Oceanography Among the Tumbleweeds in Utah

Lincoln Pratson Looks to the Desert's Lake Powell to Shed Light on One of the Deep Sea's Murkiest Processes p.5

“Near the Rincon area of the lake, about midway down its length, we found evidence that some turbidity currents were still so strong they could climb up and over a pile of rockslide debris 25 meters high. That,” Pratson says excitedly, “was very unexpected.”

This May, Pratson and Gerber will return to the lake to pick up where they left off. They hope to publish their findings in the near future.

Dave Twichell, an oceanographer with the U.S. Geological Survey at Woods Hole, predicts they’ll find an eager audience for their publications.

“Many deep-sea hydrocarbon reservoirs originated as thick sand deposits from turbidity currents, so learning how they form is of great interest to the oil industry,” Twichell says. “Because of the work Lincoln and his students are doing mapping Lake Powell’s floor, we have the opportunity to understand the link between the processes of turbidity current sedimentation and the deposits that result from these flows.”

Pratson knows his data from Lake Powell will likely also generate interest outside the scientific community, among conservationists, urban planners and policy makers throughout the Southwest.

“It’s possible there’s been a fundamental shift in where sediment’s been accumulating in the lake. If it’s being distributed over a longer distance, that could have implications for communities and industries across the region,” he says. “The usability of the lake for recreation, the hydroelectric generating capacity of its dam, and the lake’s useful lifespan as a ‘water bank’ for the region could ultimately be affected, though to what degree presently remains unclear.”

Tim Lucas is the Nicholas School’s national media relations and marketing specialist.

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