Review
Oceanography
Claude Estournel, Guillaume Mikolajczak, Caroline Ulses, Francois Bourrin, Miquel Canals, Sabine Charmasson, David Doxaran, Thomas Duhaut, Xavier Durrieu de Madron, Patrick Marsaleix, Albert Palanques, Pere Puig, Olivier Radakovitch, Anna Sanchez-Vidal, Romaric Verney
Summary: A simulation was conducted to study sediment transport, erosion and deposition in the Gulf of Lion. The simulation compared simulated and observed data to assess reliability. The results showed sediment accumulation near the Rhone River mouth, accretion along the mid-shelf mud belt, and the impact of dense shelf water cascading on sediment resuspension and erosion. The study found an unbalanced sedimentary system with a deficit mainly over the inner shelf due to reduced inputs from the Rhone River.
PROGRESS IN OCEANOGRAPHY
(2023)
Article
Engineering, Marine
Cheng-Shing Chiang, Ho-Shing Yu
Summary: This study explores the submarine canyons off SW Taiwan, revealing their susceptibility to oceanographic conditions and extreme climate change, as well as their rich nutrient input and physical disturbances that promote biodiversity.
JOURNAL OF MARINE SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING
(2021)
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Tiziana Ciuffardi, Zoi Kokkini, Maristella Berta, Marina Locritani, Andrea Bordone, Ivana Delbono, Mireno Borghini, Maurizio Demarte, Roberta Ivaldi, Federica Pannacciulli, Anna Vetrano, Davide Marini, Giovanni Caprino
Summary: This article presents a 2-year dataset from a stand-alone mooring deployed in the Levante Canyon of the eastern Ligurian Sea in November 2020. The Levante Canyon Mooring (LCM) is a deep submarine observatory located at 608 m depth in a crucial ecosystem area. The dataset includes measurements of hydrodynamics and thermohaline properties conducted with current meters and CTD probes across the water column. The ongoing observatory and regularly updated dataset are publicly available and of significant scientific interest.
EARTH SYSTEM SCIENCE DATA
(2023)
Article
Geochemistry & Geophysics
Roy Jaijel, Eli Biton, Yishai Weinstein, Tal Ozer, Timor Katz
Summary: Most in-situ studies and observations of turbidity currents have been conducted in large submarine canyons near big rivers, while little research has been done in small submarine canyons farther offshore. This study focuses on Bat-Galim Canyon, a small submarine canyon located offshore Haifa, Israel, which is fed by minor and ephemeral streams. Measurements were collected using mooring stations in the canyon, revealing that the canyon serves as an active conduit for sediment transport via turbidity currents, with similar characteristics to larger canyons. The study also found temperature inversions during these events, which have implications for water column processes.
EARTH AND PLANETARY SCIENCE LETTERS
(2023)
Article
Engineering, Marine
Mauro Agate, Christina Lombardo, Claudio Lo Iacono, Attilio Sulli, Sabrina Polizzi, Renato Chemello, Paolo Emanuele Orru
Summary: In this study, the offshore Egadi Islands in Italy were analyzed using high-resolution bathymetric, seismo-acoustic, and sedimentological data to map their physiography, geomorphological features, and sedimentary bedforms. The study area has a wide continental shelf separated by a linear incision called the Marettimo Channel, with erosional and depositional features identified and mapped along it. Sedimentary prograding wedges were detected on the shelf margin, indicating sea-level fall and lowstand stages during the last glacio-eustatic cycle. Various types of sedimentary bedforms were found across the continental shelf, indicating a high hydrodynamic regime. Erosive and depositional features related to bottom currents were also identified in the Marettimo Channel. These findings provide important insights into the morpho-sedimentary evolution of the Egadi Islands offshore and support the management of conservation priority habitats.
JOURNAL OF MARINE SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING
(2023)
Article
Mechanics
Zhuangcai Tian, Yonggang Jia, Jiangxin Chen, J. Paul Liu, Shaotong Zhang, Chunsheng Ji, Xiaolei Liu, Hongxian Shan, Xuefa Shi, Jiwei Tian
Summary: The study reveals that internal solitary waves (ISWs) in deep sea (>1000 m) can cause sediment resuspension and seafloor geomorphic changes, with a maximum resuspension depth of 1500 m. ISWs have a greater impact on water depths less than or similar to 1000 m, shaping the seabed and controlling sediment distribution patterns on the Dongsha continental slope.
