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A laboratory experiment was carried out to study sediment transport dynamics occurring in the swash zone of a coarse-sandy beach built in a large-scale wave flume. Hydro- and morpho-dynamic as well as sediment transport data were collected using sensors mounted on a scaffold rig deployed in the lower swash zone close to the moving bed. The high resolution of near-bed data permitted quantitative evaluation of suspended and sheet flow contributions to the total sediment transport. Although sheet flow sediment fluxes were higher than suspended fluxes, the vertically integrated suspended sediment load overcame the sheet flow load during uprush and it was on the same order of magnitude during backwash. The observed cumulative sediment transport was generally larger than the morphological changes occurring shoreward of the rig location implying either an underestimation of the offshore sediment transport or an overestimation of the onshore fluxes obtained from concentration and velocity profile data. Low correlations were found between net swash profile changes and runup parameters suggesting that local hydrodynamic parameters provide little or no predictability of accretion and erosion of an upper beach which is near equilibrium. The balance between erosion and deposition induced by individual swash events brought a dynamic equilibrium with small differences between the profiles measured at the start and at the end of the run. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The vertical distribution of longshore sediment transport was measured on sandy macrotidal barred beaches of Northern France under low to moderate wave energy conditions, using streamer traps collecting sand at different elevations above the bed. Longshore sediment flux measurements and wave and current data were collected at several locations along cross-shore transects in order to analyse the relation between the vertical patterns of suspended sand transport and the forcing hydrodynamics across the bar-trough topography. Suspended sediment fluxes generally showed a typical upward decrease in longshore transport, revealing that near-bed transport represents the major transport mode on these macrotidal beaches, notably over the bars where the highest rates of sediment transport were measured. Conversely to previous studies in which the shape of the vertical distribution was either independent of the location in the surf zone or which showed an increase in suspended transport over intertidal bars, our results revealed a strong upward decrease in longshore sediment transport over bars, especially under higher wave energy conditions, whereas more uniform vertical distributions were observed in troughs. These differences in the vertical distribution of longshore sediment flux can be explained by spatially variable wave breaking and surf zone processes over the bar-trough topography and by the distribution of small-scale bedforms across the intertidal zone, which influence sand resuspension processes and control the shape of the vertical profiles of sediment transport. Larger longshore sediment fluxes over bars can be explained by the action of breaking waves that are responsible for increased sediment remobilization, but the dominance of spilling breakers on the studied beaches likely results in significant turbulence dissipation, leading to limited sand resuspension in the water column. Comparatively, landward propagating surf bores over bars favour an increase in sediment concentration at higher elevations above the bottom in the adjacent trough. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The interplay between suspended-sediment transport and plume hydrodynamics in a surface-advected estuarine plume is studied using a three-dimensional numerical model. Our analysis focuses on the formation of a sediment-rich alongshore current and on the effect of sediments on the structure of the recirculating freshwater bulge. We introduce the ratio Y between the traveling time of sediment along the bulge edge and the settling timescale. When Y <1, suspended sediments enter the alongshore coastal current. When Y >1 the sediments are deposited within the bulge. We find that a critical range of settling velocities exist above which no transport in the costal current is allowed. Critical settling-velocity values increase with river discharge. Therefore, low magnitude and long-lasting floods promote sediment sorting in the continental shelf. We further find that, for a given flood duration, intermediate flood magnitudes at the limit between subcritical and supercritical flow maximize the alongshore sediment transport. Similarly, for a fixed input of water and sediments, intermediate discharge durations maximize alongshore sediment transport. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Waipaoa River Sedimentary System in New Zealand, a focus site of the MARGINS Source-to-Sink program, contains both a terrestrial and marine component. Poverty Bay serves as the interface between the fluvial and oceanic portions of this dispersal system. This study used a three-dimensional hydrodynamic and sediment-transport numerical model, the Regional Ocean Modeling System (ROMS), coupled to the Simulated WAves Nearshore (SWAN) wave model to investigate sediment-transport dynamics within Poverty Bay and the mechanisms by which sediment travels from the Waipaoa River to the continental shelf. Two sets of model calculations were analyzed; the first represented a winter storm season, January–September, 2006; and the second an approximately 40 year recurrence interval storm that occurred on 21–23 October 2005. Model results indicated that hydrodynamics and sediment-transport pathways within Poverty Bay differed during wet storms that included river runoff and locally generated waves, compared to dry storms driven by oceanic swell. During wet storms the model estimated significant deposition within Poverty Bay, although much of the discharged sediment was exported from the Bay during the discharge pulse. Later resuspension events generated by Southern Ocean swell reworked and modified the initial deposit, providing subsequent pulses of sediment from the Bay to the continental shelf. In this manner, transit through Poverty Bay modified the input fluvial signal, so that the sediment characteristics and timing of export to the continental shelf differed from the Waipaoa River discharge. Sensitivity studies showed that feedback mechanisms between sediment-transport, currents, and waves were important within the model calculations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Nearshore regions act as an interface between the terrestrial environment and deeper waters. As such, they play important roles in the dispersal of fluvial sediment and the transport of sand to and from the shoreline. This study focused on the nearshore of Poverty Bay, New Zealand, and the processes controlling the dispersal of sediment from the main source, the Waipaoa River. Hydrodynamics and sediment-transport in water shallower than 15m were observed from April through mid-September 2006. This deployment afforded observations during 3–4 periods of elevated river discharge and 5 dry storms. Similar wind, river discharge, wave, current, and turbidity patterns were characterized during three of the wet storms. At the beginning of each event, winds blew shoreward, increasing wave heights to 2–3m within Poverty Bay. As the cyclonic storms moved through the system the winds reversed direction and became seaward, reducing the local wave height and orbital velocity while river discharge remained elevated. At these times, high river discharge and relatively small waves enabled fluvially derived suspended sediment to deposit in shallow water. Altimetry measurements indicated that at least 7cm was deposited at a 15m deep site during a single discharge event. Turbidity and seabed observations showed this deposition to be removed, however, as large swell waves from the Southern Ocean triggered resuspension of the material within three weeks of deposition. Consequently, two periods of dispersal were associated with each discharge pulse, one coinciding with fluvial delivery, and a second driven by wave resuspension a few weeks later. These observations of nearfield sediment deposition contradict current hypotheses of very limited sediment deposition in shallow water offshore of small mountainous rivers when floods and high-energy, large wave and fast current, oceanic conditions coincide. Consistently shoreward near-bed currents, observed along the 10m isobath of Poverty Bay, were attributed to a combination of estuarine circulation, Stokes drift, and wind driven upwelling. Velocities measured at the 15m isobath, however, were directed more alongshore and diverged from those at the 10m isobath. The divergence in the currents observed at the 10 and 15m locations seemed to facilitate segregation of coarse and fine sediment, with sand transported near-bed toward the beach, while suspended silts and clays were exported to deeper water. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Sediment is needed for coastal restoration in Louisiana and is often excavated offshore from mud-capped and sandy dredge pits. To better understand the post-dredging effects on hydrodynamics, sediment transport, and water quality, two tripods were deployed at sandy Caminada pit and mud-capped Sandy Point pit in summer 2018 and 2019, respectively, and profiling data were collected during a total of 34 casts in 2018 and 2019. The results reveal similarities and differences between pit and adjacent waters and are used to compare two pits. Tropical storm events were observed during each deployment which provided insight concerning the effects these storms have on dredge pits. Water masses inside Caminada pit were relatively stable and sluggish which resulted from the pit's deep depth and location. Sandy Point dredge pit was highly impacted by the Mississippi River plume due to its proximity, which effectively stratified the water column in summer 2019, affecting ventilation near the seabed. Strong winds, taller waves, higher shear stresses, elevated turbidity and increased dissolved oxygen were generally found during the passages of tropical storms over both pits. Comparing with outside tripod station, the inside station of Caminada pit experienced a longer duration of low dissolved oxygen in bottom waters. Water mass movements and oxygen consumption from resuspension of pit bottom are likely key mechanisms driving oxygen dynamics. Our results provide observational data for future studies on post-dredging morphologic change, marine communities, and oxygen dynamics of dredge pits on the Louisiana shelf and other coastal dredge areas worldwide. • Tripod time series analysis of dredge pits in Gulf of Mexico. • Less variable bottom water masses in a dredge pit compared to adjacent seafloor. • Bottom DO conditions are complex, controlled by physical, biogeochemical processes. • Dredge pit location impacts variability of water column. