Investigation of current conditions and sediment transport pattern along the Antarctic Peninsula using a numerical ocean circulation model

During the last decade, higher latitudes, particularly the Antarctic continental margin, were main target areas to investigate climate shifts and global ocean circulation over long-time periods. In such a way during several cruises a unique data base, including numerous multi channel reflection seismic profiles, bathymetric maps, shallow gravity measurements, and in particular core data from ODP Leg 178, was collected along the Antarctic Peninsula. These data monitored a number of asymmetric sediment mounds on the continental slope which were interpreted as sedimentary drifts. These drifts serve as an excellent achieve for the geological environment and current conditions during their formation.In particular, Drift 7 is the best monitored sedimentary mound in this area. Detailed information about spatial extension, internal structures, sedimentary sequences, and grain size distribution exist. These data enable on one hand the identification of sediment sources, the reconstruction of sediment transport pathways and transport mechanisms, as well as current velocities. On the other hand, different theories about controlling parameters for the evolution of drifts could be developed such as: Is an initial topography necessary for the formation of such a sedimentary structure?Therefore, numerical oceanic circulation models enable extensive parameter sensitivity studies combining multidisciplinary datasets as model input parameters to test different hypotheses. Thus, we are using the Regional Ocean Model System (ROMS) - an academic hydrostatic ocean circulation model, based on the finite difference method to investigate the environmental situation and current conditions during the evolution of Drift 7. Major aim of this project is the reconstruction of depositional and re-depositional processes from observed sediment structure of Drift 7. Therefore, ROMS included a complex sediment transport module to compute particle transport within the water column as well as sediment s