Skip to main content

Research Repository

Advanced Search

All Outputs (109)

River bank instability from unsustainable sand mining in the lower Mekong River (2020)
Journal Article
Hackney, C. R., Darby, S., Parsons, D. R., Leyland, J., Best, J., Aalto, R., …Houseago, R. (2020). River bank instability from unsustainable sand mining in the lower Mekong River. Nature Sustainability, 3(3), 217-225. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41893-019-0455-3

Recent growth of the construction industry has fuelled demand for sand, with considerable volumes being extracted from the world’s large rivers. Sediment transport from upstream naturally replenishes sediment stored in river beds, but the absence of... Read More about River bank instability from unsustainable sand mining in the lower Mekong River.

What determines the downstream evolution of turbidity currents? (2019)
Journal Article
Heerema, C. J., Talling, P. J., Cartigny, M. J., Paull, C. K., Bailey, L., Simmons, S. M., …Pope, E. (2020). What determines the downstream evolution of turbidity currents?. Earth and planetary science letters, 532, Article 116023. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.epsl.2019.116023

© 2019 Seabed sediment flows called turbidity currents form some of the largest sediment accumulations, deepest canyons and longest channel systems on Earth. Only rivers transport comparable sediment volumes over such large areas; but there are far f... Read More about What determines the downstream evolution of turbidity currents?.

Direct monitoring reveals initiation of turbidity currents from extremely dilute river plumes (2019)
Journal Article
Hage, S., Cartigny, M. J. B., Sumner, E. J., Clare, M. A., Hughes Clarke, J., Talling, P. J., …Watts, C. (2019). Direct monitoring reveals initiation of turbidity currents from extremely dilute river plumes. Geophysical research letters, 46(20), 11310-11320. https://doi.org/10.1029/2019gl084526

©2019. The Authors. 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... Read More about Direct monitoring reveals initiation of turbidity currents from extremely dilute river plumes.

Sediment and organic carbon transport and deposition driven by internal tides along Monterey Canyon, offshore California (2019)
Journal Article
Maier, K. L., Rosenberger, K. J., Paull, C. K., Gwiazda, R., Gales, J., Lorenson, T., …Cartigny, M. J. (2019). Sediment and organic carbon transport and deposition driven by internal tides along Monterey Canyon, offshore California. Deep Sea Research Part I: Oceanographic Research Papers, 153, Article 103108. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dsr.2019.103108

© 2019 Elsevier Ltd Submarine canyons are globally important conduits for sediment and organic carbon transport into the deep sea. Using a novel dataset from Monterey Canyon, offshore central California, that includes an extensive array of water colu... Read More about Sediment and organic carbon transport and deposition driven by internal tides along Monterey Canyon, offshore California.

Linking direct measurements of turbidity currents to submarine canyon-floor deposits (2019)
Journal Article
Maier, K. L., Gales, J. A., Paull, C. K., Rosenberger, K., Talling, P. J., Simmons, S. M., …Sumner, E. J. (2019). Linking direct measurements of turbidity currents to submarine canyon-floor deposits. Frontiers in Earth Science, 7, Article 144. https://doi.org/10.3389/feart.2019.00144

Submarine canyons are conduits for episodic and powerful sediment density flows (commonly called turbidity currents) that move globally significant amounts of terrestrial sediment and organic carbon into the deep sea, forming some of the largest sedi... Read More about Linking direct measurements of turbidity currents to submarine canyon-floor deposits.

Integrating field and laboratory approaches for ripple development in mixed sand–clay–EPS (2019)
Journal Article
Baas, J. H., Baker, M. L., Malarkey, J., Bass, S. J., Manning, A. J., Hope, J. A., …Thorne, P. D. (2019). Integrating field and laboratory approaches for ripple development in mixed sand–clay–EPS. Sedimentology, 66(7), 2749-2768. https://doi.org/10.1111/sed.12611

The shape and size of sedimentary bedforms play a key role in the reconstruction of sedimentary processes in modern and ancient environments. Recent laboratory experiments have shown that bedforms in mixed sand–clay develop at a slower rate and ofte... Read More about Integrating field and laboratory approaches for ripple development in mixed sand–clay–EPS.

Self-sharpening induces jet-like structure in seafloor gravity currents (2019)
Journal Article
Dorrell, R. M., Peakall, J., Darby, S. E., Parsons, D. R., Johnson, J., Sumner, E. J., …Tezcan, D. (2019). Self-sharpening induces jet-like structure in seafloor gravity currents. Nature communications, 10(1), Article 1381. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-019-09254-2

Gravity currents are the primary means by which sediments, solutes and heat are transported across the ocean-floor. Existing theory of gravity current flow employs a statistically-stable model of turbulent diffusion that has been extant since the 196... Read More about Self-sharpening induces jet-like structure in seafloor gravity currents.