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: One-dimensional vertical and three-dimensional fine-resolution numerical models of sediment transport have been developed and applied to the Torres Strait region of northern Australia. The one-dimensional model, driven by measured waves and currents, was calibrated against measured suspended sediment concentrations using a sequential data assimilation algorithm. The algorithm produced a good match between model and data, but this was achieved only by allowing some temporal variability in parameter values, suggesting that there were underlying uncertainties in the model structure and forcing data. Implications of the assimilation results to the accuracy of the numerical modelling are discussed and the need for observational programmes having an extensive spatial and temporal coverage is highlighted. The three-dimensional sediment model, driven by modelled waves and currents, simulates sediment transport over the shelf during the monsoon and trade-wind seasons covering 1997–2000. The model predicts strong seasonal variability of the sediment transport on the shelf attributed to seasonally varying hydrodynamics, and illustrates significant inter-annual variability of the sediment fluxes driven by extreme events. The developed model provides a platform for testing scientific hypothesis. With additional calibration, including uncertainty analysis, it can also be used in a management context. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The Minas Basin, the eastern end of the Bay of Fundy, is well known for its high tide ranges and strong tidal currents, which can be exploited to extract electricity power. The properties of the tidally-induced sediment transport in the Minas Basin, where significant changes in tidal processes may occur due to a recently proposed tidal power project, have been studied with a three-dimensional hydrodynamic model, an empirical bed load sediment transport model and surface sediment concentrations derived from the remotely-sensed images. The hydrodynamic model was evaluated against independent observational data, which include tidal elevation, tidal current (in the full water column and bottom layer), residual current profile and tidal asymmetry indicators. The evaluation shows that the model is in good agreement with the observations. The sediment transport includes two components, bed load and suspended particulate load. The bed load is calculated using the modelled bottom shear stress and the observed grain size data. The estimated features of bed load transport roughly agree with the observed patterns of the erosion and deposition in the Minas Basin and Cobequid Bay. The transport of the suspended load is estimated using the modelled velocity fields and the surface sediment concentration derived from remote-sensing images. The comparisons between the modelled results and the limited observations illustrate that the observed directions of suspended sediment transport are basically reproduced by the model. The modelled net suspended sediment input into the Minas Basin through Minas Passage is 2.4×106 m3 yr−1, which is comparable to the observed value of 1.6×106 m3 yr−1. The variations of the bed load and the suspended load in space and time are also presented. The total net transport, defined as the mean value of the sum of bed and suspended load transports during the tidal cycle, shows strong spatial variability. The magnitude of the transport flux ranges from 0.1 to 0.2kgm−1 s−1 in Minas Channel and Minas Passage, 0.1kgm−1 s−1 in Cobequid Bay, to 0.01kgm−1 s−1 in the central Minas Basin and Southern Bight. In Minas Channel, the sediment transport follows the structure of the tidal residual circulation, which features a large anticlockwise gyre. The sediment in Minas Passage moves eastward and deposits into the central Minas Basin. However, the sediment from the eastern part of the Basin moves westward and deposits in the central Minas Basin as well. In the Cobequid Bay, sediment moves eastward and deposits in the upper bay. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Coastal circulation and transport of sediment derived from the Huanghe and Changjiang Rivers in the Bohai, Yellow, and East China Seas (BYECS) over the past 48 years (1958–2005) were simulated and analyzed using the Coupled Ocean–Atmosphere–Wave–Sediment Transport modeling system. Model skill assessments against in situ wave and hydrographical observations indicate the model simulation can reasonably well reproduce the hydrodynamic environment of the BYECS. Model-simulated regions of high fine sediment accumulation rate correlate well with the observed regions, which are known as “muddy patches.” Bottom stress analysis further indicates that the formation of muddy patches near river mouths is largely due to their proximity to the sediment source. Muddy patches formed in regions farther away from river mouths are results of local weak bottom stress and associated circulation pattern. Simulated seabed sediment distribution reveals that most of the Huanghe-derived sediment stays inside the Bohai Sea, whereas the Changjiang-derived sediment can spread into both the Yellow and East China Seas. Strong seasonal variations exist in the river-derived sediment transport with stronger (weaker) offshore sediment transport occurring in the winter (summer). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The formation of the geologic record offshore of small mountainous rivers is event-driven and, more so than many other environments, can result in relatively complete sequences. One such river, the Waipaoa in New Zealand, has been studied from its terrestrial source to its oceanic sink over timescales spanning storms, seasons, and the Holocene. This study focused on the formation of riverine deposits on the Waipaoa Shelf during episodic flood and wave events, contrasting deposition during short-lived events to accumulation patterns created over thirteen months. Sediment fluxes and fate were estimated using the numerical hydrodynamic and sediment transport model ROMS, the Regional Ocean Modeling System, using CSTMS, the Community Sediment Transport Modeling System. During the study period (January 2010–February 2011), the model indicated that initial flood deposition generally occurred near the river mouth and along the coast in water shallower than 40 m, and that deposition during any one event was sensitive to variations in shelf currents and wave energy. Also, the sedimentation due to plume settling and suspended transport during these relatively short flood and wave events were not aligned with longer time-scale accumulation patterns (months or greater) previously reported for the Waipaoa shelf. In the days to months following a flood pulse, waves episodically reworked this initial deposit, resuspending centimeter-scale layers of sediment during energetic periods. Frequent and intense resuspension occurred in shallow areas where bed stresses were high. This encouraged redistribution of material toward deeper areas having lower near-bed wave stresses, including continental shelf depocenters and offshore areas. While fast settling material was preferentially retained near the river mouth, currents dispersed slower settling sediment farther before deposition. Overall, accumulation depended on characteristics of oceanographic transport (wave energy, current velocities), not just source characteristics (flood size, sediment size distribution). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Phytobenthic communities can play an active role in modifying the environmental characteristics of the ecosystem in which they live so mediating the human impact on Coastal Zone habitats. Complicated feedbacks couple the establishment of phytobenthic communities with water quality and physical parameters in estuaries.Direct and indirect interactions between physical and biological attributes need to be considered in order to improve the management of these ecosystems to guarantee a sustainable use of coastal resources. Within the project F-ECTS (“Feedbacks of Estuarine Circulation and Transport of Sediments on phytobenthos”) this issue was approached through a three-step strategy: (i) Monitoring: detailed fieldwork activities focusing on the measurement and evaluation of the main processes involving hydrodynamics, sediments, nutrients, light and phytobenthic biomass; (ii) Modeling: joint modeling of the suspended particulate matter erosion/transport/deposition and biological mediation of the hydrodynamics and (iii) GIS: development of GIS-based practical tools able to manage and exploit measured and modeled data on the basis of scientific investigation guidelines and procedures. The overall strategy is described by illustrating results of field measurements, providing details of model implementation and demonstrating the GIS-based tools. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Hydrodynamic forcing with respect to sediment transport and morphologic change, paying particular attention to relevant swash asymmetries, is reviewed. The hydrodynamics are categorized into their individual effects: high- and low-frequency motions, bores and turbulence, in/exfiltration, shear stresses and friction coefficients. Individual effects are then related to their potential for driving or influencing sediment transport and morphological change. Additional concepts such as settling/scour lag and sediment advection that have largely been ignored are also discussed. A simple framework is presented for the morphological response of the beachface under swash zone hydrodynamic processes. The framework acknowledges that the beachface cannot be considered in isolation from the surf zone and that the two zones are strongly linked through feedback processes. The swash zone itself is also a morphodynamic system and morphological response occurs as a result of disequilibrium between the beachface gradient and asymmetries in the swash hydrodynamics. Any beachface morphological development in response to such equilibrium will have direct and indirect effects on swash hydrodynamics and sediment transport processes. It is concluded that the two issues requiring most urgent research attention with regards to swash zone sediment transport processes are the roles of sediment advection and longshore swash motion. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Rivers provide the dominant pathway of terrigenous sediment to the ocean. The density difference between riverine and salt water as well as the density anomaly contributed by sediment have important consequences on the delivery, transport and ultimate fate of the sediment issued from the land. Most fresh water outflows produce positively buoyant plumes; however, the aggregation and settling of sediment cause the route of sediment transport to diverge from the route of fresh water flow. Sediment is trapped in frontal zones, both in estuaries and on the inner shelf, often resulting in large increases in the concentration of sediment relative to the riverine source. At high concentrations, the density anomaly due to the sediment itself contributes to the vertical stability of the flow, often increasing the trapping efficiency of the frontal zone. Sediment trapping may also occur within the wave boundary layer on the continental shelf, leading to high concentrations within a layer only on the order of 10 cm thick, but which may represent an important cross-shelf conduit of sediment. The high concentration layers formed both by frontal trapping and by wave boundary layer trapping can attain excess densities large enough to initiate down-slope motion on the continental shelf, resulting in an important cross-shelf transport process. Because of these trapping processes, the formation of high-concentration layers, and the occurrence of hyperpycnal plumes, the transport of sediment in river-influenced environments is often dominated by near-bottom fluxes rather than fluxes in the surface plume. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: To describe the exchange of water and sediment through the Venice Lagoon inlets a 3-D hydrodynamic and sediment transport model has been developed and applied to a domain comprising Venice Lagoon and a part of the Adriatic Sea. The model has been validated for both current velocities and suspended particle concentration against direct observations and from observations empirically derived fluxes from upward-looking acoustic Doppler current profiler probes installed inside each inlet. The model provides estimates of the suspended sediment transport in the lower 3m of the water column that is not detected by acoustic Doppler current profiler sensors. The bedload model prediction has been validated against measured sand transport rates collected by sand traps deployed in the Lido and Chioggia inlets. Results indicate that, in the Lido inlet, 87% of the total load is in suspension, while the rest moves as bedload. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The development and application of a three-dimensional hydrodynamic and sediment transport model for the Gulf of Thermaikos, in the Northwestern Aegean Sea is presented. The processes that control the transfer of river-borne waters and fine-grained sediments are examined. These processes are: the overall basin circulation, the wind-driven flow, the buoyancy-driven flow that is associated with river plume dynamics and the sedimentation processes (flocculation, settling, deposition and erosion). We perform individual experiments, where only some of the processes are included, in order to study the different components of the transport mechanism separately. We also perform comprehensive experiments, where all processes are taken into account. It is found that a large percentage of the suspended particulate matter is deposited on the seabed of the Thermaikos Gulf and mainly near the river discharge sites. Although the sedimentation processes are of primary importance, the transport rates and pathways are greatly affected by the hydrodynamic processes that control circulation. Furthermore, the basin topography has a considerable impact on the transport, as the main rivers discharge near the narrow basin head and near areas of strong coastline curvature that act as sediment trapping zones. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

This paper presents a new style of bedload parting from western Torres Strait, northern Australia. Outputs from a hydrodynamic model identified an axis of bedload parting centred on the western Torres Strait islands (~142°15′E). This bedload parting is similar to others documented from mixed tidal regimes as it is driven dominantly by the O1, K1 and M2 tidal constituents. However, parting is aided by overtides on the eastern, mixed semidiurnal side of the strait. Bedload parting is also strongly impacted by wind-driven currents. Wind-driven currents during the trade wind season lead to the average estimates of bedload transport to be directed west, through the strait, over the 8 year model duration. As a result, east and west directed bedload parting is only active during the monsoon season when the influence of wind-driven circulation is negligible. A simulation of bedload transport using a range of sediment grain sizes indicated that sediments with a grainsize greater than ~2 mm were transported in a direction consistent with tidally driven bedload parting, as opposed to residual wind-driven flow. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The growing interest in tidal energy has led to a need to better understand the interaction between energetic tidal flows and submarine bathymetry. The Gulf of Corryvreckan (GoC) is a highly energetic tidal channel, ∼3.2 km long and ∼1.1 km wide with a maximum depth of 220 m occurring between the islands of Scarba and Jura, western Scotland, UK. A high-resolution bathymetric survey of the region, groundtruthed by sediment samples, has enabled the bathymetry to be related to Lagrangian flow data from GPS-tracked surface drifter buoys. The maximum recorded drifter velocity was 4.75m/s within the GoC during the ebb (east-flowing) tide. Exiting the GoC into open water to the west on the flood tide, the 'Great Race' decelerates and subsequently flows in a curve to the north. East and west of the GoC, sedimentary bedforms lie on the flanks of the main flow paths. The northern flank of the Great Race aligns with a 6 km elongate bedform ('banner bank') extending from the GoC. East of the GoC, complex tidal bottom flows are suspected to result in uncommon sediment morphology, including suspected sediment wave interference patterns expressed by the mobile bedforms. The novelty of these findings indicates the importance of further research into sediment pathways in energetic tidal zones. A greater understanding of how sediment transport may be modified during offshore construction is an important consideration for offshore installations and the feasibility of marine renewables. • Constraining bathymetry significantly accelerates tidal flow speeds. • Surface hydrodynamics inferred by GPS tracked drifters can reflect the local bathymetry, even in deeper (>100 m) shelf waters. • The nature of submarine bedforms may be indicative of dominant bottom flow paths and residual tidal currents. • Complex coastlines promote intricate residual tidal currents and sediment transport pathways, producing structurally uncommon submarine bedforms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: In the framework of the European project Eurostrataform, an array of six near-bottom mooring lines was deployed in the heads of the major submarine canyons incising the continental slope of the Gulf of Lions (NW Mediterranean). All moorings were equipped with sediment traps, current meters and turbidity Optical Backscatters Sensors (OBS) situated at few meters above the bottom. Particulate mass fluxes were recorded weekly by the sediment traps between November 2003 and May 2004 and compared with horizontal export fluxes obtained from the turbidity and current meters. Results show that near-bottom vertical particulate mass fluxes generally increase along slope between the northeastern-most and the southwestern region of the Gulf of Lions. Horizontal export fluxes also show some increase southwestward with flux in the southwestern-most canyon up to two-orders of magnitude higher than in northeast canyons. Furthermore, most of the export flux is driven by energetic and short events such as marine storms and dense shelf water cascading. Although the consequence of storms and cascading was obvious from traps and OBS measurements, substantial differences between vertical and horizontal fluxes appeared. While sediment traps recorded the largest vertical flux during the autumn storm (4 December) with contributions from river discharge and resuspended material, horizontal flux as obtained from OBS data was highest in winter (21–24 February). We believe that such discrepancies are partly due to measurement artifacts originating from the particle size effects and/or the different height above the bottom occupied by the traps and OBS which complicate comparisons between vertical and horizontal fluxes. However, different water-column conditions (stratified versus unstratified) together with the hydrodynamic regime during the two periods appear as a likely explanation for the flux differences between fall and winter storms. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: This paper describes an integrated study of a typical Mediterranean flood event in the Gulf of Lions. A flood with a 5-year return interval occurred in the Têt River basin and adjacent inner-shelf in the Gulf of Lions, northwest Mediterranean, during April 2004. Data were collected during this flood as part of event-response investigations of the EU-funded Eurostrataform (European Margin Strata Formation) project. Southeasterly storm winds led to a flood which directly modified the inner-shelf hydrodynamics. Sediment delivery to the coastal zone during this flood represented more than half of the mean annual discharge of the Têt River to the Gulf of Lions. This river transported a large amount of sand in suspension, representing 25% of the total suspended load, and as bedload representing 8% of the total load, during this event. Sand introduced in the nearshore was transported northwards during the peak storm and nourished a small delta. Fine sediments were separated from coarse sediments at the river mouth, and were advected southwards and seawards by the counter-clockwise general circulation. Fine-grained sediments were transported via a hypopycnal plume along the coast towards the southern tip of the Gulf of Lions and the Cap Creus canyon. The along-shore currents, which intensified from north to south of the Gulf of Lions, particularly between the Cap Creus promontory and the Cap Creus canyon, favoured the transfer of fine-grained sediments from the continental shelf of the Gulf of Lions towards the continental slope. Our results show that floods with a few-year return interval in small coastal rivers can play a significant role in the transport of sediments on microtidal continental margins and their export from the shelf through canyons. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: This paper presents a method to investigate the relative influence of waves, wind-induced currents and tidal currents on sediment mobility in coastal environment. It is based on the assumption that, knowing high uncertainties linked to sediment dynamics studies, simple sediment mobility indicators are sufficient tools to provide useful information. This method is based on five main steps: (1) assessing hydrodynamic conditions and related errors spatially and temporally for an area; (2) evaluating the bottom shear stress induced by these hydrodynamic conditions; (3) providing simple sediment mobility indicators; (4) analysing the sensitivity of these indicators to the existing hydrodynamic uncertainties; (5) interpreting indicators knowing their limits (identified in the sensitivity analysis). This methodology is applied to a test site on the inner shelf, seaward of the Pertuis Charentais region in France. Using wave (SWAN) and sea-level and currents (MARS-2DH) modelling, we study the spatial distribution of the relative contribution of waves, tides and wind-induced current in the non-cohesive sediment mobility under storm conditions. The deduced sediment dynamics indicators reveal the dominant action of waves in sediment initiation in the offshore area, in water depths of up to 60m. The sensitivity study, performed in order to evaluate the validity of results, shows that the sediment mobility indicators still provide relevant information, even for hydrodynamic uncertainties of ±20% or furthermore when only a qualitative sedimentological knowledge of the area is available. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The purpose of this study is to analyse the variations of the beach morphology surveyed in Teignmouth, United Kingdom, while the swash processes were shaping the beach, in parallel with the hydrodynamic conditions and watertable fluctuations. These data and field observations lead to a conceptual model which shows a three-phase sequence of evolution. The first phase is characterised by a quick erosion, which is linked with the sediment characteristics of the beachface. The second phase consists of a period of accretion caused by the influx of the sediment mobilised by the plunging breakers at the toe of the beachface, and finally, the seepage of the ground water induces the last phase of erosion mainly due to the enhanced backwash erosion. This model enlightens the importance of the grain characteristics for the beachface evolution and complements the model of Duncan, in the case of high-permeability sediment. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: This paper reviews research on beach groundwater dynamics and identifies research questions which will need to be answered before swash zone sediment transport and beach profile evolution can be successfully modelled. Beach groundwater hydrodynamics are a result of combined forcing from the tide and waves at a range of frequencies, and a large number of observations exist which describe the shape and elevation of the beach watertable in response to tidal forcing at diurnal, semi-diurnal and spring-neap tidal frequencies. Models of beach watertable response to tidal forcing have been successfully validated; however, models of watertable response to wave forcing are less well developed and require verification. Improved predictions of swash zone sediment transport and beach profile evolution cannot be achieved unless the complex fluid and sediment interactions between the surface flow and the beach groundwater are better understood, particularly the sensitivity of sediment transport processes to flow perpendicular to the permeable bed. The presence of a capillary fringe, particularly when it lies just below the sand surface, has influences on beach groundwater dynamics. The presence of a capillary fringe can have a significant effect on the exchange of water between the ocean and the coastal aquifer, particularly in terms of the storage capacity of the aquifer. Field and laboratory observations have also shown that natural groundwater waves usually propagate faster and decay more slowly in aquifers with a capillary fringe, and observations which suggest that horizontal flows may also occur in the capillary zone have been reported. The effects of infiltration and exfiltration are generally invoked to explain why beaches with a low watertable tend to accrete and beaches with a high watertable tend to erode. However, the relative importance of processes such as infiltration losses in the swash, changes in the effective weight of the sediment, and modified shear stress due to boundary layer thinning, are not yet clear. Experimental work on the influence of seepage flows within sediment beds provides conflicting results concerning the effect on bed stability. Both modelling and experimental work indicates that the hydraulic conductivity of the beach is a critical parameter. However, hydraulic conductivity varies both spatially and temporally on beaches, particularly on gravel and mixed sand and gravel beaches. Another important, but poorly understood, consideration in beach groundwater studies is the role of air encapsulation during the wetting of beach sand. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

A field experiment was conducted on the northern Yucatan coast from April 1 to April 12, 2014 to investigate the role of intense wind events on coastal circulation from the inner shelf to the swash zone. The study area is characterized by a micro-tidal environment, low-energy wave conditions, and a wide and shallow continental shelf. Furthermore, easterly trade winds, local breezes, and synoptic-scale events, associated with the passage of cold-fronts known as Nortes , are ubiquitous in this region. Currents were measured concurrently at different cross-shore locations during both local and synoptic-scale intense wind events to investigate the influence of different forcing mechanisms (i.e., large-scale currents, winds, tides, and waves) on the nearshore circulation. Field observations revealed that nearshore circulation across the shelf is predominantly alongshore-directed (westward) during intense winds. However, the mechanisms responsible for driving instantaneous spatial and temporal current variability depend on the weather conditions and the across-shelf location. During local strong sea breeze events ( W > 10 m s -1 from the NE) occurring during spring tide, westward circulation is controlled by the tides, wind, and waves at the inner-shelf, shallow waters, and inside the surf/swash zone, respectively. The nearshore circulation is relaxed during intense land breeze events ( W ≈ 9 m s -1 from the SE) associated with the low atmospheric pressure system that preceded a Norte event. During the Norte event ( W max ≈ 15 m s -1 from the NNW), westward circulation dominated outside the surf zone and was correlated to the Yucatan Current, whereas wave breaking forces eastward currents inside the surf/swash zone. The latter finding implies the existence of large alongshore velocity shear at the offshore edge of the surf zone during the Norte event, which enhances mixing between the surf zone and the inner shelf. These findings suggest that both sea breezes and Nortes play an important role in sediment and pollutant transport along/across the nearshore of the Yucatan shelf. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two- and three-dimensional Delft3D Flow and Morphology models were constructed for the lower Song Hau distributary channel of the Mekong River in Vietnam to provide insights into the hydrodynamics and sand transport of the channel system. The models were calibrated and validated with data for observed water level, water discharge, velocity, and suspended-sand concentration during the high- and low-flow seasons of 2014 and 2015. The water and sand budgets of the Dinh An and Tran De channels, the two sub-distributaries of the lower Song Hau channel, were calculated, showing that ~73% of the fluvial water discharge and ~90% of suspended sand were transported through the Dinh An channel, while the rest was transported through the Tran De channel in the high-flow season. In the low-flow season, the total fluvial water discharge was < 20% of that in the high-flow season; and ~96% of it was transported through the Dinh An channel and the rest was transported through the Tran De channel. Sand was transported from channels into the ocean in both the Dinh An and Tran De channels during the high-flow season, but from the ocean into the two channels during the low-flow season. The reversed sand flux from ocean into river channels during low-flow season was not observed in field studies. The different behaviors between models and field observations might be caused by the absence of baroclinic effects in the model set up. The Dinh An channel was found to be dominated by ebb tide, in favor of transporting water and sediment to the ocean, and the Tran De channel was dominated by flood tide. In the high-flow season, the residual currents were directed toward the ocean for both the Dinh An and Tran De channels. In the low-flow season, the magnitude of the residual currents decreased in the river channels. Under these conditions, the residual-current direction changed to be ambiguous in the Tran De channel, but remained seaward in the Dinh An channel. The low fluvial discharge combined with strong tides under very low-flow conditions can probably generate a net clockwise water circulation between the Dinh An and Tran De channels, which transports water from the ocean to the river through the Tran De channel, then back into the ocean through the Dinh An channel. The clockwise circulation pattern is likely to influence the channel evolution and impact saltwater intrusion issue in the lower Song Hau channel. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The effect of streaming on the sea bed boundary layer flow beneath combined waves and current has been investigated for waves following and opposing a current, taking both linear waves and second order Stokes waves into account. This flow results from an interaction between the classical wave–current seabed boundary layer mechanism and two different streaming mechanisms. The classical wave–current seabed boundary layer mechanism leads to a reduced mean velocity relative to the current alone; the two streaming mechanisms are streaming caused by turbulence asymmetry in successive wave half-cycles (beneath asymmetric forcing) and streaming caused by the presence of a vertical wave velocity within the seabed boundary layer as earlier explained by Longuet-Higgins. The effect of wave asymmetry, wave length to water depth ratio, magnitude of current and bottom roughness have been investigated by numerical simulations for realistic physical situations. Mean Eulerian quantities as well as the mass transport (wave-averaged Lagrangian velocity) are presented. The resulting sediment dynamics near the ocean bottom has been investigated; results for both suspended load and bedload are presented. For wave dominated situations, the velocity profiles beneath opposing waves and current are substantially different from those beneath following waves and current, both for linear and second order Stokes waves. As the flow becomes current dominated, the velocity profiles beneath opposing and following waves and current approach the velocity profile beneath horizontally uniform sinusoidal forcing. The net transport of suspended sediments and bedload is in the direction of the current both for waves following and opposing the current. For wave dominated situations the net sediment transport is strongly affected by the streaming mechanisms, both for linear and second order Stokes waves and current. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Offshore gasmining is an example of a human intervention with a morphological impact. On land, it is usually attended with a dish-like bed depression. We show that, if located at sea, such a bed depression can become morphodynamically active by triggering mechanisms related to tidal sand bank formation. To that end, a simple morphological model is considered which describes an erodible bed subject to a tidal wave in a shallow sea. The continuous subsidence is modelled by a sink term in the sediment balance. Then, a linear approximation is carried out to describe the bed evolution after the onset of subsidence. The results, presented in physical space, show that the subsidence triggers the formation of a sand bank pattern that gradually spreads around the centre of subsidence, at a rate that may go up to 160 m year−1, depending on the tidal transport rate and the tidal eccentricity. The dimension of the depression does not affect the spreading rate nor the orientation of the sand banks, but it does influence their spacing. The main conclusion is that the horizontal extent of the area influenced by the bed depression by far exceeds that of the direct subsidence, thus showing that bed depressions on land and at sea indeed behave in fundamentally different ways. The results suggest that nonlinear effects are worthwhile to be investigated in order to describe finite amplitude development of sand banks as well as the interaction between subsidence and bed forms. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Distribution of suspended sediment in the Bohai Sea and its seasonal variability were investigated based on the datasets obtained from four cruises carried out in different seasons in 2010 and 2012. The results indicate that the spatial distribution of suspended sediment in the Bohai Sea was dominated by the river input and coastal resuspension that depends on the type of local surface sediment and hydrodynamics. The suspended sediment was mostly concentrated in the southern Bohai Sea particularly around the Yellow River Delta in the summer season as impacted by the river plume but confined within a very limited area near the river mouth, whereas in winter–spring seasons sediment concentration became much higher as a result of active coastal resuspension induced by energetic wave actions in the shallow water. High sediment concentration was found in Liaodong Bay in winter–spring seasons when dynamics become strong but decrease significantly in summer seasons. The sediment concentration in the southern Bohai Strait was much higher than that in the northern part, suggesting evident sediment export to the Yellow Sea particularly in the winter–spring seasons. Strong seasonal variability of suspended sediment distribution in the Bohai Sea was consistent with the monsoon activity and associated wave actions and coastal currents that are varying seasonally. The dominance of seasonal monsoon signal and associated wave dynamics make the subaqueous Yellow River delta to be a major sink for the terrestrial sediment in the summer seasons, but transiting to a primary source in winter–spring seasons for sediment redistribution in the Bohai Sea and sediment export to the Yellow Sea. The seasonal patterns of suspended sediment distribution in the Bohai Sea and the dominance of monsoon activities may provide a good reference to understanding the sediment transport in the China Shelf Seas where sediment resuspension and coastal circulation are evidently driven by monsoon. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Seasonal and intra-seasonal variability of hydrodynamics and suspended sediment concentration (SSC) in the Yellow Sea were investigated using combined ship measurements and physical fields extracted from the global Hybrid Coordinate Ocean Model (HyCOM). Model-data comparison indicates that the HyCOM solutions fairly agree with the observed temperature fields, both showing strong horizontal and vertical seasonality. High SSC was observed in waters near the Chengshantou Cape and above the old Yellow River subaqueous delta in November 2012, and was coincident with enhanced velocity shear. Thermal fronts were identified in waters less than 60 m deep with their prominent appearances in November 2012, inhibiting the offshore sediment transport. The previously reported depo-center of distal Yellow River mud-patch off the Chengshantou Cape was confined between the positions of the strong velocity shear in a shoreward direction and the thermal fronts in an offshore direction. We concluded that the nearshore mixing front and the offshore thermal front play critical roles in both capture of the fine-grained suspended sediment and formation of the Omega-shaped mud patch. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Tidal flats with fluvial input can have ample fine-grained sediment supply, and yet the Skagit River tidal flats remain mostly sandy. Therefore, hydrodynamic mechanisms must efficiently export mud off the flats. This study evaluates short-term deposition and long-term burial of mud on an intertidal flat and links seabed deposits to sediment-transport processes. To investigate the fine-grained sediment-transport mechanisms within the sandy Skagit River tidal flats, seabed and water-column observations were collected seasonally from 2008 to 2009 under varying river discharge conditions. Little mud was observed deposited on the seabed. Spatially, mud was most common near channels and on the seaward flat edge. Its presence was temporary, and was typically observed following high river discharge. Strongest current velocities and high suspended-sediment concentrations were measured during spring tidal cycles with peaks in the late ebb. Maximum velocities were observed within channels, permitting for rapid transport of fine-grained particles to the seaward edge of the flat and export beyond. These physical processes also act to mobilize the mostly sandy seabed, which is reworked at various frequencies: on a semi-diurnal tidal timescale, both channel and flat seabeds are reworked to 1–2cm; and over a decadal timescale, lateral channel migration acts to rework the seabed to 1–2m, making the limited mud deposits available for export. Overall, channel networks on sandy tidal flats with fluvial input not only deliver fine-grained sediment to the flat, but also aid in the export of suspended sediment at ebb tides and in the release of muddy deposits through reworking of the seabed. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Fifteen monthly field surveys were conducted from September 2012 to November 2013 at ten representative stations along a cross-shore profile, covering the entire tidal flat. Results indicate that tidal currents significantly affect bed level variations over bare flats, while subsurface processes (e.g., soil subsidence and expansion) are likely to play an important role in changing the bed level of the upper intertidal flat where salt marshes are present. The cross-shore profile shows a clear double-convex shape, and different geomorphic zones display distinctive variation. Above the mean high water level (MHWL), the bed level is generally stable. The region around the MHWL, where the upper convex point is present, is a location of high sedimentation due to the weaker hydrodynamic conditions and the settling and scour lag effects, it keeps growing with the increase of inundation frequency. A concave point occurs in the middle part of the intertidal flat, showing considerable erosion. Near the mean low water level (MLWL), the lower convex point is elevated due to the long-shore tidal current and associated sediment transport (the flood dominated transport during summer exceeds the ebb dominated transport during winter, hence the net effect favors sedimentation). Further seawards, the area below the MLWL is strongly eroded. The cross-shore profile follows a “stable-accretional-erosional-accretional-erosional” sequence. Overall, the measurements indicate that the interplay among vegetation, hydrodynamics and sediment transport is critical in shaping the cross-shore morphology of the intertidal flats along the Jiangsu coast of China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sediment transport in the source-to-sink systems of the northern South China Sea (SCS) has been of increasing interest during the past few decades. However, the mechanisms for sediment redistribution remain unclear. Sources and transport patterns in the northern SCS were investigated in this study based on grain size analyses of 205 surface sediment samples. Detailed characterizations of hydrodynamic conditions and sediment transport have been made using the log-ratio method to partition grain size components of surface sediments in the northern SCS. Results reveal that sediment dispersal patterns in the region generally contain traction, saltation, graded and uniform suspension modes. Based on the spatial distribution characteristics, the study area can be classified into three hydrodynamic provinces. Province A contains high traction concentrations that are exposed to the longshore current and topographic features, which are distributed in the Taiwan Shoal, Dongsha Islands and extends from the Pearl River estuary to the southeast of Hainan Island. Province B is characterized by higher values of saltation and graded suspension, which are widespread along the northern slope of the SCS, and its formation is interpreted as the result of interactions between down- and along-slope processes. Province C reaches its greatest concentration in the abyssal areas, particularly in the vicinity of Luzon Island, which settles only under calm conditions. Combined with previous data concerning magnetic susceptibility distributions of surface sediments