• Login
    About WHOAS
    View Item 
    •   WHOAS Home
    • Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
    • Academic Programs
    • WHOI Theses
    • View Item
    •   WHOAS Home
    • Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
    • Academic Programs
    • WHOI Theses
    • View Item
    JavaScript is disabled for your browser. Some features of this site may not work without it.

    Browse

    All of WHOASCommunities & CollectionsBy Issue DateAuthorsTitlesKeywordsThis CollectionBy Issue DateAuthorsTitlesKeywords

    My Account

    LoginRegister

    Statistics

    View Usage Statistics

    Fine-grained sedimentation on the Chenier Plain Coast and inner continental shelf, northern Gulf of Mexico

    Thumbnail
    View/Open
    Draut_thesis.pdf (26.24Mb)
    Date
    2003-06
    Author
    Draut, Amy E.  Concept link
    Metadata
    Show full item record
    Citable URI
    https://hdl.handle.net/1912/2464
    Location
    Atchafalaya River
    Louisiana
    DOI
    10.1575/1912/2464
    Keyword
     Marine sediments; Sediment transport; Coast changes; Pelican (Ship) Cruise; Eugenie (Ship) Cruise 
    Abstract
    This thesis examines the evolution of a mud-dominated coastal sedimentary system on multiple time scales. Fine-grained systems exhibit different properties and behavior from sandy coasts, and have received relatively little research attention to date. Evidence is presented for shoreline accretion under energetic conditions associated with storms and winter cold fronts. The identification of energetic events as agents of coastal accretion stands in contrast to the traditional assumption that low-energy conditions are required for deposition of fine-grained sediment. Mudflat accretion is proposed to depend upon the presence of an unconsolidated mud sea floor immediately offshore, proximity to a fluvial sediment source, onshore winds, which generate waves that resuspend sediment and advect it shoreward, and a low tidal range. This study constrains the present influence of the Atchafalaya River on stratigraphic evolution of the inner continental shelf in western Louisiana. Sedimentary and acoustic data are used to identify the western limit of the distal Atchafalaya prodelta and to estimate the proportion of Atchafalaya River sediment that accumulates on the inner shelf seaward of Louisiana's chenier plain coast. The results demonstrate a link between sedimentary facies distribution on the inner shelf and patterns of accretion and shoreline retreat on the chenier plain coast.
    Description
    Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution June 2003
    Collections
    • Geology and Geophysics (G&G)
    • WHOI Theses
    Suggested Citation
    Thesis: Draut, Amy E., "Fine-grained sedimentation on the Chenier Plain Coast and inner continental shelf, northern Gulf of Mexico", 2003-06, DOI:10.1575/1912/2464, https://hdl.handle.net/1912/2464
     

    Related items

    Showing items related by title, author, creator and subject.

    • Thumbnail

      The sediments of the continental shelf off the eastern coast of the United States 

      Stetson, Henry C. (Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, 1938-07)
      Our knowledge of clastic, shallow-water sediments over any considerable area of ocean floor is very generalized and leaves much to be desired. The notations concerning the character of the bottom found on all charts are ...
    • Thumbnail

      The sediments and stratigraphy of the East Coast continental margin : Georges Bank to Norfolk Canyon 

      Stetson, Henry C. (Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, 1949-08)
      The continental shelf off the northeastern coast of the United States was the first of our offshore coastal areas to be charted in detail by the Coast and Geodetic Survey, starting on Georges Bank in 1930. The techniques ...
    • Thumbnail

      Hydrographic and nutrient data from R/V Knorr cruise 73, leg 2 : February to March, 1978 : off the coast of Peru 

      Gagosian, Robert B.; Loder, Theodore; Nigrelli, Gale; Mlodzinska, Zofia; Love, James; Kogelschatz, Jane (Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, 1980-01)
      In February and March of 1978 a major cruise was undertaken on the R/V KNORR off the Peruvian coast near 15°S in order to investigate the organic biogeochemical processes associated with upwelling areas. The purpose of ...
    All Items in WHOAS are protected by original copyright, with all rights reserved, unless otherwise indicated. WHOAS also supports the use of the Creative Commons licenses for original content.
    A service of the MBLWHOI Library | About WHOAS
    Contact Us | Send Feedback | Privacy Policy
    Core Trust Logo