Earth Surface Dynamics
Earth Surface Dynamics
ESurf
Articles | Volume 12, issue 1
Articles | Volume 12, issue 1
https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-12-231-2024
© Author(s) 2024. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-12-231-2024
© Author(s) 2024. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Articles | Volume 12, issue 1
Research article
 | Highlight paper
 | 
30 Jan 2024
Research article | Highlight paper |  | 30 Jan 2024

Influence of cohesive clay on wave–current ripple dynamics captured in a 3D phase diagram

Xuxu Wu, Jonathan Malarkey, Roberto Fernández, Jaco H. Baas, Ellen Pollard, and Daniel R. Parsons

Data sets

Flume experiments to investigate the influence of cohesive clay on wave-current ripple dynamcis Xuxu Wu et al. https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.22578529.v1

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The transition between ripples and dunes dependent upon sediment and flow conditions has been classically represented with a phase space diagram differentiating between the different bedforms based on these drivers. This work, importantly, introduces the role of clay content within the sediment and shows how this shifts these fundamental long standing relationships.
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Short summary
The seabed changes from flat to rippled in response to the frictional influence of waves and currents. This experimental study has shown that the speed of this change, the size of ripples that result and even whether ripples appear also depend on the amount of sticky mud present. This new classification on the basis of initial mud content should lead to improvements in models of seabed change in present environments by engineers and the interpretation of past environments by geologists.
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