The Fluvial-Deltaic Environment

Abstract

Many of the processes and products in fjord systems are closely related to the movement of water and sediment down fjord valleys. For instance, the rate of sediment accumulation is directly related to river dynamics in many fjords. Fjord circulation and the transport of natural and anthropogenic sediment are highly dependent on the hydrologic cycle. Quaternary sequences exposed in fjord valleys also provide information on the paraglacial framework of fjord infilling. (By paraglacial, we refer to the effects of glacial-proglacial sedimentation, dynamic sea-level fluctuations, and historically significant climate shifts.) Within this chapter, we explore the variations found in fjord-valley runoff, the principles of sediment erosion and transport with specific fjord-river examples, and the many influences that complicate the paraglacial growth of fjord sandurs and deltas.