from the northern SCS, the sediment transport route near the mainland is traced. Furthermore, based on distribution pattern of sortable silts and hydrodynamic provenance of the terrigenous sediments, the sediment transport route in the deep water region of the northern SCS is outlined. It flows along marginal channels which cut across the continental slope along isobaths. Taken together, the combination of grain-size components and sortable silts of surface sediment used here is a promising tool to better assess the modern variability of hydrodynamic conditions and transport processes in marine environments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: This work presents a detailed analysis of suspended sediment concentration measured in the inner surf and swash zone under large-scale wave flume conditions. Controlled hydrodynamic conditions tested in the laboratory corresponded to highly energetic (erosive) conditions. Hydrodynamic, bottom evolution and suspended sediment concentration (SSC) data were acquired at several locations within the inner surf and the swash zone. A limited number of hydrodynamic type of events have been identified to induce important suspended sediment concentrations. These hydrodynamic conditions include incident broken wave, wave capture, weak and strong wave backwash interactions or pure backwash events. The acquired data showed the variability of the suspended sediment concentration pattern depending on the cross-shore location from which measurements were taken. This suspension mechanism also varied depending on the time series characteristic. There was a clear predominance of incident wave/bore as a forcing term in the surf zone, whilst the SSC measured in the swash zone showed that wave-swash interaction controls the most significant events. Finally, the importance of a wave-by-wave analysis is highlighted in this study. It was observed that despite the fact that most of the time series induce profile accretion in the mid and upper swash area, only one or two swash events are able to erode extensive parts of the beach and change the final output of the entire time record from accretion to erosion. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Ocean circulation influences nearly all aspects of the marine ecosystem. This study describes the water circulation patterns on time scales from hours to years across Torres Strait and adjacent gulfs and seas, including the north of the Great Barrier Reef. The tridimensional circulation model incorporated realistic atmospheric and oceanographic forcing, including winds, waves, tides, and large-scale regional circulation taken from global model outputs. Simulations covered a hindcast period of 8 years (i.e. 01/03/1997–31/12/2004), allowing the tidal, seasonal, and interannual flow characteristics to be investigated. Results indicated that the most energetic current patterns in Torres Strait were strongly dominated by the barotropic tide and its spring-neap cycle. However, longer-term flow through the strait was mainly controlled by prevailing winds. A dominant westward drift developed in summer over the southeasterly trade winds season, which then weakened and reversed in winter over the northwesterly monsoon winds season. The seasonal flow through Torres Strait was strongly connected to the circulation in the north of the Great Barrier Reef, but showed little connectivity with the coastal circulation in the Gulf of Papua. Interannual variability in Torres Strait was highest during the monsoon period, reflecting variability in wind forcing including the timing of the monsoon. The characteristics of the circulation were also discussed in relation to fine sediment transport. Turbidity level in Torres Strait is expected to peak at the end of the monsoon, while it is likely to be at a low at the end of the trade season, eventually leading to a critically low bottom light level which constitutes a severe risk of seagrass dieback. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Widespread seagrass dieback in central Torres Strait, Australia has been anecdotally linked to the delivery of vast quantities of terrigenous sediments from New Guinea. The composition and distribution, and sedimentological and geochemical properties, of seabed and suspended sediments in north and central Torres Strait have been determined to investigate this issue. In northern Torres Strait, next to Saibai Island, seabed sediments comprise poorly sorted, muddy, mixed calcareous–siliciclastic sand. Seabed sediments in this region are dominated by aluminosilicate (terrigenous) phases. In central Torres Strait, next to Turnagain Island, seabed and suspended sediments comprise moderately sorted coarse to medium carbonate sand. Seabed sediments in this region are dominated by carbonate and magnesium (marine) phases. Mean Cu/Al ratios for seabed sediments next to Saibai Island are 0.01, and are similar to those found in New Guinea south coastal sediments by previous workers. Mean Cu/Al ratios for seabed sediments next to Turnagain Island are 0.02, indicating an enrichment of Cu in central Torres Strait. This enrichment comes from an exogenous biogenic source, principally from foraminifers and molluscs. We could not uniquely trace terrigenous sediments from New Guinea to Turnagain Island in central Torres Strait. If sediments are a factor in the widespread seagrass dieback in central Torres Strait, then our data suggest these are marine-derived sediments sourced from resuspension and advection from the immediate shelf areas and not terrigenous sediments dispersed from New Guinea rivers. This finding is consistent with outputs from recently developed regional hydrodynamic and sediment transport models. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Strong tidal currents, shallow water, waves and mobile bed sediments present in many tidal inlets prevent deployment of instrumentation using benthic frames and restrict measurements that can be obtained safely from a boat and thus data from these environments remain scarce. Recent deployments of the new POL Instrument Package (PIP) from a jack-up barge have provided a solution to this problem. Here the performance of the various sensors on the PIP is assessed critically and the degree to which near-bed processes are affected by the PIP is investigated by comparing measured and predicted flows, bedforms and rates of sediment transport. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: A numerical approach based on the coupling of the wave propagation module SWAN (Simulating WAves Nearshore) with the three-dimensional circulation module COHERENS (COupled Hydrodynamical-Ecological model for RegioNal and Shelf seas) is developed to simulate the impact of a northerly wind-generated storm on the resuspensions of heterogeneous sediments in the Dover Strait and adjacent waters. Suspended sediment transport is computed for the four grain-size classes of silts , very fine sands , fine sands and medium sands . Predicted times histories of wave variables and the near-bottom mean current and total suspended sediment concentration (SSC) are compared with field data collected off Merlimont Beach, in the south of Boulogne-sur-Mer. Mappings of the growth of the near-bottom total SSC during the storm are produced. The total SSC increases by four at the Merlimont site. The multiplying factor reaches 40 along the exposed northern French coastline revealing the Flandres bed features. This increase is limited to five in deep waters of the southern Dover Strait with local strengthening on the top of the Vergoyer and the Bassure de Baas sandbanks. The storm modifies the granulometric composition of suspended materials by increasing the contribution of medium sands. Main modifications appear at the south-western entrance of the Dover Strait and in the exposed southern North Sea. The near-bottom resuspensions remain elsewhere dominated by the local resuspensions of fine sands added to remote resuspended silts advected by currents. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Sea level change is an important consequence of climate change due to its impact on society and ecosystems. Analyses of tide-gauge data have indicated that the global sea level has risen during the 20th century and several studies predict that the mean sea level will continue to rise during the 21st century, intensifying coastal hazards worldwide. In Portugal, the Ria de Aveiro is expected to be one of the regions most affected by sea level change. The main aim of this study is to evaluate the potential impacts of the mean sea level change on the hydrodynamics and morphodynamics of the Ria de Aveiro. With this purpose, local mean sea level change was projected for the period 2091–2100 relative to 1980–1999, for different Special Report on Emission Scenarios (SRES) scenarios developed by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). These projections revealed an increase in the mean sea level between 0.28m under scenario B1 and 0.42m under scenario A2. The results obtained for sea level rise scenario A2 projection were used to force the morphodynamic model MORSYS2D, previously implemented for the Ria de Aveiro. The modelling results were compared with model forecasts for the present sea level. The residual sediment transport and its balance at the lagoon inlet were computed and analysed for both situations. While the residual sediment transport is generally seaward, sediments tend to deposit inside the inlet due to the weak sediment transport at its mouth. The direction of the residual flux will not change with the sea level rise, but sediment fluxes will intensify, and accretion inside the inlet will increase. The rise in mean sea level will also affect the lagoon hydrodynamics. The tidal prism at the lagoon mouth will increase by about 28% in spring tide. In the lower lagoon only a slight increase of the tidal asymmetry is predicted. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Cross-shore migratory behavior of nearshore sandbars is commonly studied with nearshore bathymetric-evolution models that represent underlying processes of hydrodynamics and sediment transport. These models, however, struggle to reproduce natural cross-shore sandbar behavior on timescales of a few days to weeks and have uncertain skill on longer scales of months to years. One particular concern for the use of models on prediction timescales that far exceed the timescale of the modeled processes is the exponential accumulation of errors in the nonlinear model equations. The relation between cross-shore sandbar migration, sandbar location and wave height has previously been demonstrated to be weakly nonlinear on timescales of several days, but it is unknown how this nonlinearity affects the predictability of long-term (months to years) cross-shore sandbar behavior. Here we study the role of nonlinearity in the predictability of sandbar behavior on timescales of a few days to several months with data-driven neural network models. Our analyses are based on over 5600 daily-observed cross-shore sandbar locations and daily-averaged wave forcings from the Gold Coast, Australia, and Hasaki, Japan. We find that neural network models are able to hindcast many aspects of cross-shore sandbar behavior, such as rapid offshore migration during storms, slower onshore return during quiet periods, seasonal cycles and annual to interannual offshore-directed trends. Although the relation between sandbar migration, sandbar location and wave height is nonlinear, sandbar behavior can be hindcasted accurately over the entire lifespan of the sandbars at the Gold Coast. Contrastingly, it is difficult to hindcast the long-term offshore-directed trends in sandbar behavior at Hasaki because of exponential accumulation of errors over time. Our results further reveal that during periods with low-wave conditions it becomes increasingly difficult to predict sandbar locations, while during high waves predictions become increasingly accurate. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract Tidal sandbanks are large-scale dynamic bed forms observed in shallow shelf seas. Their plan view evolution may display a single bank breaking into two or more banks, for which two mechanisms have been proposed in the literature. However, as both were based on interpretation of observations, generic support from a process-based modelling perspective is lacking so far. Here we present a new idealised process-based model study into the transient evolution of tidal sandbanks. Key elements are the inclusion of nonlinear dynamics for topographies that vary in both horizontal directions, and the focus on long-term evolution (centuries and longer). As a further novelty, the hydrodynamic solution, satisfying the nonlinear shallow water equations including bottom friction and the Coriolis effect, is obtained from a truncated expansion in the ratio of maximum bank elevation (w.r.t. mean depth) and mean water depth. Bed evolution follows from the tidally averaged bed load sediment transport, enhanced by depth-dependent wind-wave stirring. From our model results, we identify two paths of evolution, leading to either bank-breaking or an S-shape. Which of these paths occurs depends on initial topography, with bank orientation and bank length as major control parameters. The breaking and S-shape obtained in our model results show resemblance with banks observed in the North Sea. Highlights • A process-based model for the transient evolution of tidal sandbanks is presented. • Results show pattern expansion and evolution toward bank-breaking or an S-shape. • A regime diagram shows how this evolution depends on bank length and orientation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The complex three-dimensional tidal flow measured in the vicinity of a headland-associated linear sandbank near Cape Levillain and the Levillain Shoal (Shark Bay, Western Australia) is described. The measurements included moored instruments (current meters, ADCP), shipborne ADCP transects, and drifters. Eulerian and Lagrangian current measurements provided a detailed description of the hydrodynamics. Results showed the presence of strong currents near the headland, reversal of currents veering towards the bank during the flood and ebb, and the formation of a transient eddy around the bank at slack water. Throughout the tidal cycle, secondary currents were present at the headland, with secondary flow near the seabed directed towards the headland and surface secondary flow directed away from the headland. Near the bank, near-bed secondary flows were directed towards the centre of the bank on both flanks at both the flood and ebb phases of the tide. Based on the detailed hydrodynamic data, a conceptual model for sediment transport pathways near the sandbank is proposed. The sandbank appears to be part of a sand circulation cell where the sand circulates around the bank with exchanges between the sandbank and the headland. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Linear sandbanks appear in the lee of coastal headlands where the hydrodynamics are dominated by strong tidal currents and the seabed is characterized by an abundance of sands. They may develop as symmetrical sandbanks on either sides of the headland or as an unique banner bank. The present study numerically investigates the combined effects of waves and tide on the initial development of headland-associated sandbanks. A morphological model based on the coupling of the wave propagation module SWAN (Simulating WAves Nearshore) with the three-dimensional circulation module COHERENS (COupled Hydrodynamical-Ecological model for REgioNal and Shelf seas) is applied to an idealized Gaussian shaped headland for waves conditions varying in heights and directions at the offshore boundary. The coupling considers the effects of the interactions between the wave and current bottom boundary layers, namely the enhanced levels of turbulence near the bottom and the increase of the total bottom shear stress. Waves substantially modify the initial development of sandbanks formed by suspension narrowing their width and reorienting them along the side of the headland. They weakly impact the morphogenesis of sandbanks by bedload favoring on a short-time scale the growth of symmetric circular-shaped features and a central depositional spit prolonging the headland tip. Waves of transverse directions toward the tip of the headland contribute to the initiation by suspension of a well-developed feature in the headland side of low energy limiting the seabed evolution in the exposed area. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: A forward modeling approach is proposed to simulate the preservation potential of tidal flat deposits. The preservation potential is expressed as a function of net deposition rate and a factor that represents the vertical flux of suspended load, or seabed lowering during erosion periods associated with bedload transport. The model takes into account a number of geometric parameters of a tidal flat sediment system and sediment dynamic processes. The former includes high water level, total sediment supply, the annual rate of the supply, the ratio of mud to bilk sediment in the supply, the bed slope of the tidal flat profile, as well as the slope of the stratigraphic boundary; the latter includes spring-neap cycles of tidal water level changes, boundary layer processes, resuspension of fine-grained sediments, bedload transport due to tidal currents, and bed elevation changes in response to sediment movement. Using this model, numerical experiments are carried out for a tidal flat system on the Jiangsu coast, eastern China, with the input data being derived from literature and from a series of sediment cores collected along an onshore–offshore transect. The results show that the preservation potential is highest over the upper part of the inter-tidal zone and in the lower part of the sub-tidal zone, and lowest near mean sea level and at low water on springs. The preservation potential tends to decrease with the advancement of the shoreline. The bed slope, tidal current direction and resuspension intensity influence the spatial distributions of the preservation potential. An implication of these results is that the temporal resolution of the tidal flat record depends upon the location and depth within the deposit; this should be taken into account in the interpretation of sedimentary records. Further studies are required to improve the model, on the hydrodynamic processes associated with extremely shallow water depths, sediment dynamic modeling of bed slope and profile shape, and the combined action of tides and waves for sediment transport on tidal flats. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: This work deals with analysis of hydrographic observations and results of numerical simulations. The data base includes acoustic Doppler current profilers (ADCP) observations, continuous measurements on data stations and satellite data originating from the medium resolution imaging spectrometer (MERIS) onboard the European Space Agency (ESA) satellite ENVISAT with a spatial resolution of 300m. Numerical simulations use nested models with horizontal resolutions ranging from 1km in the German Bight to 200m in the East Frisian Wadden Sea coupled with a suspended matter transport model. Modern satellite observations have now a comparable horizontal resolution with high-resolution numerical model of the entire area of the East Frisian Wadden Sea allowing to describe and validate new and so far unknown patterns of sediment distribution. The two data sets are consistent and reveal an oscillatory behaviour of sediment pools to the north of the back-barrier basins and clear propagation patterns of tidally driven suspended particulate matter outflow into the North Sea. The good agreement between observations and simulations is convincing evidence that the model simulates the basic dynamics and sediment transport processes, which motivates its further use in hindcasting, as well as in the initial steps towards forecasting circulation and sediment dynamics in the coastal zone. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

