BIOTURB - A FORTRAN PROGRAM TO SIMULATE THE EFFECTS OF BIOTURBATION ON THE VERTICAL-DISTRIBUTION OF SEDIMENT

Bioturbation may have serious implications for preservation of original stratigraphic distribution of sediment. Thus, several methods have been developed to model the redistribution of sediment by bioturbation. The program BIOTURB provides a tool to compare and evaluate different models of bioturbation and their effects on sediment distribution. A flexible approach allowing changes in bioturbating fauna with time, fluctuation of sedimentation rate and sediment type deposited, selective sediment transport by organisms, both random and nonrandom mixing processes, and variation in intensity of mixing with depth was taken. This was achieved by using a transition matrix modeled after a bioturbating fauna in conjunction with a Monte Carlo procedure to goveen the redistribution of sediment during mixing. The simulation model, FORTRAN program, and an example are described in detail.