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
M. A. Malkowski, A. T. Steelquist, G. E. Hilley
Summary: We model the isostatic response to erosion along the Beringian Margin and suggest that significant margin erosion occurred before the Pleistocene. Our findings also indicate the presence of a Late Miocene unconformity and upwarped subsurface units. This has implications for understanding the geodynamic response during erosional periods.
GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH LETTERS
(2023)
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Deniz Cukur, Gee-Soo Kong, David M. Buchs, Gwang-Soo Lee, Seong-Pil Kim, In-Kwon Um, Jong-Hwa Chun, Byoung-Yeop Kim, Ji Eun Seo, Hyun Sook Chae, Senay Horozal
Summary: A new sand wave field was discovered in the outer shelf of the southeastern continental margin of the Korean Peninsula, consisting of two types of sand waves. The sediment forming the waves is a mixture of siliciclastic and carbonate materials, controlled by changes in hydrodynamic conditions.
Review
Oceanography
Sergio M. Vallina, Charlie Gaborit, Celia Marrase, Josep M. Gasol, Nixon Bahamon, Michael J. Follows, Guillaume Le Gland, Pedro Cermeno
Summary: This study investigates the seasonal dynamics of eight major phytoplankton groups over a 12 year period in the North Western Mediterranean Sea. The results show that phytoplankton community composition exhibits seasonal variations, with different groups dominating at different times throughout the year. The seasonal succession tends to repeat itself every year, and the seasonal variability of phytoplankton groups is greater than their year-to-year variability. The findings suggest that phytoplankton groups fill distinct environmental niches and have different functional roles in marine ecosystems.
PROGRESS IN OCEANOGRAPHY
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Giacomo Deiana, Luciano Lecca, Rita Teresa Melis, Mauro Soldati, Valentino Demurtas, Paolo Emanuele Orru
Summary: This paper presents the results of a high-resolution survey on the continental shelf off San Pietro Island in southwestern Sardinia. Various morphological features shaped during the Last Glacial Maximum were reconstructed, including tectonic controlled palaeo-cliffs, a deep palaeo-valley mouth, a palaeo-lagoon, and submerged palaeo-shorelines. The study utilized multisensor and multiscale data obtained through seismic sparker, sub-bottom profiler chirp, multibeam, side scan sonar, diving, and uncrewed aerial vehicles to document these features.
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Wei Zhou, Domenico Chiarella, Haiteng Zhuo, Yingmin Wang, Wu Tang, Mengjun Zou, Qiang Xu
Summary: This study documents for the first time the Quaternary deep-water canyon-confined large-scale sediment waves developed on the northern South China Sea margin, dating back to approximately 140,000 years ago during the Penultimate Glacial Maximum. The large-scale sediment waves have evolved from a more depositional phase to erosion-dominated phase due to variations in sediment supply and submarine slope accommodation.
MARINE AND PETROLEUM GEOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Geochemistry & Geophysics
Marta Arjona-Camas, Pere Puig, Albert Palanques, Ruth Duran, Martin White, Sarah Paradis, Mikhail Emelianov
Summary: Increases in water turbidity and suspended sediment transport in submarine canyons are mainly linked to high-energy events such as storms and dense shelf water cascading, as well as bottom trawling activities.
MARINE GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH
(2021)
Article
Engineering, Marine
Shaoyu Zhang, Junjiang Zhu, Yonggang Jia, Sanzhong Li, Ruixue Chen, Xingquan Chen, Xiaolin Ou, Qianqian Li
Summary: This paper analyzes multibeam bathymetry data from the South China Sea continental margin to study the formation patterns and variations of cyclic steps in submarine canyons. The research reveals that these cyclic steps are formed by turbidity currents flowing along the Penghu and Taiwan canyons, and that the Penghu canyon has undergone migration.
JOURNAL OF MARINE SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Lenaig Brun, Ivane Pairaud, Ricardo Silva Jacinto, Pierre Garreau, Bernard Dennielou
Summary: This study presents observations of currents, temperature, and turbidity in the Cassidaigne canyon in the northwestern Mediterranean Sea. The circulation in this area is influenced by upwelling and downwelling-favorable winds, the Northern Current, and the local morphology. The study finds that upwellings occur under different stratification conditions and are triggered by winds stronger than 14 m/s. The mesoscale variability of the Northern Current can lead to cross currents over the canyon. Turbidity currents were also observed, indicating the importance of the canyon's internal hydrodynamics on shelf sedimentary processes.
