Wednesday, November 29, 2006
Flushing Submarine Canyons
Barcelona (Spain), 28 November: Large amounts of sediment can be transported from shallow waters to the deep ocean by the cascading of cold, dense waters, a study in this week's Nature suggests. As climate changes, this could have repercussions for the environment.
Water and sediment are transferred to the bottom of the ocean via steep-sided valleys called submarine canyons. It's currently thought that most of these flows are initiated by river floods or sediment collapse. But now Miquel Canals and colleagues show that the process can also be triggered by changes in seawater density.
Future changes in climate could alter the frequency and intensity of these dense shelf water cascading events, which also reshape the canyon floors. So there may be knock-on effects for deep-sea ecosystems and carbon storage.
(ResearchSEA)
Water and sediment are transferred to the bottom of the ocean via steep-sided valleys called submarine canyons. It's currently thought that most of these flows are initiated by river floods or sediment collapse. But now Miquel Canals and colleagues show that the process can also be triggered by changes in seawater density.
Future changes in climate could alter the frequency and intensity of these dense shelf water cascading events, which also reshape the canyon floors. So there may be knock-on effects for deep-sea ecosystems and carbon storage.
(ResearchSEA)
# posted by mediabhartiwebsolutions @ 5:35 AM 
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