Institut de Ciències del Mar, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC), Barcelona E-08003, Spain; email:
Ann Rev Mar Sci. 2014;6:53-77. doi: 10.1146/annurev-marine-010213-135037. Epub 2013 Aug 5.
Submarine canyons are morphological incisions into continental margins that act as major conduits of sediment from shallow- to deep-sea regions. However, the exact mechanisms involved in sediment transfer within submarine canyons are still a subject of investigation. Several studies have provided direct information about contemporary sedimentary processes in submarine canyons that suggests different modes of transport and various triggering mechanisms. Storm-induced turbidity currents and enhanced off-shelf advection, hyperpycnal flows and failures of recently deposited fluvial sediments, dense shelf-water cascading, canyon-flank failures, and trawling-induced resuspension largely dominate present-day sediment transfer through canyons. Additionally, internal waves periodically resuspend ephemeral deposits within canyons and contribute to dispersing particles or retaining and accumulating them in specific regions. These transport processes commonly deposit sediments in the upper- and middle-canyon reaches for decades or centuries before being completely or partially flushed farther down-canyon by large sediment failures.
海底峡谷是切入大陆边缘的地貌，是浅海到深海区域沉积物的主要输送通道。然而，海底峡谷内部沉积物输送的确切机制仍在研究之中。一些研究提供了关于海底峡谷现代沉积过程的直接信息，表明了不同的输运模式和各种触发机制。风暴引起的浊流和增强的陆架外输运、高密度盐水羽流和新近沉积的河流沉积物的崩塌、密度跃层水的下泻、峡谷边坡崩塌以及拖网引起的再悬浮，在很大程度上主导了现今通过峡谷的沉积物输送。此外，内波周期性地再悬浮峡谷内的短暂沉积物，并有助于将颗粒分散或在特定区域保留和积累它们。这些输运过程通常将沉积物沉积在上峡谷和中峡谷区域数十年或数百年，然后在大的沉积物崩塌作用下被完全或部分向下峡谷冲蚀。
