Leaky Valves in Littoral Sediment Budgets: Loss of Nearshore Sand to Deep Offshore Zones via Chutes in Barrier Reef Systems, Southeast Coast of Florida, USA

Abstract

The decrease in longshore sediment volumes from north to south, calculated for littoral cells between inlets, indicates significant loss from the littoral drift system along the Florida east coast or localized deposition. The decrease in littoral drift volume from about 490,000 m3 of sediment over a distance of about 550 km (average diminution rate of about 890 m3 km−1) was traditionally accounted for in terms of alongshore deposition and some unknown degree of speculated offshore transport. With the application of laser airborne depth sounding (LADS) technology to bathymetric survey in southeast Florida (2001–2003), recognition of detailed bottom topography became possible for the first time. Significant in this regard was the bathymetric display of macro- and mesoscale morphological features that showed areal continuity of sandy bottoms and the prominent but disjunctive occurrence of relict barrier coral reef tracts that line the shelf edge. Identification of gaps in the line of barrier reefs showed pathways of cross-shore sediment transport from the inner shelf to offshore beyond the shelf edge. Diabathic sediment transport through these reef gaps robs the littoral sediment package by allowing the chuting of sediments during high energy events or when the backreef flats over fill with sand. The reef gaps are thus leaky valves where littoral sediments are periodically chuted offshore and lost from the littoral drift system.