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Sediment dynamics along the Argentinean and Uruguayan continental margin

The Argentinean and Uruguayan continental margin is strongly affected by oceanic currents that change the slope morphology and influence sediment transport from the continent to the deep sea. The sediment deposits formed by the action of bottom currents (contourites) are commonly used as archives to reconstruct paleoceanographic changes, but associated processes need to be further investigated. This project aims to better characterise the sedimentary features, sediment distribution and the processes that control sediment dynamics along the Argentinean and Uruguayan continental slope. In order to gain a better understanding of the processes involved in contourite formation, a multidisciplinary aproach is necessary. Thus, this project involves the field of marine geology and physical oceanography. One essential task is to establish a connection between contourite features, their temporal and spatial evolution, and the oceanographic processes that form them. This work will help to provide a better understanding of contourite development from the combined perspective of sedimentology and fluid dynamics.