigate the mechanisms that contribute to the formation of the turbidity
maxima in the York River, Virginia (U.S.). The model reproduces the basic features in both salinity and total suspended sediments
(TSS) fields for three different patterns. Both the prominent estuary turbidity maximum (ETM) and the newly discovered secondary
turbidity maximum (STM) are simulated when river discharge is relatively low. At higher river inflow, the two turbidity maxima
move closer to each other. During very high river discharge event, only the prominent turbidity maximum is simulated. Diagnostic
model studies also suggest that bottom resuspension is an important source of TSS in both the ETM and the STM, and confirm
the observed association between the turbidity maxima and the stratification patterns in the York River estuary. The ETM is
usually located near the head of salt intrusion and the STM is often associated with a transition zone between upriver well
mixed and downriver more stratified water columns. Analysis of the model results from the diagnostic studies indicates that
the location of the ETM is well associated with the null point of bottom residual flow. Convergent bottom residual flow, as
well as tidal asymmetry, is the most important mechanisms that contribute to the formation of the STM. the STM often exists
in a region with landward decrease of bottom residual flow and net landward sediment flux due to tidal asymmetry. The channel
depth of this region usually decreases sharply upriver. As channel depth decreases, vertical mixing increases and hence the
water column is better mixed landward of the STM. 相似文献
7.
Sylvain Capo Isabelle Brenon Aldo Sottolichio Patrice Castaing Patrick Le Goulven 《Journal of African Earth Sciences》2009,55(1-2):52
In comparison to their temperate counterparts, sediment processes in tropical estuaries are poorly known and especially in African ones. The hydrodynamics of such environments is controlled by a combination of multiple processes including morphology, salinity, mangrove vegetation, tidal processes, river discharge, settling and erosion of mud and by physico-chemical processes as well as sediment dynamics.The aim of this study is to understand the sediment processes in this transitional stage of the estuary when the balance between river discharges and marine processes is reversing. Studying the hydrodynamics and sediment dynamics of the Konkouré Estuary has recently been made possible thanks to new data on bathymetry, sedimentary cover, salinity, water elevations, and current velocities. The Lower Konkouré is a shallow, funnel shaped, mesotidal mangrove-fringed, tide-dominated estuary, well mixed during low river discharge and stratified during high river discharge. The Konkouré Estuary is turbid despite the small amount of terrestrial input and its residual velocity at the mouth during low river discharges, landwards for two of the three branches, suggests a landward migration by tidal pumping of the suspended particulate matter. A Turbidity Maximum Zone (TMZ) is identified for typical states of the estuary with regard to fluvial and tidal components. Suspended sediment transport during a transitional stage between the rainy and dry seasons is known thanks to current velocity and Suspended Sediment Concentration (SSC) measurements taken in November 2003. The Richardson layered number calculation assesses that turbulence is the major mixing process in the water column, at least during the flood and ebb stages, whereas stratification occurs during the slack water periods. Tidal currents generate bottom erosion, and turbulence mixes the suspended sediment throughout the water column. As a result, a net sediment input is calculated from the western Konkouré outlet for two consecutive tidal cycles. Despite the net water export, almost 300 tons per tide reach the estuary through this outlet, for a moderate river flow. 相似文献
8.
山东半岛东部海域悬浮体分布季节变化及其冬季输送通量研究 总被引：1，自引：0，他引：1
山东半岛东部近岸海域流系和水团要素季节变化显著,沉积动力环境特殊,发育有剖面形状独特的泥质沉积体。基于两个年度的夏、冬季山东半岛东部近岸海域水体温度、浊度、悬浮体浓度和海流等调查资料,分析了水团要素分布季节变化特征,并结合研究区域冬季海流和余流分布特征,计算了冬季经山东半岛东部近岸海域向南输送的悬浮体净通量。结果表明:山东半岛东部近岸海域悬浮体分布受沿岸流、黄海冷水团和黄海暖流等流系季节变化的影响存在显著季节变化。夏季,水体垂向层结和黄海冷水团均可抑制悬浮体垂向和东西向扩散。与以往的研究有所不同的是,冬季大量悬浮体可穿越沿岸流与黄海暖流形成的海流切变锋面,进入黄海暖流向北输送,海流切变锋的屏障作用会随着黄海暖流的减弱或东移而削弱。每年冬季经山东半岛东部近岸海域输送的悬浮体占渤海海峡向外海输送的悬浮体年净通量的3.22%~9.10%,冬季的悬浮体输送量较大,占冬季渤海海峡向外海输送的悬浮体年净通量的6.84%~19.38%。 相似文献
9.
