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Direct Monitoring Reveals Initiation of Turbidity Currents From Extremely Dilute River Plumes
Geophysical Research Letters2019
113 citations
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Citation count from OpenAlex, updated daily. May differ slightly from the publisher's own count.
Score: 40
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Sophie Hage,
Stephen M. Simmons,
Michael Clare,
Sophie Hage,
Maria Azpiroz–Zabala,
Ed Pope,
Peter J. Talling,
Michael Clare,
Michael Clare,
E. J. Sumner,
Daniel R. Parsons,
Michael Clare,
Michael Clare,
Michael Clare,
James E. Hunt,
Michael Clare,
Michael Clare,
Michael Clare,
Sophie Hage,
Maria Azpiroz–Zabala,
Matthieu Cartigny,
Daniel R. Parsons,
Daniel R. Parsons,
Daniel R. Parsons,
Michael Clare,
Michael Clare,
Daniel R. Parsons,
Michael Clare,
Michael Clare,
Michael Clare,
E. J. Sumner,
Daniel R. Parsons,
Peter J. Talling,
Michael Clare,
Daniel R. Parsons,
Ricardo Silva Jacinto,
Matthieu Cartigny,
Matthieu Cartigny,
Matthieu Cartigny,
Matthieu Cartigny,
Matthieu Cartigny,
Ricardo Silva Jacinto,
James E. Hunt,
James E. Hunt,
Michael Clare,
Michael Clare,
Michael Clare,
Michael Clare,
Peter J. Talling,
Peter J. Talling,
Daniel R. Parsons,
Michael Clare,
Daniel R. Parsons,
Ricardo Silva Jacinto,
Peter J. Talling,
Ricardo Silva Jacinto,
Daniel R. Parsons,
Michael Clare,
Daniel R. Parsons,
Michael Clare,
Ricardo Silva Jacinto,
John E. Clark,
Ricardo Silva Jacinto,
James E. Hunt,
Sophie Hage,
Daniel R. Parsons,
Daniel R. Parsons,
Daniel R. Parsons,
Daniel R. Parsons,
Daniel R. Parsons,
Daniel R. Parsons,
Ricardo Silva Jacinto,
E. J. Sumner,
Sophie Hage,
Daniel R. Parsons,
Daniel R. Parsons,
James E. Hunt,
E. J. Sumner,
Peter J. Talling,
James E. Hunt,
Ricardo Silva Jacinto,
Gwyn Lintern,
Daniel R. Parsons,
Sophie Hage,
Daniel R. Parsons,
Sophie Hage,
Stephen M. Simmons,
Ed Pope,
Gwyn Lintern,
Cooper Stacey,
John E. Clark,
E. J. Sumner,
Daniel R. Parsons,
Daniel R. Parsons,
Stephen M. Simmons,
Daniel R. Parsons,
Ricardo Silva Jacinto,
Peter J. Talling,
Daniel R. Parsons,
Gwyn Lintern,
Ricardo Silva Jacinto,
Ricardo Silva Jacinto,
Stephen M. Simmons,
Ricardo Silva Jacinto,
Age Vellinga,
Age Vellinga,
Cooper Stacey,
Michael Clare,
Joshua R. Allin,
Daniel R. Parsons,
E. J. Sumner,
Michael Clare,
Stephen M. Simmons,
Stephen M. Simmons,
Maria Azpiroz–Zabala,
Matthieu Cartigny,
John E. Clark,
Michael Clare,
Jenny A. Gales,
J. L. Hizzett,
Michael Clare,
Ed Pope,
Ricardo Silva Jacinto,
James E. Hunt,
Ricardo Silva Jacinto,
Daniel R. Parsons,
Alessandro Mozzato,
Alessandro Mozzato,
Daniel R. Parsons,
Sophie Hage,
Ed Pope,
Stephen M. Simmons,
Cooper Stacey,
William Symons,
Mark E. Vardy,
C. Watts,
C. Watts
Summary
Researchers directly monitored turbidity current generation in the coastal ocean, observing that an exceptionally dilute river plume with sediment concentrations well below the accepted threshold (0.07 kg/m³ vs ~1 kg/m³) generated a fast, erosive turbidity current, challenging existing paradigms about the concentration needed to trigger such events.
Study Type
Environmental
Rivers (on land) and turbidity currents (in the ocean) are the most important sediment transport processes on Earth. Yet how rivers generate turbidity currents as they enter the coastal ocean remains poorly understood. The current paradigm, based on laboratory experiments, is that turbidity currents are triggered when river plumes exceed a threshold sediment concentration of ~1 kg/m<sup>3</sup>. Here we present direct observations of an exceptionally dilute river plume, with sediment concentrations 1 order of magnitude below this threshold (0.07 kg/m<sup>3</sup>), which generated a fast (1.5 m/s), erosive, short-lived (6 min) turbidity current. However, no turbidity current occurred during subsequent river plumes. We infer that turbidity currents are generated when fine sediment, accumulating in a tidal turbidity maximum, is released during spring tide. This means that very dilute river plumes can generate turbidity currents more frequently and in a wider range of locations than previously thought.