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GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH LETTERS, VOL. 31, L09311, doi:10.1029/2004GL019718, 2004

In-situ measurements of velocity structure within turbidity currents

J. P. Xu

U.S. Geological Survey, Menlo Park, California, USA


M. A. Noble

U.S. Geological Survey, Menlo Park, California, USA


L. K. Rosenfeld

Naval Postgraduate School, Monterey, California, USA


Abstract

Turbidity currents are thought to be the main mechanism to move ∼500,000 m3 of sediments annually from the head of the Monterey Submarine Canyon to the deep-sea fan. Indirect evidence has shown frequent occurrences of such turbidity currents in the canyon, but the dynamic properties of the turbidity currents such as maximum speed, duration, and dimensions are still unknown. Here we present the first-ever in-situ measurements of velocity profiles of four turbidity currents whose maximum along-canyon velocity reached 190 cm/s. Two turbidity currents coincided with storms that produced the highest swells and the biggest stream flows during the year-long deployment.

Received 16 March 2004; accepted 9 April 2004; published 11 May 2004.

Index Terms: 3022 Marine Geology and Geophysics: Marine sediments—processes and transport; 4558 Oceanography: Physical: Sediment transport; 4512 Oceanography: Physical: Currents; 4594 Oceanography: Physical: Instruments and techniques.

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Citation: Xu, J. P., M. A. Noble, and L. K. Rosenfeld (2004), In-situ measurements of velocity structure within turbidity currents, Geophys. Res. Lett., 31, L09311, doi:10.1029/2004GL019718.