Cyclone and bioturbation effects on sediments from coral reef lagoons     

Martin J. Riddle 《Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science》1988,27(6)

Despite the severity of tropical cyclone ‘Winifred’, which crossed the Great Barrier Reef on 1 February 1986, there were little long-term effects on lagoon surface sediments from reefs in its path. Short-term effects were apparent only at one particularly exposed area. These were: an increase in proportion of the coarse fraction, the establishment of sand ripples, and the destruction of the mounds produced by callianassid shrimps (normally the dominant topographic feature). Within six weeks this area was indistinguishable from a typical reef lagoon. This is probably the result of sediment reworking by callianassid shrimp, involving selective burial of the coarse fragments and transport to the surface of finer particles. Sediment turnover rates by callianassids are commensurate with change to the sediment within the relatively short period observed. The sediment fauna responded quickly to the changes in sediment type. Immediately after the cyclone the disturbed area supported a fauna typical of the coarse sediments on the shallow reef flat, as the sediment reverted to a more normal type so the fauna changed back to that typical of a reef lagoon.  相似文献   

Tidally incised valleys on tropical carbonate shelves: An example from the northern Great Barrier Reef, Australia     

Peter T. Harris  Andrew Heap  Vicki Passlow  Michael Hughes  James Daniell  Mark Hemer  Ole Anderson 《Marine Geology》2005,220(1-4):181-204

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   

The formation and evolution of the barrier islands of Inhaca and Bazaruto, Mozambique   总被引：1，自引：0，他引：1  

S.J. Armitage  G.A. Botha  G.A.T. Duller  A.G. Wintle  L.P. Rebêlo  F.J. Momade 《Geomorphology》2006,82(3-4):295-308

The barrier islands of Inhaca and Bazaruto are related to the extensive coastal dune system of the Mozambican coastal plain, south-east Africa. Optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) dating of key stratigraphic units indicates that accretion of sediment within these systems is episodic. Both islands appear to have been initiated as spits extending from structural offsets in the coastline. Superposition of significant quantities of sediment upon these spits during subsequent sea-level highstands formed the core of the islands, which were anchored and protected by beachrock and aeolianite formation. At least two distinct dune-building phases occurred during Marine Oxygen Isotope Stage (MIS) 5, tentatively attributed to marine transgressions during sub-stages 5e and 5c. Although some localized reactivation of dune surfaces occurred prior to the Holocene, large quantities of sediment were not deposited on either island during the low sea-levels associated with MIS 2. Significant dune-building and sediment reworking occurred immediately prior to and during the Holocene, though it is not clear whether these processes were continuous or episodic. Significant erosion of the eastern shoreline of Bazaruto suggests that it is far less stable than Inhaca and may suffer further large-scale erosion. A model is presented for the formation of barrier islands along the Mozambican coastal plain.  相似文献   

屏障隔振系统失效机理的探讨          下载免费PDF全文

邱畅  高广运  岳中琦  谭国焕 《地震工程学报》2003,25(3):198-203

屏障隔振是一种用来阻碍或改变外围振波向受保护区(屏蔽区)传播的工程方法，由于其机理的探讨尚不深入，工程实践中常出现隔振系统失效的现象．本假设屏障是埋入土介质的中厚弹性板，采用薄层法分析了该弹性板在振波作用下的振动响应和屏蔽区内位移变化规律；研究了影响屏障隔振效果的主要参量；发现了使屏障隔振效率降低甚至失效的入射波全透射现象．结果表明柔性屏障易发生波的全透射，并指出了避免屏障失效的措施．  相似文献   

Wave-influenced deltas: geomorphological implications for facies reconstruction   总被引：5，自引：0，他引：5  