Quantification of bedform dynamics and bedload sediment flux in sandy braided rivers from airborne and satellite imagery (2019)
Journal Article
Strick, R. J., Ashworth, P. J., Sambrook Smith, G. H., Nicholas, A. P., Best, J. L., Lane, S. N., …Dale, J. (2019). Quantification of bedform dynamics and bedload sediment flux in sandy braided rivers from airborne and satellite imagery. Earth surface processes and landforms : the journal of the British Geomorphological Research Group, 44(4), 953-972. https://doi.org/10.1002/esp.4558

Images from specially‐commissioned aeroplane sorties (manned aerial vehicle, MAV), repeat unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) surveys, and Planet CubeSat satellites are used to quantify dune and bar dynamics in the sandy braided South Saskatchewan River, C... Read More about Quantification of bedform dynamics and bedload sediment flux in sandy braided rivers from airborne and satellite imagery.

On the causes of pulsing in continuous turbidity currents (2018)
Journal Article
Kostaschuk, R., Nasr-Azadani, M. M., Meiburg, E., Wei, T., Chen, Z., Negretti, M. E., …Parsons, D. R. (2018). On the causes of pulsing in continuous turbidity currents. Journal of Geophysical Research: Earth Surface, 123(11), 2827-2843. https://doi.org/10.1029/2018JF004719

Velocity pulsing has previously been observed in continuous turbidity currents in lakes and reservoirs, even though the input flow is steady. Several different mechanisms have been ascribed to the generation of these fluctuations, including Rayleigh‐... Read More about On the causes of pulsing in continuous turbidity currents.

Wave ripple development on mixed clay-sand substrates: Effects of clay winnowing and armoring (2018)
Journal Article
Wu, X., Baas, J. H., Parsons, D. R., Eggenhuisen, J., Amoudry, L., Cartigny, M., …Ruessink, G. (2018). Wave ripple development on mixed clay-sand substrates: Effects of clay winnowing and armoring. Journal of Geophysical Research: Earth Surface, 123(11), 2784-2801. https://doi.org/10.1029/2018JF004681

Based on bed form experiments in a large‐scale flume, we demonstrate that the rate of development of wave ripples on a mixed sand‐clay bed under regular waves is significantly lower than on a pure‐sand bed, even at clay fractions as low as 4.2%, and... Read More about Wave ripple development on mixed clay-sand substrates: Effects of clay winnowing and armoring.

Powerful turbidity currents driven by dense basal layers (2018)
Journal Article
Paull, C. K., Talling, P. J., Maier, K. L., Parsons, D., Xu, J., Caress, D. W., …Cartigny, M. J. (2018). Powerful turbidity currents driven by dense basal layers. Nature communications, 9(1), Article 4114. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-018-06254-6

Seafloor sediment flows (turbidity currents) are among the volumetrically most important yet least documented sediment transport processes on Earth. A scarcity of direct observations means that basic characteristics, such as whether flows are entirel... Read More about Powerful turbidity currents driven by dense basal layers.

Controls on mud distribution and architecture along the fluvial-to-marine transition (2018)
Journal Article
van de Lageweg, W. I., Braat, L., Parsons, D. R., & Kleinhans, M. G. (2018). Controls on mud distribution and architecture along the fluvial-to-marine transition. Geology, 46(11), 971-974. https://doi.org/10.1130/G45504.1

© 2018 Geological Society of America. The interaction of marine (tides and waves) and fluvial processes determines the sedimentary fill of coastal systems in the fluvial-tomarine (FTM) transition zone. Despite frequent recognition of tidal and wave i... Read More about Controls on mud distribution and architecture along the fluvial-to-marine transition.

The adaptation of dunes to changes in river flow (2018)
Journal Article
Reesink, A. J. H., Parsons, D. R., Ashworth, P. J., Best, J. L., Hardy, R. J., Murphy, B. J., …Unsworth, C. (2018). The adaptation of dunes to changes in river flow. Earth-Science Reviews, 185, 1065-1087. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.earscirev.2018.09.002

The dunes that cover the beds of most alluvial channels change in size and shape over time and in space, which in turn affects the flow and sediment-transport dynamics of the river. However, both the precise mechanisms of such adaptation of dunes, an... Read More about The adaptation of dunes to changes in river flow.

Investigation of variable aeration of monodisperse mixtures: implications for pyroclastic density currents (2018)
Journal Article
Smith, G. M., Williams, R., Rowley, P., & Parsons, D. R. (2018). Investigation of variable aeration of monodisperse mixtures: implications for pyroclastic density currents. Bulletin of volcanology, 80(8), Article 67. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00445-018-1241-1

The high mobility of dense pyroclastic density currents (PDCs) is commonly attributed to high gas pore pressures. However, the influence of spatial and temporal variations in pore pressure within PDCs has yet to be investigated. Theory suggests that... Read More about Investigation of variable aeration of monodisperse mixtures: implications for pyroclastic density currents.

