Abstract
This paper describes the measurement and modeling of turbidity currents (TC) in the Congo Canyon and the application of that data to design of a telecommunications cable. There are few direct measurements of TCs largely because the measurement instruments are often damaged. Indeed, this is only the second set of measurements ever recorded in the Congo Canyon, and the only set that shows the propagation of TCs through multiple sites. Four moorings were deployed in 2013 along a 500 km stretch of the Canyon and measured roughly a dozen TCs during a 5-month period. The largest event reached 150 cm/s. Two-D and 3-D numerical models were set up and calibrated using the measurements. The 3-D model shows significant along- and cross-channel variations and these results were used to select optimal crossing locations. The models were then integrated with cable data to permit stress and fatigue analysis at selected cable installation locations, permitting both cable route and cable type to be evaluated.