JOHN H. HOYT 《Sedimentology》1967,8(3):229-238
High-angle stratification (greater than 20°) is produced in several areas of shallow marine sedimentation along the barrier islands of the central Georgia coast. The maximum angle of inclination is 30° which is the angle of repose for the saturated, fine-grained, angular sand of this area. High-angle stratification forms in the following locations: (1) The depositional margin of tidal channel inlets. Under some wave and current conditions, sand accumulates near low tide level and steepens the depositional interface to the angle of repose. (2) The steep face of asymmetrical megaripples developed by tidal currents. Ripples with amplitudes as much as 3 ft. and wave lengths of 20–40 ft. commonly develop in channel inlets and other areas of sand sediments. (3) The steep face of sand waves formed in channel inlets. These large asymmetrical ripples have amplitudes as great as 12 ft. and wave lengths of ca. 300 ft. Lengths along the crests are over 600 ft. (4) The landward side of low bars developed on the beach. Bars and troughs (ridges and runnels) are common on the beaches of this area. The bars, which are as much as 5 ft. high, shift landward by deposition on the steep landward face. (5) The oceanward side of large sand waves at the mouth of offshore tidal channels. Large sand waves are located 6 miles offshore from Doboy Sound inlet in 20–25 ft. of water. The steep face of these asymmetrical sand waves is orientated toward the ocean. Amplitude of these large ripples is as much as 17 ft. and length along the crests is over 1/2 mile. 相似文献
10.
The relatively slow flow and exchange of Carr Inlet water with the main basin of Puget Sound, Washington, favor eutrophication.
To study Carr Inlet’s circulation, the Model-measurement Integration Experiment in Estuary Dynamics (MIXED) was conducted
in March–May 2003, spanning the spring bloom. From observations and numerical simulations the circulation was decomposed into
tidal and subtidal components; the former was dominated by the M2 tide, the latter by atmospheric forcing. Near the surface,
the subtidal velocity was correlated with wind. At mid depths, the subtidal velocity was organized into vertical bands arising
from internal waves excited by wind forcing of the water surface. The tidal flow was more strongly steered by local bathymetry
and weaker in peak magnitudes than the subtidal flow, yet it contributed more mechanical energy to the inlet. Tidal eddies
reduce exchange of water through the inlet’s entrances. Numerical simulations with the Princeton Ocean Model recreated many
observed features, including the three-layer vertical structure of outflow at the surface and bottom and inflow at mid depth,
the mid-depth subtidal response to the wind, and characteristics of the tide. While the model produced greater subtidal flow
magnitudes at depth and differences in the phase of the M2 tide compared to observations, overall the case study provided
support for more comprehensive simulations of Puget Sound in the future. 相似文献
11.
A time sequence of airborne infrared imagery provides a unique view of phenomena associated with a turbulent tidal intrusion
into a stratified bay. During flood tide, cooler water from the Strait of Juan de Fuca is observed to penetrate Sequim Bay
(Washington, U.S.V.) as a turbulent jet. After separating from the shoreline, the jet collapses into the stratified middle
part of the bay, forming a mushroom-shaped head consisting of a semicircular plunge front and areas of recirculating flow.
As the plunge front advances into the estuary, a set of nonlinear internal waves emerges and propagates toward the relatively
stagnant southern part of the bay, where they are a potential source of vertical mixing. This range of phenomena is expected
based on laboratory studies, but has not been seen previously in a natural setting. 相似文献
12.
