Squamish River Delta Sediment Volume and Distance Measurements

NOAA_NCEI provides cumulative sediment volume and distance data for the Squamish River delta, derived from high-resolution bathymetric surveys. Measurements cover a period from April to August 2011, capturing daily and fortnightly changes in seafloor morphology. The dataset was created to analyze triggers for erosive turbidity currents, as detailed in a related scientific publication.

Use Cases

• Modeling the relationship between cumulative sediment volume and distance for different event types (landslide vs. plume).
• Analyzing the frequency and spatial distribution of events across the northern, central, and southern delta channels.
• Correlating event timing (Julian day) with sediment volume to identify seasonal or temporal patterns in delta activity.
• Validating hydrodynamic models of turbidity current runout using the provided cumulative distance measurements.

Strengths

• Data collection used an EM710 multibeam sonar with a vertical resolution of 0.2% of water depth.
• Surveys were conducted at high temporal frequency: the prodelta region was surveyed every weekday.
• Events are subdivided by specific delta channels (north, central, south) for spatial analysis.

Limitations

• Temporal coverage is limited to approximately four months in 2011.
• Sample size is unknown, as the number of recorded events or data rows is not specified.
• Spatial coverage is restricted to the Squamish River delta, limiting geographic generalizability.

Provenance

Source

NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI Accession 0169399).

Collection Method

Derived from bathymetric surveys using an EM710 multibeam sonar; difference maps were calculated between consecutive surveys.

Time Range

2011-04-27 to 2011-08-24.

Freshness

Data collection ended on 2011-08-24.

Geography

Squamish River delta, specifically the prodelta, distal delta, and delta top regions.