Sediment transport pattern at the Barra Nova inlet, south Portugal: a conceptual model

The Barra Nova inlet, in south Portugal, is known to migrate progressively southeastwards under wave action. The morphodynamics of this system during a representative year suggests that this long-term evolution is dependent on a seasonal behavior of the tidal inlet which can be described through a three-stage model of post-storm, transition and extended fair-weather conditions. Processes involved in this evolution indicate that the historical migration of the Barra Nova is not dependent on the longshore drift forcing constricting the channel on the updrift coast, but rather on the adjustment of the system to a major erosion of the downdrift coast during short storm events.     

滦河三角洲海岸潮汐汊道——潮盆体系的演变

近二千年以来，滦河尾闾从西向东迁移，形成了由不同时期的亚三角洲互相叠复而成三角洲体系。丰富的入海泥沙和弱潮环境使该三角洲海岸发育了我国较为完整的潮汐汊道——潮盆体系群。尽管滦河三角洲与密西西比河三角洲有诸多相异之处，但动力泥沙条件的某些相似性使它们的汊道潮盆体系的演变可以进行类比。研究表明，决定潮汐汊道——潮盆体系发育阶段的是它所在的亚三角洲的废弃年龄。从狼窝口到湖林口的各亚三角洲均处于演变的第一阶段。即以受蚀陆岬及其沙咀状堡岛为特色的第一阶段。而大清河口附近则处于以堡岛弧为代表的第二阶段。目前，曹妃甸附近的亚三角洲正在向第三阶段，即堡岛演化为内陆架浅滩的阶段演化。从现代滦河口向曹妃甸，对应于废弃年龄的增加，潮汐汊道分别属于五种类型，即新生波浪型、新生过渡型、潮汐型、老年过渡型及老年波浪型     

An aggregate model for the adaptation of the morphology and sand bypassing after basin reduction of the Frisian Inlet

To study the adaptation of the morphology of the Frisian Inlet after basin reduction an aggregate model is developed. In the model, especial attention is given to the sand transport to the down-drift coast. In developing the model the inlet system is divided into three elements, the ebb tidal delta, the Zoutkamperlaag and the tidal flats. Based on observations during the first 18 years after basin reduction the adaptation time scale of the tidal flats is expected to be much larger than that of the ebb tidal delta and the Zoutkamperlaag, essentially reducing the inlet schematization to a two-element system. The dependent variables in the model are the sand volume of the ebb tidal delta and the water volume of the channel. The governing equations are non-linear and for quantitative accurate results are solved numerically. To demonstrate the nature of the solution the equations are linearized assuming the morphological state is close to equilibrium. The linearized equations are solved analytically and the solution is applied to a hypothetical case where the tidal prism of the Frisian Inlet is reduced by 10%. From the analytical solution it follows that the adaptation of the volumes of the two elements, delta and channel, is governed by two system time scales. These system time scales are functions of two local time scales. The local time scales pertain to the adaptation of one element assuming the other element has reached equilibrium. Because there are two system scales the adaptation of the volumes of the delta and channel is not exponential and is not necessarily monotonic. For example, initially the transport of sand to the down-drift coast is larger than the long-shore sand transport entering the inlet system from the up-drift coast, then becomes smaller and after some time increases again to reach the value of the up-drift long-shore sand transport. Comparison of the numerical solution for the actual reduction in tidal prism of 30% with the analytical solution for the 10% reduction in tidal prism shows qualitatively the same results.     

