Fluxes of particulate matter on the Barcelona continental margin: The role of submarine canyons on the shelf-slope transfer

3 pages, 2 figures, 1 tableThree mooring lines equiped with four sediment traps were deployed in the south Barcelona continental margin, inside the Foix submarine canyon near-bottom, at intermediate waters, and in the interfluve, from April 1993 to May 1994. The distribution and the time series of vertical mass fluxes, show a transport of particles both downslope from the shelf into the water column, mainly tunneled trough submarine canyons, and alongslope transport. The region of maximum particulate-matter flux to the slope, constituting a depocenter, Is located near the canyon head. The temporal variability of the measured fluxes appears dominated by river sediment inputs and storm-driven resuspension. Canyons are suggested to serve both as a conduits for transport of sediment from the shelf to the slope, and as a temporal particle reservoir