North Atlantic slope and canyon study. Volume 1. Executive summary

Technical Report · Mon Dec 01 04:00:00 EST 1986

OSTI ID:6281315

Butman, B

A field program to investigate the currents and sediment transport along the outershelf and upper slope along the southern flank of Georges Bank was conducted between 1980 and 1984. A major part of the field experiment was conducted in Lydonia Canyon, a large submarine canyon which cuts northward about 20 km into the continental shelf from the shelfbreak. A smaller experiment was conducted in Oceanographer Canyon to compare the currents in these two major canyons. The long-term current observations made in Lydonia and Oceanographer Canyons show that the current regime in these topographic features differs from the adjacent slope, and between canyons. Sediments near the head (depths shallower than about 600 m) in both Lydonia and Oceanographer are frequently resuspended. This frequent resuspension may allow the sediments to strip pollutants from the water column. Currents in Oceanographer Canyon are stronger and the sediments coarser than in Lydonia at comparable depths.

• Research Organization: Geological Survey, Woods Hole, MA (USA)
• OSTI ID: 6281315
• Report Number(s): PB-87-198719/XAB
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

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54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
ATLANTIC OCEAN
CONTINENTAL MARGIN
CONTINENTAL SLOPE
CURRENTS
DRILLING
ENERGY SOURCES
FLUIDS
FOSSIL FUELS
FUEL GAS
FUELS
GAS FUELS
GASES
GEORGES BANK
GULF STREAM
NATURAL GAS
OFFSHORE DRILLING
PARTICLE SIZE
PETROLEUM
POLLUTION
SEAS
SEDIMENTS
SIZE
SUBMARINE CANYONS
SURFACE WATERS
WATER CURRENTS
WATER POLLUTION