Sediment processes on the Fraser Delta
Presentation Abstract
Sediment processes on the Fraser Delta, British Columbia, are being observed using a real time scientific ocean network maintained and operated by Ocean Networks Canada and the Geological Survey of Canada. The instruments have detected many features of sediment transport including plume settling characteristics, deposition rates, conditions for tidal resuspension and transport. This information would be useful for the understanding of remobilization and transport of contaminants from the Fraser River. Among the key findings, settling rates might be faster than stokes settling alone would account for, and annual bed-building deposition is interrupted by massive erosion events at certain tides. In addition to the transport modes above, the instruments have registered several turbidity current events, and in at least two cases these were strong enough to lift the 1-tonne platform off the seabed and send it tumbling, all the time measuring rarely measured properties of the turbidity currents. These turbidity currents would remove sediment and presumably contaminants to deep water in the Salish Sea (though we are not measuring contaminants directly). In this presentation, we show highlights of our measurements on the modes of sediment transport on the Fraser Delta.
Session Title
Session S-03G: Ecosystem Services and Impacts of Sediment for Salish Sea Recovery
Conference Track
Shorelines
Conference Name
Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference (2014 : Seattle, Wash.)
Document Type
Event
Start Date
30-4-2014 3:30 PM
End Date
30-4-2014 5:00 PM
Location
Room 6E
Genre/Form
conference proceedings; presentations (communicative events)
Contributing Repository
Digital content made available by University Archives, Heritage Resources, Western Libraries, Western Washington University.
Subjects – Topical (LCSH)
River sediments--British Columbia--Fraser River Delta; Sediment transport--British Columbia--Fraser River Delta
Geographic Coverage
Salish Sea (B.C. and Wash.); Fraser River Delta (B.C.)
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
Sediment processes on the Fraser Delta
Room 6E
Sediment processes on the Fraser Delta, British Columbia, are being observed using a real time scientific ocean network maintained and operated by Ocean Networks Canada and the Geological Survey of Canada. The instruments have detected many features of sediment transport including plume settling characteristics, deposition rates, conditions for tidal resuspension and transport. This information would be useful for the understanding of remobilization and transport of contaminants from the Fraser River. Among the key findings, settling rates might be faster than stokes settling alone would account for, and annual bed-building deposition is interrupted by massive erosion events at certain tides. In addition to the transport modes above, the instruments have registered several turbidity current events, and in at least two cases these were strong enough to lift the 1-tonne platform off the seabed and send it tumbling, all the time measuring rarely measured properties of the turbidity currents. These turbidity currents would remove sediment and presumably contaminants to deep water in the Salish Sea (though we are not measuring contaminants directly). In this presentation, we show highlights of our measurements on the modes of sediment transport on the Fraser Delta.
