Investigating the Roles of Wind Speed and Sediment Supply on Continental Shelf Formation

Abstract

Continental shelves represent an environment in which it is unclear whether the geometry has been affected by modern wave and wind interactions, or are the relict results of fluvial processes that have been drowned by rising sea levels since the Last Glacial Maximum. There are some modern examples of constructional shelves forming, but the sediment composition is primarily silty and muddy, not sandy. However, stratigraphic records show that sand is a major component of the continental shelf. This unique project investigated the use of silica sand to create a shelf with a steady-state transport system which is driven by waves and currents.