An approach to the interpretation of the Holocene highstand depositional systems and the influence of shelf circulation patterns on sediment dispersal in the northern Gulf of Cadiz shelf (SW Iberian Peninsula) is reported. The study area comprises the transition from the southern Portuguese shelf, lacking major fluvial input, to the Guadiana and Guadalquivir shelves, receiving sediments from fluvial sources. An integrated study using high-resolution seismic profiles and meteorological and physical oceanography data was undertaken to reach the proposed goals.A lateral transition of shelf environments is evidenced during the most recent sea-level highstand period. The Portuguese shelf can be considered as a moderate to high-energy environment, where the dominance of storm events led to the construction of a significant infralittoral prograding wedge, as a consequence of normal incidence of storm waves and steep shelf profile. The Guadiana shelf shows a distinct partition of depositional systems, as a result of a moderate fluvial supply and significant reworking wave and current activity over morpho-structural highs. Proximal facies are attributed to poorly developed prodeltas, whereas distal facies are interpreted as muddy belts. The Guadalquivir shelf is a fluvially dominated environment, as the most prominent feature is a thick, widespread prodelta whose formation has been controlled by significant fluvial supply, moderate hydrodynamic regime and smooth shelf topography.The comparison between sediment transport patterns evidenced in geophysical records and shelf circulation patterns enables us to propose a model for the sediment dispersal during the Holocene highstand period. Sediment dispersal is controlled by an intermittent counter current system, which seems to be intimately linked with the wind regime. Eastward dispersal on the middle to outer shelf is led by the general anticyclonic circulation, dominant under the influence of westerly winds. Westward dispersal occurs in the inshore zones, mainly led by the entrance of warm water tongues on the shelf under the action of easterly winds. These two opposing patterns of sediment dispersal are bounded by zones of current shear (Huelva Front and Strafford Shear). [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Tidal asymmetry is a phenomenon that characterises estuarine hydrodynamics and has a strong impact on sediment dynamics. Extensive research has been dedicated to studying tidal dynamics in semidiurnal macrotidal estuaries, highlighting several general principles. The ratio of flood to ebb peak velocities and differences in ebb and flood durations are often used to characterise the asymmetry encountered in estuaries. In the Charente estuary (French Atlantic coast), water surface elevation data obtained using an ADCP (Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler) and a tide gauge show that the duration asymmetry undergoes inversions during the spring-neap tidal cycle. A two-dimensional hydrodynamics model is used to investigate the connection between spring-neap inversions of the tidal asymmetry and the harmonic composition of the tide. Different constituents (M2, S2, M4 and MS4) are considered at the open boundary. The results show that M4 and MS4 play a key role in the occurrence of these inversions. The influence of the morphology is also discussed and modifications of the bathymetry are performed to evaluate its impact. In the Charente estuary, the existence of both externally and internally generated overtides thus results in a spatially and fortnightly variable tidal asymmetry. The modelled barotropic tidal currents are used to estimate the possible impact on sediment dynamics. The results suggest that asymmetry inversions tend to create sediment accumulation in an intermediate zone between the river mouth and Rochefort, located approximately 20 km upstream. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: In past decades, the turbidity in Singapore's coastal waters has been increased. This has led to reduced visibility and increased siltation rates, detrimental for the coral reefs and other sensitive ecosystems around Singapore. The reasons for this increased turbidity are poorly known because little quantitative information exists on sediment dynamics around Singapore, on changes in sediment sources, and on the physical environment. Therefore we set out to quantify the effect of fluvial contributions on changes in sediment dynamics, using a combination of numerical models, satellite images, and hydrodynamic and sedimentary data. Results indicate that the main fluvial source enters an ebb-dominant estuary, with sediment export primarily balanced by settling/scour lags rather than estuarine circulation. A large part of the sediment load enters the Singapore Strait, where the large-scale marine currents effectively transport most sediment towards the coral reefs. However, mixing with marine water masses in both the estuary and the adjacent Singapore Strait sufficiently dilutes this fluvial sediment source to have a negligible impact on Singapore's coral reefs. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Tidal flats with limited vegetation provide valuable opportunities to investigate the linkages of hydrodynamics and sediment dynamics. A mudflat in southern Willapa Bay and a sandflat in Skagit Bay (both Washington state, USA) are characterized by processes with many similarities, but some differences. In particular, one imports mud and the other exports mud. Classic intertidal mechanisms (e.g., flood/ebb asymmetry, settling/scour lags) cause net landward transport onto the southern Willapa tidal flat, and the details of the interlinked processes are complex. Meandering channels with dendritic planform are the circulatory system for this site, and are entrenched in cohesive clayey silt. Tidal range and wind/wave conditions are similar in the two areas, but the direct discharges of fluvial freshwater and sediment are much greater for Skagit Bay. When coupled with the other processes operating there, mud export from the Skagit tidal flat is the net result. Braided channels dominate the Skagit site, and migrate freely through non-cohesive fine sand. An integrated summary is presented here for a multi-investigator study of these two areas, and the detailed results are described by the papers that follow. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: This model is based on the concept of transport concentration, defined as the time-averaged concentration in a given location of a lagoon, which determines the long-term net transport of sediments as the sum of a dispersive and an advective flux. Dispersive net flux of sediments is due to the alternate components of the tidal flow, while the advective net flux of sediments is due to the residual (Eulerian) component of the tidal, fluvial and littoral flow and possibly to the asymmetry between flow and ebb tide. The long-term deposition (or erosion) rate in a given location is expressed as proportional to the difference between the local transport concentration and the local equilibrium concentration, depending in turn on the local stirring action by waves and currents. The two-dimensional model is able to reproduce the ontogeny of a tidal lagoon as a consequence of a breaching of the littoral dune line. During the ontogenetic phase, the system tends rapidly toward a quasi-equilibrium condition apparently characterized by a stable planimetric configuration of the channel network. The structure of the channels and their watersheds is qualitatively similar to the Venice Lagoon''s ones. After the relatively fast ontogenetic phase, the subsequent morphological evolution of the bottom continues at a slower pace until a stable bathymetric configuration of the lagoon is reached. The model is able to reproduce the morphological effects of subsequent perturbations of natural or anthropogenic origin. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Experimental and field studies were carried out to quantify the hydrodynamic mobility under swells of a circalittoral epifauna species. The spatial distribution and structure of one population (NW Mediterranean) of the serpulid polychaete Ditrupa arietina was assessed before and after a moderate swell event in late winter 2006 with the two readings separated by a seven-week interval. The overall density in the bay did not change significantly. However, in certain locations, significant but heterogeneous changes occurred: at some stations, D. arietina disappeared, at others it appeared with high densities while at others, densities remained fairly constant, although in this third case, the population size structure was different. In addition, no trend was observed along a cross-shore gradient. Experimental studies were conducted to determine bed friction velocity thresholds for incipient motion, bed load transport and suspension transport for different sizes of D. arietina. The minimum friction velocity required to transport D. arietina as bed load over a smooth rigid bed ranged from 1.5 to for tube lengths ranging from 6 to 25mm. Thus, calcified worms (more than 6mm long) cannot be destabilized by ordinary currents. Conversely, during the moderate swell event, the maximum bed friction was large enough to mobilize D. arietina, making probably all sizes available for bed load transport, while only worms with a tube length of less than 12mm were transported in suspension at 27m water depth. Wave statistics in Banyuls Bay indicate that D. arietina transport under moderate swell events should not be a rare phenomenon (28 days per year at 20m water depth). Thus, the spatial scale for population dynamics studies should account for the extent of D. arietina spatial redistribution by the hydrodynamics. It is also recommended D. arietina be discarded from biotic quality index computations as this species is sensitive to natural hydrodynamic conditions. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Laboratory data of free surface elevation and fluid velocities (cross-shore and vertical velocities) were obtained using a laser-Doppler velocimeter (LDV) for the case of a periodic wave plunging over an impermeable, steep (1:10) slope with a fixed bottom roughness (nominal diameter=2.2mm). The measurements were conducted over 14 cross-shore locations from the outer surf zone to the swash zone with approximately 10 vertical points at each location. The vertical resolution included measurements in the bottom boundary layer and some points above the trough level. Various hydrodynamic quantities, including ensemble-averaged turbulent kinetic energy (TKE) (〈k〉) and turbulence intensity (〈u′2〉 and 〈w′2〉), were estimated to better understand inner surf and swash zone hydrodynamics induced by strongly plunging waves. In the outer region of the bottom boundary layer, the ratio of the time-averaged horizontal turbulence intensity to the time-averaged vertical turbulence intensity agreed well with the case of plane wake turbulence . The average ratio near the bottom was larger which is closer to flows typified by the inner region of a boundary layer . In the surf zone, the ensemble-averaged horizontal fluid velocity (〈u〉) near the bottom leads in phase compared to 〈u〉 in the upper layer, and 〈u〉 at the bore front exceeds the theoretical wave celerity. At the impinge point, a strong return flow occurred which was greater in magnitude than the onshore directed velocity . In the surf zone, 〈k〉 was largest just below trough level with a forward shift in phase of the peak intensity. The turbulence energy was mostly dissipated after the passage of the crest at this location. 〈u〉 near the bottom was leading in phase with a sharp vertical gradient in 〈u〉 indicating that boundary layer processes may have been important. In the swash zone, the vertical gradient of 〈u〉 was relatively small compared to the vertical gradient of 〈u〉 in the surf zone and may be due to the effect that the strong downrush had on turbulent mixing. Finally, the time-averaged estimate of TKE was vertically uniform over the inner surf and swash zone. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]