Imperial College London
Portrait Picture

Dr Alex Whittaker

Faculty of Engineering, Department of Earth Science & Engineering

Reader in Landscape Dynamics
 
 
 
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Contact

 

+44 (0)20 7594 7491a.whittaker Website

 
 
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Location

 

3.51Royal School of MinesSouth Kensington Campus

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Summary

 

Publications

Citation

BibTex format

@article{Brewer:2020:10.1016/j.earscirev.2020.103217,
author = {Brewer, C and Hampson, G and Whittaker, A and Roberts, G and Watkins, S},
doi = {10.1016/j.earscirev.2020.103217},
journal = {Earth-Science Reviews},
title = {Comparison of methods to estimate sediment flux in ancient sediment routing systems},
url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.earscirev.2020.103217},
volume = {207},
year = {2020}
}
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RIS format (EndNote, RefMan)

TY  - JOUR
AB  - The need to predict accurately the volume, timing and location of sediments that are transported from an erosional source region into a basin-depocentre sink is important for many aspects of pure and applied sedimentological research. In this study, the results of three widely used methods to estimate sediment flux in ancient sediment routing systems are compared, using rich input datasets from two systems (Eocene South Pyrenean Foreland Basin, Spain and late-Pleistocene-to-Holocene Gulf of Corinth Rift Basin, Greece) for which mapped, dated sediment volumes provide an independent reference value of sediment accumulation rates. The three methods are: (1) the empirical BQART model, which uses values of drainage basin area, relief, temperature, lithology and water discharge; (2) empirical scaling relationships between characteristic geomorphological parameters of sediment-routing-system segments; and (3) the “fulcrum” model, which uses the palaeohydrological parameters of trunk river channels to estimate downsystem sediment discharge. The BQART model and empirical geomorphological scaling relationships were originally developed using modern sediment routing systems, and have subsequently been applied to ancient systems. In contrast, the “fulcrum” model uses hydrological scaling relationships from modern systems, but was developed principally for application in ancient systems.Our comparative analysis quantifies the sensitivity of the three methods to their input parameters, and identifies the data required to make plausible estimates of sediment flux for ancient sediment routing systems. All three methods can generate estimates of sediment flux that are comparable with each other, and are accurate to at least one order of magnitude relative to independent reference values. The BQART model uses palaeoclimatic and palaeocatchment input data, which are accurate for sub-modern systems but may be highly uncertain in deep-time systems. Corresponding
AU  - Brewer,C
AU  - Hampson,G
AU  - Whittaker,A
AU  - Roberts,G
AU  - Watkins,S
DO  - 10.1016/j.earscirev.2020.103217
PY  - 2020///
SN  - 0012-8252
TI  - Comparison of methods to estimate sediment flux in ancient sediment routing systems
T2  - Earth-Science Reviews
UR  - http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.earscirev.2020.103217
UR  - http://hdl.handle.net/10044/1/80103
VL  - 207
ER  -
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