Dry season sediment fluxes in the frontwater zone of the mangrove-fringed Mwache Creek, Kenya.
Mwache Creek is a typical mangrove creek along the Kenya coast. The creek receives terrigenous sediments on a seasonal basis and there is tremendous tidal influence. The supply of terrigenous sediments increases greatly during periods associated with major flood events. Most of the sediments supplied by the seasonal rivers are trapped in the upper parts of the creek with very little export to the lower frontwater zone of the creek. In the frontwater zone, sediments are imported during periods of low river discharge. This sediment import is related to the flood-tide resuspension of the bottom sediments in the frontwater zone of the creek. The resuspension of the bottom sediments is more dominant during flood tide than during ebb tide. Sediments resuspended in the main channel enter the relatively dense frontwater mangrove forest where they are trapped due to the high vegetation density and gentle slope that induce enormous friction on the water flow inside the forest.
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| Format: | Report Section biblioteca |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
University of Nairobi
2002
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| Subjects: | Sediments, Mangroves, Terrigenous sediments, |
| Online Access: | http://hdl.handle.net/1834/7841 |
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| Summary: | Mwache Creek is a typical mangrove creek along the Kenya coast. The creek receives terrigenous sediments on a seasonal basis and there is tremendous tidal influence. The supply of terrigenous sediments increases greatly during periods associated with major flood events. Most of the sediments supplied by the seasonal rivers are trapped in the upper parts of the creek with very little export to the lower frontwater zone of the creek. In the frontwater zone, sediments are imported during periods of low river discharge. This sediment import is related to the flood-tide resuspension of the bottom sediments in the frontwater zone of the creek. The resuspension of the bottom sediments is more dominant during flood tide than during ebb tide. Sediments resuspended in the main channel enter the relatively dense frontwater mangrove forest where they are trapped due to the high vegetation density and gentle slope that induce enormous friction on the water flow inside the forest. |
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