Process-based modeling of morphodynamics of a tidal inlet system

The morphodynamic evolution of an idealized inlet system is investigated using a 2-D depthaveraged process-based model,incorporating the hydrodynamic equations,Englund-Hansen’s sediment transport formula and the mass conservation equation.The model has a fixed geometry,impermeable boundaries and uniform sediment grain size,and driven by shore-parallel tidal elevations.The results show that the model reproduces major elements of the inlet system,i.e.,flood and ebb tidal deltas,inlet channel.Equilibrium is reached after several years when the residual transport gradually decreases and eventually diminishes.At equilibrium,the flow field characteristics and morphological patterns agree with the schematized models proposed by O’Brien (1969) and Hayes (1980).The modeled minimum cross-sectional entrance area of the tidal inlet system is comparable with that calculated with the statistical P-A relationship for tidal inlets along the East China Sea coast.The morphological evolution of the inlet system is controlled by a negative feedback between hydrodynamics,sediment transport and bathymetric changes.The evolution rates decrease exponentially with time,i.e.,the system develops rapidly at an early stage while it slows down at later stages.Temporal changes in hydrodynamics occur in the system;for example,the flood velocity decreases while its duration increases,which weakens the flood domination patterns.The formation of the multi-channel system in the tidal basin can be divided into two stages;at the first stage the flood delta is formed and the water depth is reduced,and at the second stage the flood is dissected by a number of tidal channels in which the water depth increases in response to tidal scour.     

Morphological response of tidal basins to human interventions

This study focuses on the prediction of the long-term morphological evolution of tidal basins due to human interventions. New analytical results have been derived for an existing model [ASMITA, Aggregated Scale Morphological Interaction between a Tidal inlet and the Adjacent coast; Stive, M.J.F., Capobianco, M., Wang, Z.B., Ruol, P., Buijsman, M.C., 1998. Morphodynamics of a Tidal Lagoon and adjacent Coast. 8th International Biennial Conference on Physics of Estuaries and Coastal Seas, The Hague, September 1996, 397–407.]. Through linearisation of the model equations a set of time scales is obtained that describe the main features of the morphological evolution of tidal inlets. The magnitude of these system time scales is determined by inlet geometry and sediment exchange processes. The nature and degree of interventions determine which time scales are dominant. We focus on five different tidal inlets in the Wadden Sea. For these inlets, the system time scales have been estimated. The model has been applied to simulate the morphological response of the Marsdiep and Vlie inlets to the closure of the Zuiderzee in 1932. In this way, the model and associated system time scales for each of these inlets have been validated. Results show that in both inlets, the channels display the largest adaptation time. It will take at least a century before the channels and hence the tidal inlet systems reach a new morphological equilibrium.     

Modeling regional sediment transport and shoreline response in the vicinity of tidal inlets on the Long Island coast,United States

A new numerical model was developed to simulate regional sediment transport and shoreline response in the vicinity of tidal inlets based on the one-line theory combined with the reservoir analogy approach for volumetric evolution of inlet shoals. Sand bypassing onshore and sheltering effects on wave action from the inlet bar and shoals were taken into account. The model was applied to unique field data from the south coast of Long Island, United States, including inlet opening and closure. The simulation area extended from Montauk Point to Fire Island Inlet, including Shinnecock and Moriches Inlets. A 20-year long time series of hindcast wave data at three stations along the coast were used as input data to the model. The capacity of the inlet shoals and bars to store sand was estimated based on measured cross-sectional areas of the inlets as well as on comprehensive bathymetric surveys of the areas around the inlet. Several types of sediment sources and sinks were represented, including beach fills, groin systems, jetty blocking, inlet bypassing, and flood shoal and ebb shoal feeding. The model simulations were validated against annual net longshore transport rates reported in the literature, measured shorelines, and recorded sediment volumes in the flood and ebb shoal complexes. Overall, the model simulations were in good agreement with the measured data.     