Janok P. Bhattacharya  Liviu Giosan† 《Sedimentology》2003,50(1):187-210

ABSTRACT A process‐based facies model for asymmetric wave‐influenced deltas predicts significant river‐borne muds with potentially lower quality reservoir facies in prodelta and downdrift areas, and better quality sand in updrift areas. Many ancient barrier‐lagoon systems and ‘offshore bars’ may be better reinterpreted as components of large‐scale asymmetric wave‐influenced deltaic systems. The proposed model is based on a re‐evaluation of several modern examples. An asymmetry index A is defined as the ratio between the net longshore transport rate at the mouth (in m³ year^?1) and river discharge (in 10⁶ m³ month^?1). Symmetry is favoured in deltas with an index below ≈ 200 (e.g. Tiber, lobes of the Godavari delta, Rosetta lobe of the Nile, Ebro), whereas deltas with a higher index are asymmetric (e.g. Danube – Sf. Gheorghe lobe, Brazos, Damietta lobe of the Nile). Periodic deflection of the river mouth for significant distances in the downdrift direction occurs in extreme cases of littoral drift dominance (e.g. Mahanadi), resulting in a series of randomly distributed, quasi‐parallel series of sand spits and channel fills. Asymmetric deltas show variable proportions of river‐, wave‐ and tide‐dominated facies both among and within their lobes. Bayhead deltas, lagoons and barrier islands form naturally in prograding asymmetric deltas and are not necessarily associated with transgressive systems. This complexity underlines the necessity of interpreting ancient depositional systems in a larger palaeogeographic context.  相似文献   

On the variability of the flow along the Meso-American Barrier Reef system: a numerical model study of the influence of the Caribbean current and eddies     

Tal Ezer  Deeptha V. Thattai  Björn Kjerfve  William D. Heyman 《Ocean Dynamics》2005,55(5-6):458-475

A high resolution (3–8 km grid), 3D numerical ocean model of the West Caribbean Sea (WCS) is used to investigate the variability and the forcing of flows near the Meso-American Barrier Reef System (MBRS) which runs along the coasts of Mexico, Belize, Guatemala and Honduras. Mesoscale variations in velocity and temperature along the reef were found in seasonal model simulations and in observations; these variations are associated with meandering of the Caribbean current (CC) and the propagation of Caribbean eddies. Diagnostic calculations and a simple assimilation technique are combined to infer the dynamically adjusted flow associated with particular eddies. The results demonstrate that when a cyclonic eddy (negative sea surface height anomaly (SSHA)) is found near the MBRS the CC shifts offshore, the cyclonic circulation in the Gulf of Honduras (GOH) intensifies, and a strong southward flow results along the reef. However, when an anticyclonic eddy (positive SSHA) is found near the reef, the CC moves onshore and the flow is predominantly westward across the reef. The model results help to explain how drifters are able to propagate in a direction opposite to the mean circulation when eddies cause a reversal of the coastal circulation. The effect of including the Meso-American Lagoon west of the Belize Reef in the model topography was also investigated, to show the importance of having accurate coastal topography in determining the variations of transports across the MBRS. The variations found in transports across the MBRS (on seasonal and mesoscale time scales) may have important consequences for biological activities along the reef such as spawning aggregations; better understanding the nature of these variations will help ongoing efforts in coral reef conservation and maintaining the health of the ecosystem in the region.  相似文献   

Hydrography of the eastern Arabian Sea during summer monsoon 2002     

D. Shankar  S. S. C. Shenoi  R. K. Nayak  P. N. Vinayachandran  G. Nampoothiri  A. M. Almeida  G. S. Michael  M. R. Ramesh Kumar  D. Sundar  O. P. Sreejith 《Journal of Earth System Science》2005,114(5):459-474

