Stratigraphic Forward Modelling for the Past, Present and Future

we have published studies of beach nourishment at Terschelling (Holland) and in South Australia, testing our wave, storm and current nearshore process algorithms. At somewhat larger scales (decades and kilometres) we are currently using Sedsim to evaluate the effects of anticipated climate change scenarios to 2050 on the seabed around Australia. These model results are used to identify possible pipeline and platform risk areas on the Australian shelf and slope. Addressing such problems allows us to test a wide variety of process simulations including carbonate, fluvial, deep marine to coastal siliciclastic, and validate them against observed sediment distribution patterns, to the limits of existing seabed data. Having satisfied ourselves that Sedsim is capturing the most important recent processes we can have more confidence in stratigraphic applications. A recent link between seismic stratigraphy and stratigraphic modelling was our numerical test of Anstey’s proposed analytical relationship between seismic character and depositional parameters for a simple neritic setting.