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RESEARCH ARTICLE
Contents Vol 60(7)

Multigrain seabed sediment transport modelling for the south-west Australian Shelf

F. Li A D , C. M. Griffiths A , C. P. Dyt A , P. Weill A , M. Feng B , T. Salles A and C. Jenkins C
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations

A CSIRO Petroleum Resources, 26 Dick Perry Avenue, Kensington, WA 6151, Australia.

B CSIRO Marine and Atmospheric Research, Underwood Avenue, Floreat, WA 6014, Australia.

C Institute of Arctic and Alpine Research (INSTAAR), University of Colorado at Boulder, 1560 30th Street, Campus Box 450, Boulder, CO 80309-0450, USA.

D Corresponding author. Email: fangjun.li@dpi.wa.gov.au

Marine and Freshwater Research 60(7) 774-785 https://doi.org/10.1071/MF08049
Submitted: 25 February 2008  Accepted: 15 February 2009   Published: 28 July 2009

Abstract

With increasing concerns about climate change and sea-level rise, there is a need for a comprehensive understanding of the sedimentary processes involved in the erosion, transport and deposition of sediment on the continental shelf. In the present paper, long-term and large-scale seabed morphological changes on the south-west Australian continental shelf were investigated by a comprehensive sediment transport model, Sedsim. The investigated area covers the continental shelf and abyssal basins of the south-western region. The regional seabed is sensitive to environmental forces and sediment supply, and most terrigenous sediment carried down by major rivers is trapped in inland lakes or estuaries. Only a small fraction of fine-grain sediment reaches the continental shelf. The simulation has also confirmed that the Leeuwin Current and high-energy waves play the most important roles in regional long-term seabed evolution. Although the numerical implementation only approximates some forcing and responses, it represents a significant step forward in understanding the nature of potential long-term seabed change as a response to possible climate change scenarios. The 50-year forecast on the seabed morphological changes provides a reference for the management of coastal and offshore resources, as well as infrastructure, in a sustainable way.

Additional keywords: climate change, continental shelf, morphological change, seabed.


Acknowledgements

The authors wish to thank Martin Rutherford (Defence Oceanographic Data Centre) for meteorological data. Peter Harris and Alix Post (Geosciences Australia) provided useful discussions on the data and model verification. Special thanks to Donna Hayes and Peter Oke (CSIRO Marine and Atmospheric Research) for the wave hindcast data and bottom current data. Also thanks to James Chittleborough (National Tidal Centre) for the tidal range and tidal current data. The National Oceans Office provided encouragement over the life of the project, and the Directors of the Wealth from Oceans Flagship, Craig Roy and Kate Wilson, have supported this work from its inception. Finally, we would like to thank the editor and three anonymous reviewers for their constructive comments and suggestions.


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