Topsail Sound is a marsh-filled barrier lagoon in southeastern North Carolina. This study quantified changes within a 477-ha tidal marsh located landward of Lea and Coke islands in southern Topsail Sound. Aerial photographs from 1949, 1966, and 1984 were enlarged, and sample areas of salt marsh were digitized and compared. Since 1949, Old Topsail Inlet has migrated southwest 1.2 km. As the inlet migrated, new Spartina alterniflora marsh colonized 33.2 ha of intertidal sand flats within the inlet flood tidal delta, adjacent islands, and primary tidal creeks. Landward of the flood tidal delta, site specific gains and losses of marsh were recorded. It is estimated that since 1949, approximately 34.1 ha of the marsh area occupying the zone landward of the flood tidal delta has drowned. This loss of marsh, combined with the colonization of marsh mentioned above, resulted in a net decrease of 1 ha in the total area of marsh. This study provides evidence that, although lagoonal marshes may be drowning as a result of soil waterlogging, reduced sediment supply, and sea-level rise, potential marsh environments are created by oceanic inputs of sand when inlets migrate. 相似文献
13.
Of sand and mud: Sedimentological criteria for identifying the turbidity maximum zone in a tidally influenced river 总被引：1，自引：0，他引：1
The thickness and lateral distribution of sand and mud beds and bedsets on channel bars from the tidally influenced Fraser River, British Columbia, Canada, are quantitatively assessed. Fifty‐six vibracores totalling ca 114 m of vertical section are used to tabulate bed thicknesses. Statistical calculations are undertaken for nine channel bars ranging from the freshwater and tidal zone, to the sustained brackish water and tidal zone. The data reveal that thickness trends can be organized into three groups that broadly correspond to time‐averaged hydrodynamic and salinity conditions in the various distributary channels. Thick sand beds (up to 30 cm) and thin mud beds (up to 5 cm) characterize the freshwater tidal zone. The tidal and freshwater to brackish‐water transition zone comprises thin sands (up to 10 cm) and thicker muds (up to 19 cm), and the sustained brackish water tidal zone consists of thin muds (up to 6 cm) with relatively thicker sands (up to 25 cm). The results suggest that the locus of mud deposition occurs in the tidal freshwater to brackish‐water zone, probably reflecting mud flocculation and deposition at the turbidity maximum. Landward of the turbidity maximum, mud deposition is linked to tidal influence (tidal backwater effect and reverse eddy currents on channel margins) as mud beds thin in the landward direction. These results support the hypothesis that mud deposition is greatest at the turbidity maximum and decreases in both the seaward and landward direction. This study also showcases that mud‐bed thicknesses are greatest towards the turbidity maximum and thin in both the landward and seaward direction. In the rock record, the apex of mud deposition probably marks the position of the palaeo‐turbidity maximum. 相似文献
14.
In October of 2004, a 3-d observational program to measure flow and sediment resuspension within a coastal intertidal salt
marsh was conducted in the North Inlet/Winyah Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve located near Georgetown, South Carolina.
Current and acoustic backscatter profiles were obtained from a moored acoustic Doppler current profiler (ADCP) deployed in
a shallow tidal channel during the spring phase of the tidal cycle under high discharge conditions. The channel serves as
a conduit between Winyah Bay, a large brackish estuary, and North Inlet, a saline intertidal coastal salt marsh with little
freshwater input. Salinity measurements indicate that the water column is vertically well mixed during flood, but becomes
vertically stratified during early ebb. The stratification results from brackish (15 psu) Winyah Bay water entering North
Inlet via the tidal channel, suggesting an exchange mechanism that permits North Inlet to receive a fraction of the poor water
quality and high discharge flow from upland rivers. Although maximum flood currents exceed maximum ebb currents by 0.2 m s−1, suspended sediment concentrations are highest during the latter ebb phase and persist for a longer fraction of the ebb cycle.
Even though the channel is flood-dominated, the higher concentrations occurring over a longer fraction of the ebb phase indicate
net particulate transport from Winyah Bay to North Inlet during spring tide accompanied by high discharge. Our evidence suggests
that the higher concentrations during ebb result from increased bed friction caused by flow asymmetries and variations in
water depth in which the highest stresses occur near the end of ebb near low water despite stronger maximum currents during
flood. 相似文献
15.