Hydrodynamic modelling of tidal-fluvial flows in a large river estuary (2018)
Journal Article
Sandbach, S., Nicholas, A., Ashworth, P., Best, J., Keevil, C., Parsons, D., …Simpson, C. (2018). Hydrodynamic modelling of tidal-fluvial flows in a large river estuary. Estuarine, coastal and shelf science, 212, 176-188. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecss.2018.06.023

© 2018 The Authors The transition between riverine and estuarine environments is characterised by a change from unidirectional to bidirectional flows, in a region referred to herein as the Tidally-Influenced Fluvial Zone (TIFZ). In order to improve o... Read More about Hydrodynamic modelling of tidal-fluvial flows in a large river estuary.

Modelling impacts of tidal stream turbines on surface waves (2018)
Journal Article
Li, X., Li, M., Jordan, L. B., McLelland, S., Parsons, D. R., Amoudry, L. O., …Comerford, L. (2019). Modelling impacts of tidal stream turbines on surface waves. Renewable energy, 130, 725-734. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.renene.2018.05.098

© 2018 Elsevier Ltd A high resolution Computational Flow Dynamics (CFD) numerical model is built based on a laboratory experiment in this research to study impacts of tidal turbines on surface wave dynamics. A reduction of ∼3% in wave height is obser... Read More about Modelling impacts of tidal stream turbines on surface waves.

Laboratory study on the effects of hydro kinetic turbines on hydrodynamics and sediment dynamics (2018)
Journal Article
Ramírez-Mendoza, R., Amoudry, L., Thorne, P., Cooke, R., McLelland, S., Jordan, L., …Murdoch, L. (2018). Laboratory study on the effects of hydro kinetic turbines on hydrodynamics and sediment dynamics. Renewable energy, 129(Part A), 271-284. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.renene.2018.05.094

© 2018 The Authors The need for hydrokinetic turbine wake characterisation and their environmental impact has led to a number of studies. However, a small number of them have taken into account mobile sediment bed effects. The aim of the present work... Read More about Laboratory study on the effects of hydro kinetic turbines on hydrodynamics and sediment dynamics.

Bedform migration in a mixed sand and cohesive clay intertidal environment and implications for bed material transport predictions (2018)
Journal Article
Lichtman, I. D., Baas, J. H., Amoudry, L. O., Thorne, P. D., Malarkey, J., Hope, J. A., …Ye, L. (2018). Bedform migration in a mixed sand and cohesive clay intertidal environment and implications for bed material transport predictions. Geomorphology, 315, 17-32. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geomorph.2018.04.016

Many coastal and estuarine environments are dominated by mixtures of non-cohesive sand and cohesive mud. The migration rate of bedforms, such as ripples and dunes, in these environments is important in determining bed material transport rates to info... Read More about Bedform migration in a mixed sand and cohesive clay intertidal environment and implications for bed material transport predictions.

How to recognize crescentic bedforms formed by supercritical turbidity currents in the geologic record: Insights from active submarine channels (2018)
Journal Article
Hage, S., Cartigny, M. J., Clare, M. A., Sumner, E. J., Vendettuoli, D., Clarke, J. E., …Vellinga, A. J. (2018). How to recognize crescentic bedforms formed by supercritical turbidity currents in the geologic record: Insights from active submarine channels. Geology, 46(6), 563-566. https://doi.org/10.1130/G40095.1

© 2018 Geological Society of America. Submarine channels have been important throughout geologic time for feeding globally significant volumes of sediment f rom land to the deep sea. Modern observations show that submarine channels can be sculpted by... Read More about How to recognize crescentic bedforms formed by supercritical turbidity currents in the geologic record: Insights from active submarine channels.

Beyond equilibrium: Re-evaluating physical modelling of fluvial systems to represent climate changes (2018)
Journal Article
Baynes, E. R., van de Lageweg, W. I., McLelland, S. J., Parsons, D. R., Aberle, J., Dijkstra, J., …Moulin, F. (2018). Beyond equilibrium: Re-evaluating physical modelling of fluvial systems to represent climate changes. Earth-Science Reviews, 181, 82-97. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.earscirev.2018.04.007

© 2018 Elsevier B.V. The interactions between water, sediment and biology in fluvial systems are complex and driven by multiple forcing mechanisms across a range of spatial and temporal scales. In a changing climate, some meteorological drivers are e... Read More about Beyond equilibrium: Re-evaluating physical modelling of fluvial systems to represent climate changes.