Accepted by …………………………………………………………………………….

This thesis advances our understanding of how transport properties of turbidity currents are mediated by interactions with seafloor topography, specifically channelized surfaces. Turbidity currents are responsible for crafting the morphology of continental margins. Unfortunately, very few direct observations exists defining turbidity current interactions with submarine channels and canyons because infrequent occurrence, great water depths, and high current velocities make measurements difficult to obtain. To overcome this problem, I utilize reduced scale laboratory experiments, remote sensing of the seafloor and subsurface deposits, and numerical analysis of transport processes. I focus on resolving the topography and composition of the evolving water-sediment interface with additional measurements that characterize the sediment transport and flow fields. I begin by quantifying interactions between turbidity currents and channel-bounding levees. Levees are the primary elements of self-formed channels and act to confine flows within channels, thereby increasing transport efficiency. I quantify the morphology and growth of levees in a submarine channel network offshore Borneo. Levee deposit trends are interpreted usin