Beach response to a fixed sand bypassing system

Indian River Inlet is located at roughly the mid-point of the Atlantic coast of Delaware and connects the ocean to two Delaware inland bays. Jetties constructed in 1940 have maintained the inlet for navigation purposes but have also acted as a barrier to net northerly alongshore sediment transport causing downdrift erosion. A mobile, land-based bypassing system was initiated in 1990 in an effort to counteract this erosion. Beach profile data from 1985 (pre-bypassing) until 2008 are used to investigate the effect of the sand bypassing system on beaches adjacent to the inlet. The downdrift beach experienced horizontal shoreline erosion between 10 and 60 m during the pre-bypassing period but accreted 10–20 m during the bypassing period. The mean shoreline location on the updrift beach during bypassing is 10–20 m landward (erosion) of its position during the pre-bypassing period. Empirical orthogonal function (EOF) amplitudes from analyses performed on mean-removed elevation surfaces during the periods of highest bypassed volume (average of 83% of design rate) showed that the influence of the bypassing system on the downdrift beach extends to about 1500 m of the inlet. An EOF analysis showed that different morphologic responses were evident following the initiation of bypass operations. Temporal variations of shoreline and beach morphology were correlated to the temporal variations in bypassing rates on the downdrift beach only. The downdrift beach response was greatest near the inlet for larger bypassing volumes. Correlation in these instances occurred with a roughly 1-year time lag suggesting that the beach quickly redistributes the bypassed sand. EOF amplitude and shoreline response are weakly correlated to bypassed volumes when the system bypassed smaller volumes (average of 56% of design rate) of sand suggesting that there is a minimum bypassing rate, regardless of yearly variability, below which the effect on the downdrift beach is obscured.     

Late Holocene coastal sand movements in the Outer Hebrides, N.W. Scotland

Lithostratigraphical and biostratigraphical investigation of coastal marshes along the Atlantic coast of the Outer Hebrides from Lewis in the north to Barra in the south discloses inland-tapering sand units within marshland areas. The inland extent of each sand unit has been radiometrically dated and the units have been collectively interpreted as a proxy for past coastal storminess. The data appear to indicate that for the study sites investigated, the majority of the sand units were produced during episodes of climate deterioration both prior to and after the well-known period of Medieval warmth (MWP). Many were produced after ca. AD 1400. It is argued that the episodes of sand blow indicated by the deposits may reflect periods of increased cyclogenesis in the Atlantic associated with increased sea ice cover and an increase in the thermal gradient across the North Atlantic region.     

Morphodynamics of the barrier-inlet system, west-central Florida

The barrier-inlet system along the Gulf Coast of peninsular Florida has one of the most diverse morphologies of any barrier system in the world. The delicate balance between tidal- and wave-generated processes on this low-energy coast permits only slight changes in either of these processes to result in significant and rapidly developing morphologic responses. Some of these responses are the result of natural phenomena such as hurricanes opening tidal inlets, closure of inlets due to longshore transport of sediment, and changes in the availability of sediment. Tidal prism is the primary factor in controlling inlet morphology and is greatly influenced by anthropogenic activities in the backbarrier area. Human activity has also modified the coast in many ways over the past several decades, beginning with the construction of the first causeways in the 1920s. The various modifications by development have resulted in important morphodynamic changes in the barrier-inlet system. These include hardening the coast on the beach and at inlets, dredging and filling in backbarrier environments, and construction of fill-type causeways connecting the islands to the mainland. Construction of seawalls and jetties has inhibited normal coastal processes. Examples include the downdrift erosion at Blind Pass and Big Sarasota Pass. Construction of fill-type causeways between the barriers and the mainland has created artificial tidal divides that reduce the tidal prism at some inlets, thereby resulting in instability or closure such as Blind Pass and Dunedin Pass. This is further exacerbated by dredge and fill construction that reduces tidal prism by reducing the area of open water in the backbarrier. Dredging of the Intracoastal Waterway also results in a negative impact on selected inlets by channeling tidal flux away from some inlets. Impacts of these changes inhibit the barrier/inlet environments from responding to open coast processes.     

