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The Role of Waves, Shelf Slope, and Sediment Characteristics on the Development of Erosional Chenier Plains
Author(s) -
Nardin William,
Fagherazzi Sergio
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
geophysical research letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.007
H-Index - 273
eISSN - 1944-8007
pISSN - 0094-8276
DOI - 10.1029/2018gl078694
Subject(s) - winnowing , geology , sediment , storm , coastal plain , oceanography , geomorphology , paleontology , geography , archaeology
Cheniers are sandy ridges parallel to the coast separated by muddy deposits. Here we explore the development of erosional chenier plains, which form by winnowing during storms, through dimensional analysis and numerical results from the morphodynamic model Delft3D‐SWAN. Our results highlight that wave energy and inner‐shelf slope play an important role in the formation of erosional chenier plains. We further show that different sediment characteristics and wave climates lead to three alternative coastal landscapes: sandy strandplains, mudflats, or the more complex erosional chenier plains. Low inner‐shelf slopes are the most favorable for mudflat and chenier plain formation, while high slopes decrease the likelihood of mudflat development and preservation, favoring the formation of strandplains. The present study shows that erosional cheniers can form only when there is enough sediment availability to counteract wave action and for a specific range of shelf slopes.