Models of Deltaic and Inner Continental Shelf Landform Evolution

The morphology of passive continental shelves is dictated by the input of sediments from rivers and their redistribution by waves, currents, and gravity-driven flows. The pathways followed by sediments sculpt a landscape whose diversity is rarely matched on Earth’s surface. Sediments are released to the shelf from triangularly shaped, elongated, and dendritic deltas. Barrier islands rise from gently sloping areas, tidal channels dissect flats and saltmarshes, fine sediments form broad convex deposits, and shallow submarine valleys convey sediments and water to the deep ocean. This morphological diversity is based on two main building elements: water and sediments. Fluxes of water and sediments are particularly suitable to be modeled with numerical methods based on the continuum hypothesis and hydrodynamics theory. In recent years, a series of models have been developed to explore and understand the formation of shelf landforms from the dynamics of sediment transport. Herein we present an overview of the most recent results on the modeling of deltaic and inner-shelf morphodynamics. 685 A nn u. R ev . E ar th P la ne t. Sc i. 20 07 .3 5: 68 571 5. D ow nl oa de d fr om a rj ou rn al s. an nu al re vi ew s. or g by B os to n U ni ve rs ity o n 05 /0 7/ 07 . F or p er so na l u se o nl y. ANRV309-EA35-22 ARI 30 March 2007 17:51