Biogenic “oozes” are pelagic sediments that are composed of > 30% carbonate microfossils and are estimated to cover about 50% of the ocean floor, which accounts for about 67% of calcium carbonate in oceanic surface sediments worldwide. These deposits exhibit diverse assemblages of planktonic microfossils and contribute significantly to the overall sediment supply and function of Florida’s deep-water regions. However, the composition and distribution of biogenic sediment deposits along these regions remains poorly documented. Seafloor surface sediments have been collected in situ via Johnson- Sea-Link I submersible along four of Florida’s deep-water regions during a joint research cruise between Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute (HBOI) and Florida Atlantic University (FAU). Sedimentological analyses of the taxonomy, species diversity, and sedimentation dynamics reveal a complex interconnected development system of Florida’s deep-water habitats. Results disclose characteristic microfossil assemblages of planktonic foraminiferal ooze off the South West Florida Shelf, a foraminiferal-pteropod ooze through the Straits of Florida, and pteropod ooze deposits off Florida’s east coast. The distribution of the biogenic ooze deposits is attributed to factors such as oceanographic surface production, surface and bottom currents, off-bank transport, and deep-water sediment drifts. The application of micropaleontology, sedimentology, and oceanography facilitate in characterizing the sediment supply to Florida’s deep-water regions. / Includes bibliography. / Thesis (M.S.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2017. / FAU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Collection

Rivers create beautiful patterns and provide drinking water to millions. However an alarming number of rivers in the US and globally are threatened by excess sediment and nutrients. Agricultural rivers draining erodible soils are particularly vulnerable. Rivers of southern Minnesota provide a unique opportunity to study water and sediment dynamics in a naturally vulnerable system. Sediment reduction strategies are needed to ensure biological integrity and adequate water quality. Here, I address the questions: 1) have climate, land use practices, or both affected streamflows in Midwest agricultural rivers?, 2) which streamflows set the rate of river bluff erosion?, and 3) how do sediment supply and transport influence the form and behavior of the lower Minnesota River? Chapter 2 demonstrates, in three agricultural basins, that artificial drainage practices have decreased soil moisture, contributing to increases in streamflow. Chapter 3 quantifies river bluff erosion and identifies erosion by streamflows as the dominant erosion process. Erosion by common floods accomplishes the most cumulative bluff erosion. Bluff erosion contributes sediment to the Minnesota River. Chapter 4 shows how this coarse sediment influences the form and behavior of the Minnesota River. Therefore if flows were reduced, bluff erosion would slow, and the supply sediment to the Minnesota would slow, leading to less streambank erosion. Since streamflows have been increased by agricultural drainage practices, water retention solutions are needed to reduce high flows.

The beach profiles pre-and post-the Hurricane Hermine (2016) and Irma (2017) along the Sand Key barrier island were collected to quantify longshore variations in storm induced beach changes as well as to compare the beach changes caused by hydrodynamic conditions of the two different hurricanes. Cross-shore beach profile are examined in 4 sections including dune field, dry beach, sand bar and whole beach to calculate beach change. The volume change for each section and shoreline contour change before and post the hurricane was computed. Hydrodynamic conditions were obtained from adjacent NOAA’s tide and wave gauges. Both hurricanes generated high offshore waves, with Hurricane Hermine generated waves mostly from southwest, and Irma generated waves dominantly from northeast. Hurricane Hermine generated a storm surge of up to 1 m. While hurricane Irma generated negative surge of -1.1 m. Several beach profile parameters such as the foreshore slope, as well as volume changes of dune field, dry beach and sand bar induced by the two hurricanes were computed. Under both storms, the foreshore slope became steeper after the storm north of the headland, while the foreshore slope became gentler south of the headland. Storm surge plays an important role in inducing beach erosion. Hurricane Hermine with 1 m surge caused significant dune erosion in terms of dune volume loss and dune line retreat. On the other hand, hurricane Irma with negative surge only caused minor dune erosion. Sand bar moved seaward during both hurricanes, with Irma induced a much greater offshore movement than that of Hermine. In addition, the sand bar height decreased significantly during Irma. In contrast, during Hermine the sand bar height remained largely similar before and after the storm. Large alongshore variations in beach erosion was observed during both hurricanes as influenced by background erosion rate and direction of incident waves as they approaching the curved shoreline. For both storms, the erosional hot spot at North Sand Key with the highest background erosion rate suffered the most sand loss over the entire profile. More sand was eroded from the dry beach along the broad headland than along the beaches both north and south of it. Corresponding to the higher volume of dry beach erosion, shoreline retreat was also the largest around the headland. During Hurricane Hermine, the headland sheltering of the southerly approaching waves resulted in more erosion to the south than to the north. The opposite happened during Hurricane Irma with northerly approaching wave. More erosion occurred to the north of the headland than that to the south. Systematic measurement of beach profile beach and after hurricanes can improve our understanding on beach morphodynamics on storm induced beach changes.

