Silt/clay fractionation in surficial Marmara sediments: implication for water movement and sediment transport paths in a semi-enclosed and two-layered flow system (northeastern Mediterranean Sea)

Silt and clay fractions and hydrographic data indicate that the silt/clay ratios depend on topographically controlled currents, water inflows, terrigenous input, and benthonic activities. The deep subbasins of the Marmara Trough with low-energy conditions show the lowest silt/clay ratios (0.2-0.4). The silt/clay ratios in the Çanakkale Strait (1.0-1.7) decrease markedly at the exit to the Aegean Sea (0.5-0.9) due to flow into a larger basin and the resultant lower current speed. Overall, under high-energy conditions the clay sediments cannot settle and are swept away, resulting in high silt/clay ratios.[PUBLICATION ABSTRACT]