Hydrographic observations in the eastern Arabian Sea (EAS) during summer monsoon 2002 (during the first phase of the Arabian Sea Monsoon Experiment (ARMEX)) include two approximately fortnight-long CTD time series. A barrier layer was observed occasionally during the two time series. These ephemeral barrier layers were caused byin situ rainfall, and by advection of low-salinity (high-salinity) waters at the surface (below the surface mixed layer). These barrier layers were advected away from the source region by the West India Coastal Current and had no discernible effect on the sea surface temperature. The three high-salinity water masses, the Arabian Sea High Salinity Water (ASHSW), Persian Gulf Water (PGW), and Red Sea Water (RSW), and the Arabian Sea Salinity Minimum also exhibited intermittency: they appeared and disappeared during the time series. The concentration of the ASHSW, PGW, and RSW decreased equatorward, and that of the RSW also decreased offshore. The observations suggest that the RSW is advected equatorward along the continental slope off the Indian west coast.  相似文献   

Novel shape indices for vector landscape pattern analysis     

Ce Zhang  Peter M. Atkinson 《International journal of geographical information science》2016,30(12):2442-2461

The formation of an anisotropic landscape is influenced by natural and/or human processes, which can then be inferred on the basis of geometric indices. In this study, two minimal bounding rectangles in consideration of the principles of mechanics (i.e. minimal width bounding (MWB) box and moment bounding (MB) box) were introduced. Based on these boxes, four novel shape indices, namely MBLW (the length-to-width ratio of MB box), PAMBA (area ratio between patch and MB box), PPMBP (perimeter ratio between patch and MB box) and ODI (orientation difference index between MB and MWB boxes), were introduced to capture multiple aspects of landscape features including patch elongation, patch compactness, patch roughness and patch symmetry. Landscape pattern was, thus, quantified by considering both patch directionality and patch shape simultaneously, which is especially suitable for anisotropic landscape analysis. The effectiveness of the new indices were tested with real landscape data consisting of three kinds of saline soil patches (i.e. the elongated shaped slightly saline soil class, the circular or half-moon shaped moderately saline soil, and the large and complex severely saline soil patches). The resulting classification was found to be more accurate and robust than that based on traditional shape complexity indices.  相似文献   

新疆及中亚地区斜坡灾害研究现状与展望     

伊学涛  尚彦军  李守定  崔振东  孟和  曹小红 《新疆地质》2021,(1):156-161

新疆和中亚五国山河相连,都是“一带一路”建设的重要支点,但也是滑坡、泥石流等斜坡灾害的高发区,且两地的地质灾害发育有着明显的共性。本文对新疆和中亚地区的斜坡灾害研究现状进行综述,分析了两地斜坡灾害形成机理、发育规律,即中高山地分布集中,受降雨和冰雪融水影响很大,黄土滑坡发育。新疆的斜坡灾害研究多围绕公路、水利等工程设施;中亚地区的斜坡灾害研究以自然灾害居多,且在很大程度上受地震作用控制。最后,分析了新疆及中亚地区斜坡灾害研究的发展趋势,建议建立现代化的灾害监测预警系统,加强“一带一路”沿线国家地质灾害研究的国际合作。  相似文献   

Importance of wave-induced bed liquefaction in the fine sediment budget of Cleveland Bay,Great Barrier Reef   总被引：3，自引：0，他引：3  

J. Lambrechts  C. Humphrey  L. McKinna  O. Gourge  K.E. Fabricius  A.J. Mehta  S. Lewis  E. Wolanski 《Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science》2010

Data from a three-year long field study of fine sediment dynamics in Cleveland Bay show that wave-induced liquefaction of the fine sediment bed on the seafloor in shallow water was the main process causing bed erosion under small waves during tradewinds, and that shear-induced erosion prevailed during cyclonic conditions. These data were used to verify a model of fine sediment dynamics that calculates sediment resuspension by both excess shear stress and wave-induced liquefaction of the bed. For present land-use conditions, the amount of riverine sediments settling on the bay may exceed by 50–75% the amount of sediment exported from the bay. Sediment is thus accumulating in the bay on an annual basis, which in turn may degrade the fringing coral reefs. For those years when a tropical cyclone impacted the bay there may be a net sediment outflow from the bay. During the dry, tradewind season, fine sediment was progressively winnowed out of the shallow, reefal waters.  相似文献