Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Scales Of Seafloor Sediment Resuspension In The Northern Gulf Of Mexico, Arne-R. Diercks, Clayton Dike, Vernon Asper, Steven F. Dimarco, Jeff Chanton, Uta Passow

Faculty Publications

Seafloor sediment resuspension events of different scales and magnitudes and the resulting deep (>1,000 m) benthic nepheloid layers were investigated in the northern Gulf of Mexico during Fall 2012 to Summer 2013. Time-series data of size-specific in-situ settling speeds of marine snow in the benthic nepheloid layer (moored flux cameras), particle size distributions (profiling camera), currents (various current meters) and stacked time-series flux data (sediment traps) were combined to recognize resuspension events ranging from small-scale local, to small-scale far-field to hurricane-scale. One smallscale local resuspension event caused by inertial currents was identified based on local high current speeds ( …