Sand Ripple Generation, Evolution and Decay: An Investigation of Physical and Biological Controls
Abstract
The central goal of this research is a deeper understanding of bed state adjustment in mobile sandy sediments on the inner continental shelf, in particular the adjustment due the combined effects of variable fluid forcing and biological reworking of the sediment surface. The work is motivated by the lack of suitable observational basis for developing and testing models of seabed roughness evolution through fluid-sediment-biological interactions in sandy inner shelf environments. Our primary objective in this first phase of the project is to quantify the rates of ripple and seabed roughness degradation arising from biological activity on and within the seafloor. The second objective is to compare the measured degradation rates to those predicted by analytic and numerical models of bed roughness change by biological organisms.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Sep 30, 2004
- Accession Number
- ADA612994
Entities
People
- Alex E. Hay
- Bernard P. Boudreau
- Michael D. Richardson
Organizations
- United States Naval Research Laboratory