Authors / CoAuthors
Daniell, J. | Hughes, M.
Abstract
Large barchan shaped sand deposits have been observed in the north west of Torres Strait. These deposits share characteristics of both subaerial barchan dunes and subaqueous sand banks. Satellite imagery shows that the deposits migrate in the direction indicated by their horns (10-15 m west per year), and that sediment is shed from their horns, features that are characteristic of subaerial barchan dunes. However the orientation of sandwaves superimposed upon the sand banks indicate the presence of mutually evasive channels and circulation of sediment around the sand bank, a characteristic of subaqueous sand banks. The presence of mutually evasive channels is the criteria used to categorise the deposits as sand banks. Barchan forms are known to exist in regions with limited sediment supply and unidirectional current or wind regimes. In the Torres Strait both these criteria are met. Previous work has demonstrated the presence of a net westward current through the Torres Strait that is driven by the southeast trade winds. The relatively high displacement of the wind driven currents during the trade wind season relative to the monsoon appears to provide the necessary "unidirectional" regime to form barchans. The low, and typically eastwards, displacement of the residual monsoon season current appears to have a negligible affect on the barchan form.
Product Type
nonGeographicDataset
eCat Id
64851
Contact for the resource
Custodian
Owner
Custodian
Cnr Jerrabomberra Ave and Hindmarsh Dr GPO Box 378
Canberra
ACT
2601
Australia
Digital Object Identifier
Keywords
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- External PublicationScientific Journal Paper
- ( Theme )
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- bathymetry
- ( Theme )
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- continental shelf
- ( Theme )
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- geoscience
- ( Theme )
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- sedimentology
- ( Theme )
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- marine
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- AU-QLD
- Australian and New Zealand Standard Research Classification (ANZSRC)
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- Earth Sciences
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- Published_External
Publication Date
2007-01-01T00:00:00
Creation Date
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unknown
Topic Category
geoscientificInformation
Series Information
Lineage
Unknown
Parent Information
Extents
[-14.0, -6.0, 137.0, 150.0]
Reference System
Spatial Resolution
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