Laboratory experiments on low-crested breakwaters

New unique laboratory experiments on low-crested structures (LCSs) have been performed within the DELOS project. The experiments were carried out in three European laboratories aiming at extending and completing existing available information with respect to a wide range of engineering design properties such as structural stability, wave and current flows and wave transmission. 3D wave basin tests were performed to provide information especially about the wave obliquity, where almost no research has been done before. Flow velocities inside and close to the surface of structures were studied in a wave channel at small scale, and scale effects regarding wave transmission and reflection were studied in a wave channel at a large scale facility. The paper describes the experiments and associated databank with respect to objectives, test program, set-ups and measurements. Results, guidelines and recommendations elaborated from the tests are included in the other companion papers of the Coastal Engineering Special Issue on DELOS.     

Low-crested coastal defence structures as artificial habitats for marine life: Using ecological criteria in design

Coastal defence structures to protect sedimentary coastlines from erosion and flooding are increasingly common throughout Europe. They will become more widespread over the next 10–30 years in response to rising and stormier seas and accelerating economic development of the coastal zone. Building coastal defences results in the loss and fragmentation of sedimentary habitats and their replacement by artificial rocky habitats that become colonised by algae and marine animals. The engineering design and construction of these structures have received considerable attention. However, the ecological consequences of coastal defences have been less extensively investigated. Furthermore, due to their rapid proliferation, there is a growing need to understand the role of these man-made habitats in the coastal ecosystems in order to implement impact minimisation and/or mitigation measures.As part of the DELOS project, targeted studies were carried out throughout Europe to assess the ecological similarity of low-crested coastal defence structures (LCS) to natural rocky shores and to investigate the influence of LCS design features on the colonising marine epibiota. LCSs can be considered as a relatively poor surrogate of natural rocky shores. Epibiotic communities were qualitatively similar to those on natural rocky shores as both habitats are regulated by the same physical and biological factors. However, there were quantitative differences in the diversity and abundance of epibiota on artificial structures. Typically, epibiotic assemblages were less diverse than rocky shore communities. Also, LCSs offered less structurally complex habitats for colonisation and in some locations experienced higher disturbance than natural shores. We propose several criteria that can be integrated into the design and construction of LCSs to minimise ecological impacts and allow targeted management of diversity and natural living resources.     

Environmental design of coastal defence in Lido di Dante,Italy

The aim of the paper is to present an integrated design of a coastal defence, by applying the knowledge gained within DELOS (EVK3-CT-2000-00041, www.delos.unibo.it) to an existing prototype case. For such purposes, Lido di Dante (Ravenna, Italy) was selected, being a well-documented site that suffers from severe erosion.The design method proposed follows the Design Guidelines for low-crested structures delivered by DELOS. After a preliminary analysis of the environmental context and constraints, different design alternatives were proposed and then modelled with the 2DH model suite MIKE 21 for representative hydrodynamics and meteorological conditions. Engineering, ecological and social effects of each alternative are then assessed, based on the results of numerical simulations and experience in the area. A global judgement of the alternatives is given including consideration of both construction and maintenance costs. The preferred scheme is then optimised through more detailed design and verified by numerical modelling. The need for such an integrated approach is finally discussed including limitations.     

沙坝海岸沿岸流速度剖面特征研究

通过对两个坡度沙坝地形沿岸流实验测量和基于能量方程的沿岸流数值模拟,研究了沙坝海岸平均沿岸流速度剖面的双峰剖面特征,重点分析了第二个峰值的特征和两峰值的比值。综合考虑入射波高、入射波类型和坡度对波生沿岸流垂直岸线速度剖面的影响。结果表明,平均沿岸流速度剖面出现双峰剖面特征:第一峰值发生在沙坝向岸侧面的中部,第二个峰值发生在靠近岸线处;同一坡度情况两个峰值的位置和比值,不受入射波类型、入射波高的影响。数值模型中包括了侧混、底摩擦和水滚等因素,其数值模拟结果和实验值拟合较好,并讨论了有无侧混和水滚对速度剖面的影响。     

Transmission of obliquely incident waves at low-crested breakwaters: Theoretical interpretations of experimental observations

The paper presents a series of analytical and numerical investigations of oblique wave transmission at low-crested breakwaters. For a smooth breakwater, two important features of wave height and direction are analyzed to establish the generic nature of the wave transmission process at oblique incidence. The proposed framework of research is validated against laboratory data from the EU-sponsored project, DELOS. The numerical simulations exhibit a significant decrease of the transmission coefficient with increasingly oblique incidence at a smooth breakwater. The roles of wave-breaking, nonlinearity, wave-induced currents and set-up in determining the characteristics of oblique wave transmission are demonstrated in the paper. It is found that both the amplitude-dependent phase velocity and the decrease of mean wave period contribute to the change of mean wave direction on the transmission side. An attempt has also been made to qualitatively explain the different behaviour of oblique wave transmission at a rubble-mound breakwater.     