Jill M. Brandenberger Patrick Louchouarn Eric A. Crecelius 《Aquatic Geochemistry》2011,17(4-5):645-670
Hypoxia has been observed in Hood Canal, Puget Sound, WA, USA since the 1970s. Four long sediment cores were collected in 2005 and age-dated to resolve natural and post-urbanization signatures of hypoxia and organic matter (OM) sources in two contrasting basins of Puget Sound: Main Basin and Hood Canal. Paleoecological indicators used for sediment reconstructions included pollen, stable carbon and nitrogen isotopes (??13C and ??15N), biomarkers of terrestrial OM (TOM), biogenic silica (BSi), and redox-sensitive metals (RSM). The sedimentary reconstructions illustrated a gradient in RSM enrichment factors as Hood Canal > Main Basin, southern > northern cores, and pre-1900s > 1900?C2005. The urbanization of Puget Sound watersheds during the 1900s was reflected as shifts in all the paleoecological signatures. Pollen distributions shifted from predominantly old growth conifer to successional alder, dominant OM signatures recorded a decrease in the proportion of marine OM (MOM) concomitant with an increase in the proportion of TOM, and the weight % of BSi decreased. However, these shifts were not coincidental with an overall increase in the enrichment of RSM or ??15N signatures indicative of cultural eutrophication. The increased percentage of TOM was independently verified by both the elemental ratios and lignin yields. In addition, isotopic signatures, BSi, and RSMs all suggest that OM shifts may be due to a reduction in primary productivity rather than an increase in OM regeneration in the water column or at the sediment/water interface. Therefore, the reconstructions suggested the Hood Canal has been under a more oxygenated ??stance?? during the twentieth century compared to prior periods. However, these 2005 cores and their resolutions do not encompass the period of high resolution water column measurements that showed short-lived hypoxia events and fish kills in Hood Canal during the early twenty-first century. The decoupling between the increased watershed-scale anthropogenic alterations recorded in the OM signatures and the relatively depleted RSM during the twentieth century suggests that physical processes, such as deep-water ventilation, may be responsible for the historical variation in oxygen levels. Specifically, climate oscillations may influence the ventilation and/or productivity of deep water in Puget Sound and particularly their least mixed regions. 相似文献
16.
Backwater tidal sloughs are commonly found at the landward boundary of estuaries. The Cache Slough complex is a backwater tidal region within the Upper Sacramento–San Joaquin Delta that includes two features that are relevant for resource managers: (1) relatively high abundance of the endangered fish, delta smelt (Hypomesus transpacificus), which prefers turbid water and (2) a recently flooded shallow island, Liberty Island, that is a prototype for habitat restoration. We characterized the turbidity around Liberty Island by measuring suspended-sediment flux at four locations from July 2008 through December 2010. An estuarine turbidity maximum in the backwater Cache Slough complex is created by tidal asymmetry, a limited tidal excursion, and wind-wave resuspension. During the study, there was a net export of sediment, though sediment accumulates within the region from landward tidal transport during the dry season. Sediment is continually resuspended by both wind waves and flood tide currents. The suspended-sediment mass oscillates within the region until winter freshwater flow pulses flush it seaward. The hydrodynamic characteristics within the backwater region such as low freshwater flow during the dry season, flood tide dominance, and a limited tidal excursion favor sediment retention. 相似文献
17.
针对渤海湾曹妃甸海域波浪、潮流、泥沙及海床演变特点,应用波流共同作用下二维泥沙数学模型研究港区开发方案。2006年冬季和夏季大、小潮潮流泥沙验证表明,该海域潮位及15条同步垂线流速、流向、含沙量过程的计算值与实测值吻合良好,并进行了矿石码头港池前沿海域在潮流与波浪共同作用下悬沙引起的冲淤验证,计算的冲淤厚度及其分布趋势与实测值比较接近。在此基础上,研究了曹妃甸前岛后陆的港区围垦方案对水动力环境的影响问题,包括该工程引起的曹妃甸甸头以南深槽、老龙沟深槽及各港池的流速变化及底床的冲淤变形等。 相似文献
18.
