Publications:

Sangster, T., Friedrich, H. and Strachan, L.J. (2010) Evolution of unconfined turbidity current deposits: an experimental study. Abstract submitted to 17th Australasian Fluid Mechanics Conference.

Study abstract:

Turbidity currents are submarine flows which are responsible for the transport of sediments in turbulent suspension to deep areas of the ocean, creating major morphological features. Environmental hazards, such as reservoir sedimentation, breaking of submarine cables, and dispersal of pollutants can be created by turbidity currents. Due to their nature, there is only a limited amount of quantitative turbidite deposit data from natural flows available for analysis and little is known about the flow structures and concentrations under which those deposits were formed. A study is underway in the Fluid Mechanics Laboratory at The University of Auckland to evaluate the evolution of turbidity current deposits and the corresponding change in flow structure for multiple subsequent turbidity currents in confined and unconfined environments.