Dinámica sedimentaria del cañón submarino de Palamós
- Autores: Jacobo Martín de Nascimento
- Directores de la Tesis: Albert Palanques Monteys (dir. tes.), Pere Puig Alenya (codir. tes.)
- Lectura: En la Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (UPC) ( España ) en 2005
- Idioma: español
- Tribunal Calificador de la Tesis: Jorge Guillén Aranda (presid.), Manuel Espino Infantes (secret.), Xavier Durrieu de Madron (voc.), Antonio Calafat Frau (voc.), Pere Masqué Barri (voc.)
- Materias:
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- Resumen
The present thesis focuses on the transfer and accumulation of particulate matter in the Palamós Canyon, located in the Northwestern Mediterranean. In the context of the CANYONS project, 7 moorings with a total of 7 sediment traps and 18 current meters (some of them equipped with turbidimeters) were deployed in the Palamós submarine canyon and adjacent slope from March to November 2001, during two consecutive deployments.
Total mass fluxes, major constituents (organic carbon, opal, calcium carbonate and lithogenics) contents and fluxes, granulometry and 210Pb activity of particulate matter from sediment trap samples were analysed. Horizontal fluxes of suspended particulate matter were calculated from the current meter/nephelometer pairs. Additionally, three sediment cores were collected in the canyon axis and dated with the radionuclides 210Pb and 137Cs.
Downward particle fluxes measured in the Palamós Canyon were highly variable and significantly higher than those measured in other Northwestern Mediterranean canyons at similar depths. This high sedimentological activity is related to the morphological characteristics of the canyon and the fact that it incises almost the full width of the continental shelf, with the canyon head located a few kilometres from the coastline.
Besides, the steep canyon walls and the gullies incised in the walls enhance the transference of particles from the shelf and upper slope into the canyon.
The results evidence that the Palamós Canyon acts as a preferential path for offshore export ofparticulate matter. This difference was further heightened during a major storm in November 2001.
The spatial-temporal distribution of total mass fluxes and major constituents allowed two domains to be defined in the Palamós Canyon: an inner domain (up to 1200 m depth) constricted by the canyon topography and mainly influenced by the lateral transport of particulate matter from the adjoining shelf.
