Field Investigations of Complex Depositional Systems - 2003
The objective of this field project was to try and collect data to test the hypothesis that the channels are migrating. Our approaches included: 1) construction of a high resolution Digital Elevation Model (DEM) using our Leica TCR303 Reflectorless Total Station. Thousands of data points were obtained. This DEM then formed the topographic base onto which facies boundaries were overlain, also mapped the total station. 2) We measured "depth to basement" of the Holocene section by pushing a surveying rod through the soft Holocene sediments (typically 1.5 m thick) to the top of the lithified Pleistocene section, and recording this elevation using our total station. 3) We measured the tidal current velocity asymmetry using an acoustic doppler velocimeter which was towed across the channels along 20 pre-defined transects down the length of the channel. 4) We measured the channel topography, noting the location of bar forms, and then compared this data with the velocity data to define channel migration potential. Below are some photographs.