The geomorphology of Antarctic submarine slopes
The Antarctic continental margin contains a diverse range of continental slope morphologies, including iceberg keel marks, gullies, channels, mass-wasting features (slides, slumps), ridges, furrows, mounds and trough mouth fans. These features vary significantly in morphology, with bedforms varying...
Main Author: | |
---|---|
Format: | Doctoral or Postdoctoral Thesis |
Language: | English |
Published: |
2013
|
Subjects: | |
Online Access: | https://research.manchester.ac.uk/en/studentTheses/d117ad12-927b-44f1-bf67-d195e2fef51b https://pure.manchester.ac.uk/ws/files/54542756/FULL_TEXT.PDF |
id |
ftumanchesterpub:oai:pure.atira.dk:studenttheses/d117ad12-927b-44f1-bf67-d195e2fef51b |
---|---|
record_format |
openpolar |
spelling |
ftumanchesterpub:oai:pure.atira.dk:studenttheses/d117ad12-927b-44f1-bf67-d195e2fef51b 2023-11-12T04:07:57+01:00 The geomorphology of Antarctic submarine slopes Gales, Jenny 2013-12-31 application/pdf https://research.manchester.ac.uk/en/studentTheses/d117ad12-927b-44f1-bf67-d195e2fef51b https://pure.manchester.ac.uk/ws/files/54542756/FULL_TEXT.PDF eng eng Slope processes Antarctic Geomorphology Gullies Continental slope doctoralThesis 2013 ftumanchesterpub 2023-10-30T09:17:45Z The Antarctic continental margin contains a diverse range of continental slope morphologies, including iceberg keel marks, gullies, channels, mass-wasting features (slides, slumps), ridges, furrows, mounds and trough mouth fans. These features vary significantly in morphology, with bedforms varying in size (width, amplitude and length), shelf incision, sinuosity, branching order, spatial density and cross-sectional shape. The processes which form these features and the environmental controls influencing their morphology are not well documented or well constrained. Understanding the processes operating on the Antarctic continental margin is essential for interpreting seafloor erosion patterns, continental margin evolution, slope instability and sediment core records from the continental slope and rise. Through quantitative analysis of multibeam bathymetric data along >2670 km of the outer shelf and upper-slope of high latitude continental margins, five distinct Antarctic gully types are identified. Gully morphology was found to vary with local slope character (slope geometry, gradient), regional factors (location of cross-shelf troughs, trough mouth fans and drainage basin size), sediment yield and ice-sheet history. Most gullies are likely formed by: (1) flows generated as a result of the release of subglacial meltwater from beneath an ice-sheet grounded to the shelf edge during glacial maxima; (2) turbidity currents initiated by intense iceberg scouring; or (3) small-scale mass-wasting. Erosion by cascading dense water overflow does not form the deeply incised and V-shaped gullies that occur over much of the Antarctic continental margin. A comparison of some Arctic and Antarctic gully morphologies shows that the Antarctic gullies have much deeper mean incision depths and greater shelf-incisions, suggesting that they either formed over significantly longer periods, or by a greater release of meltwater in the areas with greater gully incision depths. The first morphological analysis of the southern Weddell Sea ... Doctoral or Postdoctoral Thesis Antarc* Antarctic Arctic Ice Sheet Iceberg* Iceberg* Weddell Sea The University of Manchester: Research Explorer |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
The University of Manchester: Research Explorer |
op_collection_id |
ftumanchesterpub |
language |
English |
topic |
Slope processes Antarctic Geomorphology Gullies Continental slope |
spellingShingle |
Slope processes Antarctic Geomorphology Gullies Continental slope Gales, Jenny The geomorphology of Antarctic submarine slopes |
topic_facet |
Slope processes Antarctic Geomorphology Gullies Continental slope |
description |
The Antarctic continental margin contains a diverse range of continental slope morphologies, including iceberg keel marks, gullies, channels, mass-wasting features (slides, slumps), ridges, furrows, mounds and trough mouth fans. These features vary significantly in morphology, with bedforms varying in size (width, amplitude and length), shelf incision, sinuosity, branching order, spatial density and cross-sectional shape. The processes which form these features and the environmental controls influencing their morphology are not well documented or well constrained. Understanding the processes operating on the Antarctic continental margin is essential for interpreting seafloor erosion patterns, continental margin evolution, slope instability and sediment core records from the continental slope and rise. Through quantitative analysis of multibeam bathymetric data along >2670 km of the outer shelf and upper-slope of high latitude continental margins, five distinct Antarctic gully types are identified. Gully morphology was found to vary with local slope character (slope geometry, gradient), regional factors (location of cross-shelf troughs, trough mouth fans and drainage basin size), sediment yield and ice-sheet history. Most gullies are likely formed by: (1) flows generated as a result of the release of subglacial meltwater from beneath an ice-sheet grounded to the shelf edge during glacial maxima; (2) turbidity currents initiated by intense iceberg scouring; or (3) small-scale mass-wasting. Erosion by cascading dense water overflow does not form the deeply incised and V-shaped gullies that occur over much of the Antarctic continental margin. A comparison of some Arctic and Antarctic gully morphologies shows that the Antarctic gullies have much deeper mean incision depths and greater shelf-incisions, suggesting that they either formed over significantly longer periods, or by a greater release of meltwater in the areas with greater gully incision depths. The first morphological analysis of the southern Weddell Sea ... |
format |
Doctoral or Postdoctoral Thesis |
author |
Gales, Jenny |
author_facet |
Gales, Jenny |
author_sort |
Gales, Jenny |
title |
The geomorphology of Antarctic submarine slopes |
title_short |
The geomorphology of Antarctic submarine slopes |
title_full |
The geomorphology of Antarctic submarine slopes |
title_fullStr |
The geomorphology of Antarctic submarine slopes |
title_full_unstemmed |
The geomorphology of Antarctic submarine slopes |
title_sort |
geomorphology of antarctic submarine slopes |
publishDate |
2013 |
url |
https://research.manchester.ac.uk/en/studentTheses/d117ad12-927b-44f1-bf67-d195e2fef51b https://pure.manchester.ac.uk/ws/files/54542756/FULL_TEXT.PDF |
genre |
Antarc* Antarctic Arctic Ice Sheet Iceberg* Iceberg* Weddell Sea |
genre_facet |
Antarc* Antarctic Arctic Ice Sheet Iceberg* Iceberg* Weddell Sea |
_version_ |
1782328420871438336 |