FRONTIERS IN MARINE SCIENCE
(2023)
Review
Oceanography
Marta Tarres, Marc Cerda-Domenech, Rut Pedrosa-Pamies, Aitor Rumin-Caparros, Antoni Calafat, Miquel Canals, Anna Sanchez-Vidal
Summary: This study investigates the temporal variability of particle fluxes to the deep sea in the southwestern Mediterranean Sea and finds that storms are the main trigger for off-shelf particle transport, while maximum particle fluxes in the deep basin respond to seasonal phytoplankton blooms.
PROGRESS IN OCEANOGRAPHY
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Lisa Weiss, Wolfgang Ludwig, Serge Heussner, Miguel Canals, Jean-Francois Ghiglione, Claude Estournel, Mel Constant, Philippe Kerherve
Summary: Research shows that the amount of microplastics discharged by rivers has been overestimated by two to three orders of magnitude, leading to a significant reduction in the theoretical need for a missing sink that could explain the rapid removal of plastics from the ocean surface.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Cristina Gambi, Miquel Canals, Cinzia Corinaldesi, Antonio Dell'Anno, Elisabetta Manea, Antonio Pusceddu, Anna Sanchez-Vidal, Roberto Danovaro
Summary: Industrial seabed mining can have significant impacts on marine ecosystems, including physical disturbance and the generation of toxin-laden water. A field experiment conducted in Portman Bay showed that mine tailings resuspension and deposition led to a decline in prokaryotic abundance and nematode biodiversity, as well as changes in biogeochemical cycles and accelerated carbon degradation rates.
ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION
(2022)
Article
Geochemistry & Geophysics
Marta Arjona-Camas, Pere Puig, Albert Palanques, Ruth Duran, Martin White, Sarah Paradis, Mikhail Emelianov
Summary: Increases in water turbidity and suspended sediment transport in submarine canyons are mainly linked to high-energy events such as storms and dense shelf water cascading, as well as bottom trawling activities.
MARINE GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH
(2021)
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Aaron Micallef, Charles K. Paull, Nader Saadatkhah, Or Bialik
Summary: The study demonstrates that box canyon formation is a significant process eroding carbonate escarpments and can be initiated and evolved by fluid seepage via joints. Various factors influence the elongation of box canyons, including the distribution of joint density, orientation of joints, thickness of the flowing groundwater zone, and slope gradient of the escarpment. The groundwater model for box canyon formation along the Florida Escarpment appears to be applicable to other escarpments such as the Blake, Campeche, and Malta Escarpments.
JOURNAL OF GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH-EARTH SURFACE
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Marta Arjona-Camas, Pere Puig, Fabio C. De Leo, Grant Garner, Sarah Paradis, Ruth Duran, Albert Palanques
Summary: Continental margins are important transitional areas for the transport and deposition of particulate matter from the land to the deep ocean. Hydrodynamic processes and fishing activities contribute to resuspension and remobilization of particles, leading to the formation of nepheloid layers. A study off Vancouver Island revealed a well-defined turbidity structure with surface, intermediate, and bottom nepheloid layers. Fishing activities were found to play a role in the advection of suspended sediment particles along the continental slope.
FRONTIERS IN MARINE SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Aaron Micallef, Tanita Averes, Jasper Hoffmann, Gareth Crutchley, Joshu J. Mountjoy, Mark Person, Denis Cohen, Susanne Woelz, Sarah J. Bury, Chibuzo Valeria Ahaneku, Daniele Spatola, Neeske Luebben, Stefano Miserocchi, Sebastian Krastel, Martina Torelli, Kamaldeen O. L. Omosanya
Summary: This study examines the formation of pockmarks, shallow seabed depressions, and identifies multiple factors that contribute to their formation. The results show that pockmarks are formed as a result of a combination of fluid type, overpressures, sediment type, stratigraphy, and bottom currents. The occurrence of pockmarks is associated with muddy sediments at the seafloor and the influence of bottom currents.
