In this chapter, results relative to the four goals set out in the introduction are reviewed. Those goals were; a. IdentifY the processes which are removing sediment from the Antarctic continent, transporting it, and depositing it in the marine environment in Prydz Bay, and subsequently reworking th...
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| Format: | Text |
| Language: | English |
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| Online Access: | http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/summary?doi=10.1.1.468.5938 http://eprints.utas.edu.au/14454/4/FRANKLIN_chp7-append.pdf |
| Summary: | In this chapter, results relative to the four goals set out in the introduction are reviewed. Those goals were; a. IdentifY the processes which are removing sediment from the Antarctic continent, transporting it, and depositing it in the marine environment in Prydz Bay, and subsequently reworking that sediment. b. Describe the facies resulting from the interaction of these processes. c. CodifY the structural and textural indicators of those processes in the resultant sediments, the key indicators indicative of temporal and spatial changes in sediment source location. d. Develop a sediment budget for Prydz Bay and the Ingrid Christensen Coast, and comment on the implications this has for sediment provenance and palaeoclimate reconstruction. THE SEDIMENTARY PROCESSES IN PRYDZ BAY Sediments are currently being deposited in Prydz Bay from two main sources; biogenic production of silica and carbonate, and the erosion and subsequent deposition of terrigenous continental material. The production ofbiogenic silica is mainly attributable to phytoplankton which prosper near the sea ice edge and bloom through the summer months. Blooms follow the retreating ice edge to the continent. Individual phytoplankton are predated by zooplankton and the siliceous remains are incorporated in faecal pellets which sink to the bottom and mix into the sediment. These pellets are disaggregated by the action of infaunal biological activity. Alternatively phytoplankton die and settle directly to the seafloor individually or within marine snow. Over time, the effect of these processes is evenly dispersed |
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