The coast of Kuwait can be divided into nine intertidal geomorphological subunits, of which four are found along the northern muddy shoreline and five along the southern sandy shoreline. In the north the coast is characterized by wide intertidal mudflats, bounded landward by an extensive coastal sabkha which is partly covered by sand drifts. The upper part of the intertidal environment is covered with a mixture of aeolian sands and muddy sediments of marine origin. A number of shallow tidal channels dissect the intertidal flats and small sand bars occur near the low water line. In contrast, the southern shore is characterized by relatively steep sandy beaches fronted by narrow to moderately wide rocky intertidal platforms which are partly covered by sand, bioherms, skeletal debris and algal mats. In some areas the rocky surface is dissected by numerous small gulleys and shallow channels. Multiple sand bars lying either parallel or diagonal to the shoreline are developed near the low water line. This southern intertidal environment is bounded landward by a sandy berm and a wave-cut cliff.Ripple marks are developed almost parallel to the shoreline, showing different flow directions. Energy levels are moderate to high along the southern shore, but low along the northern shore. In the south, waves induced by winds blowing mostly from the north-east and south-east form the dominant energy source, whereas tidal and wind-driven currents are the only tangible process acting along the northern shore. 相似文献
19.
An ephemeral estuarine turbidity maximum (ETM) occurs at high water in the macrotidal Taf estuary (SW Wales, United Kingdom).
A new mechanism of ETM formation, due to resuspension and advection of material by flood tidal currents, is observed that
differs from classical mechanisms of gravitational circulation and tidal pumping. The flood tide advances across intertidal
sand flats in the main body of the estuary, progressively entraining material from the rippled sands. Resuspension creates,
a turbid front that has suspended sediment concentrations (SSC) of about 4,000 mg I−1 by the time it reaches its landward limit which is also the landward limit of salt penetration. This turbid body constitutes
the ETM. Deposition occurs at high slack water but the ETM retains SSC values up to 800 mg I−1, 1–2 orders of magnitude greater than ambient SSC values in the river and estuarine waters on either side. The ETM retreats
down the estuary during the ebb; some material is deposited thinly across emergent intertidal flats and some is flushed out
of the estuary. A new ETM is generated by the next flood tide. Both location and SSC of the ETM scale on Q/R3 where Q is tidal range and R is river discharge. The greatest expression of the ETM occurs when a spring tide coincides with
low river discharge. It does not form during high river discharge conditions and is poorly developed on neap tides. Particles
in the ETM have effective densities (120–160 kg m−3) that are 3–4 times less than those in the main part of the estuary at high water. High chlorophyll concentrations in the
ETM suggest that flocs probably originate from biological production in the estuary, including production on the intertidal
sand flats. 相似文献
20.
Large barchan-shaped sand deposits have been observed in the north west of Torres Strait. These deposits share characteristics of both subaerial barchan dunes and subaqueous sand banks. A study of satellite imagery indicate that the deposits migrate in the direction indicated by their horns (10-15 m west per year), and that sediment is shed from their horns, features that are characteristic of barchan dunes. However the orientations of sand dunes superimposed upon the sand banks indicate the presence of mutually-evasive channels and circulation of sediment around the sand bank, a characteristic of subaqueous sand banks. The presence of mutually-evasive channels is the criteria used to categorise the deposits as sand banks.Barchan forms are known to exist in regions with limited sediment supply and unidirectional current or wind regimes. In the Torres Strait both these criteria are met. Previous work has demonstrated the presence of a net westward current through the Torres Strait that is driven by the southeast trade winds. The relatively high displacement of the wind-driven currents during the trade wind season relative to the monsoon appears to provide the necessary ‘unidirectional’ regime to form barchans. The low, and typically eastwards, displacement of the residual monsoon season current appears to have a negligible affect on the barchan form. While seasonal wind-driven currents appear to maintain the barchan shape of the sand banks, tidal currents actively maintain mutually-evasive channels observed by variations in dune orientation on the sand banks. A sediment starved environment combined with bedload transport attributed to both wind driven and tidal currents is concluded to create a unique hydrodynamic environment where sand banks can attain a barchan form. 相似文献