Publication Date:
2020-07-15
Description:
Sediment-laden gravity currents, or turbidity currents, are density-driven flows that transport vast quantities of particulate material across the floor of lakes and oceans. Turbidity currents are generated by slope failure or initiated when a sediment-laden flow enters into a lake or ocean; here, lofting or convective sedimentation processes may control flow dynamics. Depending upon the internal turbulent mixing, which keeps particles in suspension, turbidity currents can travel for thousands of kilometers across the seafloor. However, despite several competing theories, the process for the ultralong runout of these flows remains enigmatic. Turbidity currents often generate large sinuous channel–levee systems, and the dynamics of how turbidity currents flow around channel bends are strongly influenced by internal density and velocity structure, with large-scale flows being modified by the Coriolis force. Therefore, understanding some of the largest sedimentary structures on the Earth's surface depends on the turbulence processes within turbidity currents. Expected final online publication date for the Annual Review of Fluid Mechanics, Volume 53 is January 7, 2021. Please see http://www.annualreviews.org/page/journal/pubdates for revised estimates.
Print ISSN:
0066-4189
Electronic ISSN:
1545-4479
Topics:
Mechanical Engineering, Materials Science, Production Engineering, Mining and Metallurgy, Traffic Engineering, Precision Mechanics
,
Physics
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