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Corals move boulders: An unusual mechanism of sediment transport
Author(s) -
Tunnicliffe Verena,
Syvitski James P. M.
Publication year - 1983
Publication title -
limnology and oceanography
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.7
H-Index - 197
eISSN - 1939-5590
pISSN - 0024-3590
DOI - 10.4319/lo.1983.28.3.0564
Subject(s) - sill , geology , cobble , oceanography , gorgonian , fjord , sediment , tidal current , beach morphodynamics , geomorphology , sediment transport , geochemistry , coral , ecology , habitat , biology
Tidal currents over the sill of Knight Inlet, a fjord on the western Canadian coast, are frequently in excess of 1 m · s −2 . This shallow sill (65 m) is composed of cobble‐ to boulder‐sized sediments that support extensive growths of large gorgonian corals. Although current‐generated shear stresses are normally far from sufficient to initiate boulder movement, drag forces due to the attached corals do cause a significant rearrangement of the boulders on the sill.