Event Title

Linking surficial geomorphology with vertical structure in high and low energy marine environments

Presentation Abstract

The inland waters of the Puget Sound, Washington, USA, and Georgia Basin, British Columba, Canada, is a complex system of high energy river inputs to lower energy large basins with direct connection to the open ocean through the Straits of Juan de Fuca. High energy systems acting as transport mechanisms for coarse sediment interact with low energy regions with transport deposition of finer sediments to create the vertical stratigraphy of the seafloor. In regions of high energy the seafloor expression is dominated by a rougher seafloor with more geomorphic features of coarser material, while low energy regions are expressed in a seafloor of uniform lamination. This research investigates the link between the surface expression of seafloor roughness and the underlying vertical structure of sediment deposition. Using a high resolution bathymetric surface derived from multibeam sonar synchronized with low frequency sub-bottom acoustic profiles, the depth of acoustic penetration is correlated with a focal calculation of seafloor roughness. Areas of lower acoustic impedance have a larger range in penetration, with lower ranges of penetration persisting in areas of high acoustic impedance. High acoustic impedance is indicative of harder sediments, such as sand, and low acoustic impedance indicates softer sediments, such as mud. The research is a comparative study between a high energy system adjacent to the mouth of the Elwha River and the low energy protected region of South Possession Sound. The research illustrates the strong link between seafloor geomorphology and the terrestrial sources of sediment input and mitigation of sediment transport energy.

Session Title

Remote sensing technology to monitor the short and long term dynamic of the Salish Sea

Conference Track

Habitat

Conference Name

Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference (2016 : Vancouver, B.C.)

Document Type

Event

Start Date

2016 12:00 AM

End Date

2016 12:00 AM

Location

2016SSEC

Type of Presentation

Poster

Genre/Form

conference proceedings; presentations (communicative events); posters

Contributing Repository

Digital content made available by University Archives, Heritage Resources, Western Libraries, Western Washington University.

Subjects – Topical (LCSH)

Geomorphology--Salish Sea (B.C. and Wash.); Marine ecology--Research--Salish Sea (B.C. and Wash.)

Geographic Coverage

Salish Sea (B.C. and Wash.)

Rights

This resource is displayed for educational purposes only and may be subject to U.S. and international copyright laws. For more information about rights or obtaining copies of this resource, please contact University Archives, Heritage Resources, Western Libraries, Western Washington University, Bellingham, WA 98225-9103, USA (360-650-7534; heritage.resources@wwu.edu) and refer to the collection name and identifier. Any materials cited must be attributed to the Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference Records, University Archives, Heritage Resources, Western Libraries, Western Washington University.

Type

Text

Language

English

Format

application/pdf

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COinS
 
Jan 1st, 12:00 AM Jan 1st, 12:00 AM

Linking surficial geomorphology with vertical structure in high and low energy marine environments

2016SSEC

The inland waters of the Puget Sound, Washington, USA, and Georgia Basin, British Columba, Canada, is a complex system of high energy river inputs to lower energy large basins with direct connection to the open ocean through the Straits of Juan de Fuca. High energy systems acting as transport mechanisms for coarse sediment interact with low energy regions with transport deposition of finer sediments to create the vertical stratigraphy of the seafloor. In regions of high energy the seafloor expression is dominated by a rougher seafloor with more geomorphic features of coarser material, while low energy regions are expressed in a seafloor of uniform lamination. This research investigates the link between the surface expression of seafloor roughness and the underlying vertical structure of sediment deposition. Using a high resolution bathymetric surface derived from multibeam sonar synchronized with low frequency sub-bottom acoustic profiles, the depth of acoustic penetration is correlated with a focal calculation of seafloor roughness. Areas of lower acoustic impedance have a larger range in penetration, with lower ranges of penetration persisting in areas of high acoustic impedance. High acoustic impedance is indicative of harder sediments, such as sand, and low acoustic impedance indicates softer sediments, such as mud. The research is a comparative study between a high energy system adjacent to the mouth of the Elwha River and the low energy protected region of South Possession Sound. The research illustrates the strong link between seafloor geomorphology and the terrestrial sources of sediment input and mitigation of sediment transport energy.