Long-term morphological modeling of a tidal inlet: the Arcachon Basin,France

The Arcachon Lagoon on the French Atlantic coast is a triangular shaped lagoon of 20 km on a side connected to the ocean by a 3-km wide inlet between the mainland and an elongated sand spit. This tidal inlet exhibits a particularly active morphology due to locally strong tidal currents and rough wave conditions. During the past 300 years, minimum and maximum spatial extents of the Cap Ferret sand spit have varied by 8 km while one or two channels have alternately allowed circulation between the lagoon and the ocean. These impressive morphological changes have never prevented regular flushing of the lagoon, eventhough the spit came as close as 300 m from the coast during the 18th century. According to Bruun's concept of tidal inlet stability [Theory and Engineering (1978), 510 pp.], the balance between longshore littoral transport and the tidal prism ensures the perpetuity of the inlet.Process modeling was believed to give better insight into the respective roles of tides and waves in driving the long-term morphological changes of the inlet. A two-dimensional horizontal morphodynamic model was therefore developed, combining modules for hydrodynamics, waves, sediment transport and bathymetry updates. The use of process models at a scale of decades requires a schematization of the input conditions. We defined representative mean annual wave and tide conditions with respect to sediment transport, i.e. conditions that induce the same annual transport as measured in the field. Driven by these representative conditions, simulations run from the 1993 bathymetry show that the tide is responsible for the opening of a new channel at the extremity of the sand spit (where tidal currents are the strongest), while waves induce a littoral transport responsible for the longshore drift of sand bodies across the inlet. One particular simulation consisted in running the model from a hypothetical initial topography where the channels are filled with sand and the entire inlet is set to a constant depth (3 m). The results show the reproduction of a channel and bar system comparable to historical observations, which supports the idea that the lagoon is unlikely to be disconnected from the ocean, provided tide and wave conditions remain fairly constant in the following decades.     

Inter-cohort differences in spatial and temporal settlement patterns of young-of-the-year windowpane (Scophthalmus aquosus) in southern New Jersey

The timing and location of settlement of two cohorts (spring and fall) of windowpane (Scophthalmus aquosus) were identified based on collections from 64 sampling locations along a corridor from the lower estuary, through the inlet, and on to the adjacent inner continental shelf in southern New Jersey. Spatio-temporal patterns of settlement during 1989–1998 were determined based on capture location and timing, and eye migration stage. Spring-spawned windowpanes were collected in estuarine, inlet and ocean habitats as larvae, during settlement, and after settlement. Densities of spring-spawned larvae (∼2–10 mm standard length (SL)) peaked in May in all habitats (estuary, inlet, and ocean). Initial settlement of spring-spawned windowpane occurred during May in the inlet and ocean when fish had grown to ∼7–8 mm SL (mid-point of eye migration), but fish did not appear in demersal estuarine collections until June when they were larger and more developmentally advanced (∼24–32 mm SL; post-eye migration). A transitional settlement period, comprised of a progressive habitat shift from pelagic to demersal habitats, is proposed for the spring cohort to explain the observed patterns. Fall-spawned fish of all developmental stages and sizes were virtually absent from estuarine collections. Fall-spawned larval (∼2–10 mm SL) densities peaked in October in inlet and ocean habitats and fish began settling there during the same month at sizes similar to the spring cohort (∼7–8 mm SL). This research confirms that there are important cohort-specific and life-stage dependent differences in young-of-the-year (YOY) windowpane habitat use in southern New Jersey and perhaps in other east coast US estuaries. These differences may affect the overall contribution that each cohort makes to a given year class and thus, may have an important role in determining the recruitment dynamics of this species.     

Dynamics and Variability of Terra Nova Bay Polynya

Abstract. We present a process study on the dynamics and variability of the Terra Nova Bay polynya in the western sector of the Ross Sea. The air-sea heat exchange is known to be particularly large in polynya during the winter, when differences between air and sea temperatures are large. We apply a 1-D model (Pease, 1987; Van Woert, 1999a, 1999b), which is modified in the latent heat parameterisation in order to account for time-dependent relative humidity and cloud coverage. Furthermore, the Ice Collection Depth is correlated linearly with a variable wind speed. The model is forced with two different meteorological data sets: the operational analysis of the European Center for Medium Range Weather Forecasts atmospheric data set and the meteorological parameters measured by an Automatic Weather Station located on the coast of Terra Nova Bay. The results are compared in terms of polynya extension, ice, and High Salinity Shelf Water production. According to the two different wind velocities, the results obtained from the different data sets clearly differ. Qualitatively, however, the results are in good agreement.     

