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More than a century of bathymetric observations and present-day shallow sediment characterization in Belfast Bay, Maine, USA: implications for pockmark field longevity

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Abstract

Mechanisms and timescales responsible for pockmark formation and maintenance remain uncertain, especially in areas lacking extensive thermogenic fluid deposits (e.g., previously glaciated estuaries). This study characterizes seafloor activity in the Belfast Bay, Maine nearshore pockmark field using (1) three swath bathymetry datasets collected between 1999 and 2008, complemented by analyses of shallow box-core samples for radionuclide activity and undrained shear strength, and (2) historical bathymetric data (report and smooth sheets from 1872, 1947, 1948). In addition, because repeat swath bathymetry surveys are an emerging data source, we present a selected literature review of recent studies using such datasets for seafloor change analysis. This study is the first to apply the method to a pockmark field, and characterizes macro-scale (>5 m) evolution of tens of square kilometers of highly irregular seafloor. Presence/absence analysis yielded no change in pockmark frequency or distribution over a 9-year period (1999–2008). In that time pockmarks did not detectably enlarge, truncate, elongate, or combine. Historical data indicate that pockmark chains already existed in the 19th century. Despite the lack of macroscopic changes in the field, near-bed undrained shear-strength values of less than 7 kPa and scattered downcore 137Cs signatures indicate a highly disturbed setting. Integrating these findings with independent geophysical and geochemical observations made in the pockmark field, it can be concluded that (1) large-scale sediment resuspension and dispersion related to pockmark formation and failure do not occur frequently within this field, and (2) pockmarks can persevere in a dynamic estuarine setting that exhibits minimal modern fluid venting. Although pockmarks are conventionally thought to be long-lived features maintained by a combination of fluid venting and minimal sediment accumulation, this suggests that other mechanisms may be equally active in maintaining such irregular seafloor morphology. One such mechanism could be upwelling within pockmarks induced by near-bed currents.

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Acknowledgements

Graduate support for Brothers came from a Maine Economic Improvement Fund Dissertation Fellowship. Thomas Hess, and the University of Maine Honors College provided gamma counts. We thank Don J. Degroot for use of facilities at the University of Massachusetts Geotechnical Laboratory. This work would not have been possible without the technical and analytical skills of Emile Bergeron, Bill Danforth, Barry Irwin, and Chuck Worley. We are grateful to Captain Randy Flood and the crew of the R/V Argo, Robin Arnold, Adriane Boscardin, Doug Cahl, Bob Johnson, Randall Perry, and Ashley Stinson for field and lab assistance. Reidulv Bøe, Bill Schwab, Daniel Brothers, and editors Burg Flemming and Monique Delafontaine generously provided helpful reviews of earlier drafts of this manuscript. Any use of trade names is only for descriptive purposes and does not imply endorsement by the US Government.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Woods Hole Coastal & Marine Science Center, U.S. Geological Survey, 384 Woods Hole Rd., Woods Hole, MA, 02543-1598, USA

    Laura L. Brothers, Walter A. Barnhardt & Brian D. Andrews

  2. Department of Earth Sciences, Bryand Global Sciences Center, University of Maine, Orono, ME, 04469-5711, USA

    Joseph T. Kelley & Daniel F. Belknap

  3. Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Boardman Hall, University of Maine, Orono, ME, 04469-5711, USA

    Melissa Landon Maynard

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  1. Laura L. Brothers
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Correspondence to Laura L. Brothers.

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Brothers, L.L., Kelley, J.T., Belknap, D.F. et al. More than a century of bathymetric observations and present-day shallow sediment characterization in Belfast Bay, Maine, USA: implications for pockmark field longevity. Geo-Mar Lett 31, 237–248 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00367-011-0228-0

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