Temporal and spatial variability of the bottom nepheloid layer over a deep-sea fan |
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| Authors: | Edward T Baker |
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| Institution: | Department of Oceanography, University of Washington, Seattle, Wash. U.S.A. |
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| Abstract: | Analysis of 121 in-situ nephelometer profiles recorded in the waters above Nitinat Deep-Sea Fan during three cruises between 1971 and 1974 reveals a substantial degree of correlation between fan topography and the vertical distribution of suspended particulate matter within 150 m of the sea floor. Profiles recorded above different topographic provinces may be generalized into two structural classes which have retained their characteristic features throughout the 4-year observation period: the levee type, in which a thin bottom nepheloid layer consists of a single steep scattering gradient sharply capped by the overlying clearer water; and the fan-valley type, in which a bottom nepheloid layer of variable thickness and prominent internal layering dissipates only gradually into the overlying clearer water. Although the source of the particles which form the bottom nepheloid layer has not yet been definitely identified, the multi-year stability of scattering intensity, thickness, and internal structure imply that it is maintained by some combination of continually operative processes, rather than by infusions of material from episodic events such as turbidity currents. |
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