The primary aim of this study was to investigate the sedimentation processes within Buffalo Bay, particularly within and adjacent to the Whitianga tidal inlet, in order to ascertain reasons for the shoaling at both the inlet, and the identified shallow zone around Pandora Rock. Comparison of historic bathymetries suggests the ebb delta and ebb discharge channel of the Whitianga tidal inlet are rapidly accreting and the ebb tidal discharge channel is gradually migrating northeast towards Whakapenui Point. Accretion rates of up to 25 cm y-1 were calculated in the ebb delta and inlet discharge channel area between 1979 and 1995 and aerial photo comparisons suggest the ebb delta area had increased by 400 % between 1990 and 2002. Results of the hydrodynamic and sediment transport modelling suggest the rapid accretion in the ebb delta vicinity is likely to be caused by a combination of catchment estuary inputs, which are deposited on the ebb tide as the ebb flow decelerates over the ebb delta, and inputs that have been moved south along Buffalo Beach by flood currents and an eddy that forms landward of the ebb tidal discharge. Residual tidal velocities further suggest a deposition zone in the ebb delta vicinity resulting from opposing currents and the deceleration of currents. Hydrodynamic modelling results indicate the isolated shallow zone around Pandora rock appears to be caused by a transient eddy in the southern section of Buffalo Bay. The eddy is formed by the ebb tidal discharge from the inlet. Accretion probably occurs in the centre of the eddy which moves north as the ebb tide progresses. Results obtained from a current meter and sediment trap deployed in northern Buffalo Bay suggest suspended sediment transport is minimal in northern Buffalo Bay, only occurring with large wave activity. Results of the hydrodynamic and sediment transport modelling further demonstrate that this area experiences low flow velocities, and has little interaction with the rest of Buffalo Bay. The minimal sediment input to this area, combined with the occasional erosion of the seafloor, primarily by wave activity, is thought to have resulted in long term erosion of northwestern Buffalo Bay between 1938 and 1979. Although the beach and nearshore is eroding, it is likely the addition of sediment would act to stabilise this section of eroding beach. Renourishment material could be provided by the ebb delta, the southern tip of Buffalo Bay or the isolated sandbar northeast of the inlet entrance.

Emergent spatial signals which may be interpreted in the context of fluvial sediment transport processes are detected through the use of reflectance spectroscopy in the sand-sized sediments of the Towamba River, southeastern New South Wales. Reflectance spectroscopy of sufficiently fine spectral resolution represents a technique for mineral composition analysis which is complementary to X-ray diffraction, with advantages in terms of ease of sample preparation and rapidity of measurement. Instrumentation is available allowing high-quality spectrum acquisition in the field and from airborne and satellite-borne instruments. The former allows mineral analyses to more easily be incorporated into sediment tracing studies as an additional variable. The latter offers large scale, repeatable areal coverage of a dynamic system in which sediments are exposed to the sky. The Towamba River drains a catchment of c. 1000 km [square] in extensively altered granitic terrain along the south coast of New South Wales, and carries significant quantities of sand-sized sediment through much of the system. Pervasive but spatially variable chlorite, epidote, and sericite have been described in local and neighbouring terrain. These are spectrally active in the SWIR wavelength region in which the PIMA portable spectrometer operates. The airborne HyMap instrument is sensitive through this range as well as through the visible and near-infrared regions. Conventionally such channel sediments would represent a single class in the context of the broader landscape, and comparatively they represent a domain of restricted variance. In this study of samples of sediment were collected for analysis with the PIMA, the results of which supported the efficacy of such an exercise in a conventional tracing context and supported analysis of HyMap imagery. Although issues related to reduction of HyMap-detected radiance to reflectance prevented effective analysis of the shorter wavelengths sensitive to the presence of ferrous and ferric iron, the consideration of absorption feature depths and the application of a matched filtering operator revealed gross-scale spatial patterns which were interpreted as two populations of sand in the main channel. This interpretation is consistent with bank erosion occurring during two very large magnitude flow events in the 1970s, with minor ongoing perturbation of the sediment signal in the main channel by the contribution of sediment from tributaries. The presence of a definite spatial signal having been established, routes for further investigation are suggested. A noisy signal hypothesised on the basis of imagery may be used to better direct a field sampling program for a conventional sediment tracing study. The signal to noise ratio may be improved for example through calibration of radiance to reflectance and removal of atmospheric interference and improved field sampling schemes, after which more rigorous, quantitative exercises such as geostatistical ???field??? trial or spatial series analysis may be performed. Connections to process through sediment transport models are enabled through the use of GIS.

Thesis (M. Phil.)--University of Hong Kong, 2006. / Title proper from title frame. Also available in printed format.

Graduation date: 1998

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Earth and Planetary Science, 1982. / Supervised by Erik Mollo-Christensen. Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 217-223).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, 1982. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (p. 217-223).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Washington, 2006. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 143-158).