| Abstract | Preface
Sediments, morphology and sedimentary processes on continental shelves: advances in technologies, research, and applications The application of multibeam and sediment transport measurement
technologies and the adoption of integrated techniques in the approach to
research have greatly advanced our understanding of sediments, morphology and sedimentary processes on continental shelves in the last decade. This book focuses on the
applications of new multibeam mapping and sediment transport measurement technologies, the integration of morphology and processes and the utilization of shelf seabed property and process knowledge in coastal and ocean management. The volume grew out
of a technical session "Sediments and Sedimentary Processes on Continental Shelves" organized by the editors at the 17th International Sedimentological Congress held in Fukuoka, Japan, from 27 August to 1 September, 2006. Thirteen of the twenty
contributions were originally presented in that technical session. The other seven papers were solicited to cover the latest advances in multibeam mapping technology, advances and applications of sediment transport measurement techniques, and the
application of sediment property and process knowledge in habitat mapping and ocean management. The articles in this book were contributed by authors from eight countries and cover a range of topics. The aim of the book is to take stock of the impact
that new advances in technology, spatial analysis and modeling have brought to the understanding of shelf sedimentology. With the mix of primary research and review papers, the boo will serve as a milestone for the world's shelf sedimentology and
ocean management communities. The book is divided into three sections. Section I, "Sediments and Morphology in Shelf and Coastal Systems" opens with an article by Hughes-Clarke that reviews the application of state-of-the-art multibeamtechnologyto
shelfsedimentology research. Resolution and accuracy in both bathymetry and backscatter data are explored and examples illustrate the optimal use of multibeam technology. The next three papers demonstrate the integration of multibeam bathymetry
mapping with seismic surveying and coring. Barrie & Conway use these techniques to understand how changing sea levels and sedimentary processes reshaped the glaciated shelf in Hecate Strait, British Columbia. Hill demonstrates how repeated
multibeam surveys can be used to interpret significant changes in submarine channel morphology and slope sedimentation patterns in the Fraser River delta, western Canada. Garcia-Garcia et al. interpret sedimentary processes in the Cap de Creus canyon
head and adjacent continental shelf, NE Spain. Two papers apply these integrated techniques to the study of sand ridges on continental shelves. Goff and Duncan integrate multibeam bathymetry and backscatter data in an analysis of sand ridge response
to the present-day hydrologic regime of the middle and outer New Jersey shelf. Son et al. investigate the sedimentary facies and preservation potential of shoreface-connected sand ridges in the southern North Sea through analyses of multibeam
bathymetry, seabed samples and internal sedimentary structures derived from box-cores. The last paper in this section, by McNinch and Miselis, explores the links between shoreline changes, morphology and sediment distribution in the surf zone off the
coast of North Carolina based on almost a decade of repeated field observations that included interferometric swath bathymetry, chirp sub-bottom profiles, sediment vibracores and radar data. Eleven papers are included in Section II, "Sediment
transport processes, sedimentation and modelling". The first two contributions review advances in instrumentation and understanding in the research of sediment transport processes on continental shelves. Wright reviews highlights of shelf sediment
transport research and identifies new directions, with an emphasis on gravitydriven transport, within negatively-buoyant hyperpycnal layers, as an important mechanism of across-shelf sediment transport. Williams focuses on recent technological
innovations in sediment transport instrumentation and examines, by example, how these novel technologies contribute to simultaneous measurements of fluid flow, bed morphology and sediment transport at unprecedented spatial and temporal resolution in
the laboratory and in the field. He also predicts how developments in instrumentation over the coming decade may enable more accurate forecasting of sediment transport processes. The following papers present recent findings on seabed forcing, bedform
distribution and migration, the implications of these to bedload
transport calculations and regional sediment transport patterns and sedimentary strata formation and preservation under a range of current and storm conditions. Regional bathymetric
maps, sidescan sonar and multibeam bathymetric surveys, sediment samples and model predictions of seabed disturbance are integrated by Li et al. to characterize the distribution, metrics and mobility of bedforms on the storm-dominated Sable Island
Bank, Scotian Shelf. Flemming and Bartholom€a examine a serial sidescan sonar data set spanning nearly 16 years to shed light on the temporal variability, migration rates and preservation potential of subaqueous dune fields beneath the Agulhas
Current on the southeast African continental shelf. Duffy & Hughes-Clarke use repeat multibeam bathymetry surveys and velocity profile measurements to quantify long-term sediment transport and evaluate the performance of several formulations for
predicting bedload transport rate over sand dunes in the Bay of Fundy. Barnard et al. present a comprehensive analysis of more than 3000 bedforms measured from high-resolution multibeam survey data and demonstrate how this highly detailed,
quantitative information can be used to both determine regional sediment transport patterns and assist management of the sediment resource in the San Francisco Bay coastal system. Keen et al. use observations and numerical model predictions to
examine the source, transport processes and deposition of modern storm beds. By comparison with historical data, they evaluate the recurrence frequency of modern storm beds and the preservation potential of such beds within a storm-dominated shelf
sequence. The last four articles in Section II discuss the origin, characteristics, seasonal and spatial variations, transport and sedimentation of suspended particulate matter. The understanding of cohesive sediment dynamics and deposition presents
its own set of challenges that can be addressed by new technologies, integration of different spatial data sets and numerical modelling. Shi et al. use various sediment characteristics, suspended particulate matter concentration and trend analysis to
establish a depositional process model for the Yellow Sea. Uehara & Saito use numerical modeling
to examine the tidal influence on the transport of suspended matter in the southwestern Yellow Sea in the mid-Holocene. Wang et al. demonstrate the
use of in-situ particle size and concentration measurements to understand seasonal changes in suspended particle dynamics off the Changjiang estuary. Szczuciñski & Zajaczkowski integrate hydrology and sediment trap data to investigate particulate
matter fluxes and controlling factors in a sub-polar fjord in the European Arctic. Section III reviews the application of shelf sedimentology research to habitat mapping and ocean management. Harris explores the interrelationships between seabed
disturbance, marine ecological succession and ecosystem-based management, demonstrating the need for an understanding of sedimentology in the design
of marine protected areas (MPAs). The volume concludes with a conceptual article by Kostylev that
examines the validity of the basic assumptions in using acoustic seabed surveys to produce benthic habitat maps. He calls for a better understanding of the processes linking benthic communities to seabed geology so that remotelysensed geological
information from, for example, multibeam surveys can be used more confidently in benthic habitat mapping. This Special Publication volumewould not have been possible without the contribution and support of a large group of people. First and foremost,
the guest editors would like to acknowledge the support and cooperation from all the authors of the papers included in this book. We are grateful to the Special Publication editors Drs Ian Jarvis, Stella Bignold and Thomas Stevens for their support
and advice during the editing process of this book. We acknowledge our respective institutions for allowing us to take on this endeavour in addition to our normal organizational responsibilities. Special thanks go to Nina Parry for her very able
co-ordination of all correspondence during themanuscript review process. Finally, each paper in this book was evaluated by at least two reviewers and their comments and critiques have greatly improved all the papers in this volume. We deeply
appreciate the effort of these reviewers who are listed at the end of this book. The completion of this Special Publication volume is made possible by the support of our families, particularly our wives Ping, Patricia and Jennifer. We are grateful
for their understanding and encouragement. |