The morphology and palaeohydrology of a submerged glaciofluvial channel emerging from Waterford Harbour onto the nearshore continental shelf of the Celtic Sea

Abstract

The results of an acoustic geophysical survey of the seabed off Waterford Harbour are presented. The survey revealed a probable submerged palaeochannel extending from the mouth of Waterford Harbour to the south-west for 22 km and to a depth of 56 m below present sea level. Palaeomeander geometry and inferred sedimentology indicate that the palaeochannel was adjusted to discharges up to several orders of magnitude greater than those of the present. Together, these characteristics imply that the palaeochannel was probably formed by proglacial discharges of meltwater during a period of low sea level.