Article
Oceanography
Albert Palanques, Jorge Guillen, Pere Puig, Ruth Duran
Summary: The effects of massive dumping of dredged material during and after the Barcelona port expansion were investigated. The dumping resulted in frequent high suspended sediment concentration peaks, increased water velocities, and shock waves. The dumped sediment formed a thin laminated deposit extending beyond the dumpsite. Unconsolidated sediment left after dumping was resuspended, leading to elevated suspended sediment concentrations in the environment for several days.
OCEAN & COASTAL MANAGEMENT
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Aniol Marti, Jordi Portell, David Amblas, Ferran de Cabrera, Marc Vila, Jaume Riba, Garrett Mitchell
Summary: Over the past decade, Multibeam Echosounders (MBES) have become one of the most used techniques in sea exploration. In this paper, an algorithm for decorrelating water column and bathymetry data is proposed, and it is integrated into the FAPEC data compressor for preprocessing. The results show that FAPEC achieves good compression ratios and quality of reconstructed water column images at high speeds.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Or M. Bialik, Andrea Giulia Varzi, Ruth Duran, Timothy Le Bas, Adam Gauci, Alessandra Savini, Aaron Micallef
Summary: The mesophotic domain, particularly in the Mediterranean Sea, is an underexplored part of the ocean. Benthic communities in these depths are poorly documented and therefore more vulnerable to human impacts. The Malta Plateau, characterized by low sedimentation rates, offers a potentially unexplored domain for biogenic mounds. This study identified over 1,700 small structures in mesophotic depths using bathymetric and backscatter data offshore of the eastern coast of Malta, confirming them to be biogenic mounds through dives. These mounds, composed of interlocking bioconstruction by encrusting organisms, are colonized by sponges and various cold water corals.
FRONTIERS IN MARINE SCIENCE
(2022)
Correction
Geochemistry & Geophysics
Marta Arjona-Camas, Pere Puig, Albert Palanques, Ruth Duran, Martin White, Sarah Paradis, Mikhail Emelianov
MARINE GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH
(2022)
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
R. Zammit, C. H. Lear, E. Samankassou, L. J. Lourens, A. Micallef, P. N. Pearson, O. M. Bialik
Summary: This article examines the alternating humid and arid intervals in North Africa during the Miocene, focusing on the impact of the restriction of the Mesopotamian Seaway and the global climate. It provides valuable insights into the regional hydroclimate and highlights the importance of tectonic forcing and ocean circulation patterns in the evolution of the West African Monsoon system.
PALEOCEANOGRAPHY AND PALEOCLIMATOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Geochemistry & Geophysics
Thore F. F. Sager, Morelia Urlaub, Pauline Kaminski, Cord Papenberg, Galderic Lastras, Miquel Canals, Christian Berndt
Summary: Submarine landslides can cause destruction to seafloor infrastructures and trigger devastating tsunamis. This study re-analyzes a relatively small landslide near the Balearic Islands using high-resolution 3D reflection seismic data, providing detailed images of the landslide structure. The study reveals that the landslide is composed of source areas, translational domains, and deposition areas, with the rapid deposition deforming the underlying sediments. Additionally, the study suggests that the landslide evolved in two failure stages over tens of thousands of years.
GEOCHEMISTRY GEOPHYSICS GEOSYSTEMS
(2022)
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Aaron Micallef, Mark Person, Shubhangi Gupta, Nader Saadatkhah, Adrien Camille, Oscar Gratacos
Summary: Offshore meteoric groundwater (OMG) has long been hypothesized to be a driver of seafloor geomorphic processes in continental margins worldwide. This study uses conceptual models and evolving stratigraphy to simulate groundwater flow and slope stability, finding that OMG flow can trigger mechanical instabilities on the seafloor, particularly in the outer shelf to upper slope and during the last glacial maximum sea-level lowstand. The role of OMG in carbonate margin geomorphology may have been underestimated.
JOURNAL OF GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH-EARTH SURFACE
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Hernando Hernandez-Hamon, Paula Zapata Ramirez, Maycol Zaraza, Aaron Micallef
Summary: We present a comprehensive methodological framework and application that utilizes cloud computing and deep learning techniques to enhance the processing capabilities of SAR imagery. Our approach focuses on the search, detection, and monitoring of hydrocarbon slicks on the ocean surface originating from subsea oil and gas sources, with a specific emphasis on natural methane seeps. The methodology has been successfully tested in various locations, proving its effectiveness.
REMOTE SENSING APPLICATIONS-SOCIETY AND ENVIRONMENT
(2023)