Dynamics of a Submarine Dunes Field

GOMEZ, E. A.; CUADRADO D. G.; PIERINI, J. O.; ARIEL RANIOLO

River, Coastal and Estuarine Morphodynamics

Taylor & Francis Group

Lugar: Londres; Año: 2009; p. 715 - 718

In order to reach a navigational depth of 45 feet during the entire tidal cycle, the most internal section of the Access Channel to the Bahía Blanca harbour complex will be shortly dredged. At the outer end of this section, an unusual field of large dunes occurs.Within this field, results show two different and well defined zones characterized by particular dunes morphology each and a differing hydrodynamic profile, with lateral and vertical variations in tidal currents velocity and direction. Dunes migration also shows differential migration rate depending on the bed form size. Differences in speed and direction of tidal currents between both channel sides are responsible for the dunes field formation. Such asymmetry is caused by the occurrence of hard to erode materials cropping out at both channel flanks which generate a narrowing of the channel southward and by the presence of a submarine bank northwards.