Regional decoupling between NW Atlantic barnacle recruit and adult density is related to changes in pelagic food supply and benthic disturbance

We investigated the regional variation in barnacle (Semibalanus balanoides) recruit and adult abundance on the NW Atlantic coast. At the end of the recruitment season (June–July), we sampled wave-exposed rocky intertidal sites in two regions on the open Atlantic coast (Maine, AM, and Nova Scotia, AN) and in two regions on the Gulf of St. Lawrence coast (Northumberland Strait, GN, and Cape Breton Island, GC). Recruit density was highest in the southernmost region (AM), followed by GN and, then, by AN and GC. Regional values of nearshore primary productivity (satellite data of chlorophyll-a concentration, a surrogate for phytoplankton abundance) were highest for AM and GN, suggesting that food supply (barnacles are filter feeders) is an important factor determining regional recruitment patterns. Adult barnacle density was regionally decoupled from recruit density. Adults occurred in very low abundances on the Gulf of St. Lawrence coast (GN and GC) and were relatively abundant on the Atlantic coast (AM and AN), although always in much lower abundances than recruits. The low adult densities on the Gulf of St. Lawrence coast seem to result mainly from intense ice scour, as this coast freezes extensively every winter, as opposed to the ice-free Atlantic coast. Ice scour thus appears to override regional recruitment differences in determining adult density. Therefore, our data suggest that both pelagic food supply and benthic disturbance contribute to setting regional patterns in barnacle population structure on the NW Atlantic coast.     

近60年莱州湾东部砂质海岸地貌的时空动态

在野外考察的基础上,以不同时期测量和成像的海图、地形图和高分辨率遥感影像为数据源,综合使用数字岸线分析、遥感、地理信息系统等方法,对近60年来莱州湾东部砂质海岸（界河口-刁龙嘴）地貌演变进行研究。结果表明,研究期内莱州湾东部岸线迁移和水下岸坡冲淤存在强烈的时空差异。岸线迁移表现为冲淤进退交替发生,其在时间过程上具有非线性的显著特点。1959-2013年,侵蚀岸线所占比例波动起伏,具有阶段性。侵蚀岸段年均演变速率以1985年为界分成两个阶段,前期由极大值4.95 m/a（1959-1969年）锐减至极小值1.97 m/a（1969-1985年）,后期由1.97 m/a增大到4.43 m/a（1985-1998年）,之后均处于高强度侵蚀。岸线迁移空间分布的差异性主要表现在4个岬湾的岸线变迁特征与莱州湾东岸岸线整体变迁并不一致。同时,水下岸坡冲淤条带大体相间分布,同一岸段1959-1985年和1985-2008年的冲淤演变趋势基本相反。进一步分析表明最近60年来,莱州湾东部砂岸在水库拦沙、潮上带工厂化水产养殖、大型海岸工程等人类活动的地貌效应共同控制下,发生了5次岸线淤积前进与侵蚀后退以及冲淤速率大小的交替。     

Applicability of sediment transport models to evaluate medium term evolution of tidal inlet systems

This paper derives local formulae to estimate bed roughness and suspended transport and present a method to calculate net sediment transport at tidal inlet systems, combining field data and a range of well established empirical formulations. To accomplish this, measurements spanning a spring-tidal cycle of mean water levels, waves, near-bed flow turbulence and bed forms were obtained from the Ancão Inlet, Ria Formosa lagoon system, Portugal. High-resolution hydrodynamic data were gathered using acoustic equipments and by measuring sediment properties (grain-size diameter and bed form dimensions) under fair-weather conditions. The results compared favourably with available direct and indirect field observations of sediment transport rates. The approach appears to be robust and widely applicable and so can be applied to the same conditions in any tidal inlet system. This is of particular importance when attempting to understand sediment transport at inlet mouths, and has practical applications in a range of coastal engineering and coastal management areas concerned with navigation safety, coastal erosion, ecosystem health and water quality. The study discusses the applicability of the method on evaluating system flushing capacity, giving important insights on multiple inlet evolution, particularly with regard to their persistence through time. The methodological framework can be applied to assess the long-term stability of single- and multiple-inlet systems, provided that estimates of sediment storage at ebb-tidal deltas are available and sediment transport estimates during storm events are statistically considered.     

