Topography, image, and flow model data for experimental density currents, St. Anthony Falls Laboratory, 2015-2017

Abstract

Submarine channels convey turbidity currents, the primary means for distributing sand and coarser sediments to the deep ocean. In some cases, submarine channels have been shown to braid, similarly to rivers. Yet the strength of the analogy between the subaerial and submarine braided channels is incompletely understood. This data set includes topography, image, and flow model data for six experiments with subaqueous density currents and two experiments with subaerial rivers. The experiments were conducted to quantify (1) submarine channel kinematics, and (2) the responses of channel and bar geometry to subaerial versus submarine basin conditions, inlet conditions, and the ratio of flow-to-sediment discharge (Qw/Qs).The data set accompanies a 2018 publication in the journal Sedimentology.