Alongshore Sediment Transport Near Tidal Inlets of Chilika Lagoon; East Coast of India

ABSTRACT

Chilika, a lagoon along the east coast of India, is undergoing transformation due to frequent shoreline change near inlet(s). Shoreline change near inlet includes change in position and shape of inlet, inlet channel length, and spit growth/erosion. These variable features of lagoon inlet(s) critically depend on alongshore sediment transport (LST) and discharge (water and sediment) from the lagoon to the sea. The LST and the processes responsible for sand spit growth/erosion, considered as important attributes of inlet stability, are the subject matter of the present investigation and hence the study assumes importance. The study includes integration of observational and modeling framework. Observations include nearshore wave, bathymetry, beach profile, shoreline and sediment grain size of spits while numerical modeling includes simulation of the wave using MIKE 21 Spectral Wave model and LST simulation using LITtoral DRIFT. The results indicate that the predominant wave directions as S and SSE, which induces round the year south to north alongshore transport with significant seasonal variation in magnitude. The estimated LST closely matches with previous studies near Chilika inlet and for other locations along the Odisha coast. Besides temporal variability, the study reveals spatial variability in alongshore transport near Chilika inlet and considers it as one of the important attributes along with northward spit growth for inlet migration/closure/opening.     

潟湖潮汐通道水力特性与治理

综合论述了潟湖潮汐通道口门之流速、断面面积、通道长度、延时角和饱满系数之间的关系,以及沿岸漂沙对口门的影响。对不同类型的潟湖潮汐通道,提出了中潮位射流导流堤、口门复式断面和通道分汊等治理方法及其通道口门相关尺度的具体计算。     

海平面上升对海岸潮差响应的理论解析

应用海湾和半封闭矩形海域改进的Taylor问题的解研究海平面上升对M2分潮旋转潮波系统及沿岸潮差的变化.将南黄海概化为一等深矩形海域,初步研究在海平面上升3 m和5 m条件下该海域旋转潮波系统的演化趋势,继而分析沿岸潮差变化特征.初步分析研究表明:随着海平面上升,该海域M2分潮的无潮点有向东南方向偏移的趋势,受此影响,沿岸潮差呈现不同的变化特征,靠近无潮点的左侧及湾顶海岸变化明显,而远离无潮点的右侧及湾顶海岸则变化不大.     

水动力在江苏北部岸外辐射沙洲形成和演变中的作用

江苏北部(下称苏北)岸外辐射沙洲形态特殊,面积广大,是我国唯一、世界罕见的沉积动力地貌特征类型区。开展该区的调査和研究对苏北海岸带开发和海洋沉积动力学理论研究都具有非常重要的意义。近年来我国学者通过大量海洋水文、泥沙、海底地形和地貌调查研究,对苏北海岸的成因和岸外沙洲的演变提出了许多新的看法(王文清等,1982)。本文通过对历史资料和1958-1993年苏北海岸带调査资料、卫星照片等的对比分析,以及利用数值模拟方法的诊断,指出水动力是苏北海岸和岸外沙洲形成和演变的主要作用力。     

长江河口岸滩侵蚀演变模式

长江河口地区由于流域带来的泥沙沉降堆积,形成了巨大的长江三角洲平原和水下三角洲。近年来,由于水土保持和流域建水库使得入海泥沙迅速减少,造成长江河口区岸滩侵蚀态势逐渐加重。根据多年海图资料得到的岸滩剖面变化,长江河口区岸滩侵蚀的演变模式按岸滩侵蚀剖面形态特征分为平直型、宽陡型和尖陡型;按剖面的变化特征可分为平行后退型、下凹变上凸型和宽陡变尖陡型。