Assessing the response of sandy-beach macrobenthos to recreation and the ecological status of the beach ecosystem at Liandao,China

Sandy beaches, prime recreational assets that attract more people than other types of shorelines, are the main assets underpinning many coastal economies and developments. However, the intense stressors to the ecology of sandy beaches caused by recreational activities are generally underestimated or ignored. This study was the first to emphasize the ecological characteristics of recreational beaches in China and assess the response of macrobenthos at Liandao Beach, a typical sandy beach in the central part of China. Using the Before/During/After/Control/Impact (BDACI) method, differences in multiple variables (species richness, mean density, diversity) between a heavily recreationally impacted transect (TrH/Impact) and a less-impacted transect (TrL/Control) in different impact periods (Before, During & After) were applied to assess the response of sandy-beach macrobenthos to recreation and tourism. Meanwhile, a comparison between the macrobenthos conditions of the studied beach and reference conditions calculating from historical data of similar beaches with little recreation and tourism disturbances was carried out. Furthermore, the quality control chart approach was used to detect in detail the macrobenthos stable state and yearly response to recreational activities. The results showed that recreation and tourism posed a serious threat to the beach ecosystem; macrobenthos on the studied beach were seriously disturbed by recreational activities, and their variations were highly negatively related to the human recreational level. After monthly recreational impacts, the macrobenthos decreased sharply and recovered with difficulty during 1 year. Over the long-term, the macrobenthos had a sharp decreasing trend, which indicated that the ecological environment of the beach was highly disturbed. Conservation measures for recreational beaches are very challenging because of the economic value and popularity of sandy beaches as recreational sites. However, practicable conservation measures could be implemented that prevent or slow ecological degradation. A number of management and conservation suggestions are put forward, such as the establishment of the ecological carrying capacity of Liandao Beach in terms of direct recreational use, creation of themed exhibitions related to the beach macrobenthos and beach ecosystem and dissemination of this knowledge to visitors, implementation of spatial zoning of beach use, visitor management and environmental education.     

A review of sediment dynamical processes in the west coast of Korea,eastern Yellow Sea

Sediment dynamical processes began to be systematically monitored in the west coast of Korea facing the eastern Yellow Sea in the 1990s. The early investigations were largely conducted aboard vessels that provided results where the resolution was highly restricted in both temporal and spatial aspects. However, full-fledged autonomous instruments introduced early in the 2000s allowed for a quantum leap in the level of this sub-field of sedimentology. The investigated sites include various environments such as estuaries, bays, tidal flats, beaches, and offshore deposits. Among them, a total of seven sites were selected for the review: Han estuary, Daeho tidal flats, Garolim Bay, Saemangeum Region, Byunsan Beach, Gomso Bay, and Huksan Mud Belt. The major results from each site were briefly summarized. The summary clearly demonstrates that wind-generated currents and waves particularly during winter should be carefully considered in interpreting sedimentary environments. This is because winter-season processes interrupt or actively displace much of the sediments worked by tidal currents in the remaining seasons. The summary hence suggests that seasonal investigations of sediment dynamics are necessary to understand shallow-water sedimentation in the west coast of Korea that is governed complicatedly by two major forcing agents: waves and tidal currents.     

Modelling of waves and currents around submerged breakwaters

Recent experimental data collected during the DELOS project are used to validate two approaches for simulating waves and currents in the vicinity of submerged breakwaters.The first approach is a phase-averaged method in which a wave model is used to simulate wave transformation and calculate radiation stresses, while a flow model (2-dimensional depth averaged or quasi-3D) is used to calculate the resulting wave driven currents. The second approach is a phase resolving method in which a high order 2DH-Boussinesq-type model is used to calculate the waves and flow.The models predict wave heights that are comparable to measurements if the wave breaking sub-model is properly tuned for dissipation over the submerged breakwater. It is shown that the simulated flow pattern using both approaches is qualitatively similar to that observed in the experiments. Furthermore, the phase-resolving model shows good agreement between measured and simulated instantaneous surface elevations in wave flume tests.     

Responses of talitrid amphipods to a gradient of recreational pressure caused by beach urbanization

Demands for public outdoor recreation and urbanization are a potential source of environmental disturbances, particularly on sandy beaches. These habitats have therefore experienced rapid degradation worldwide. Talitrid amphipods, which are common inhabitants of sandy beaches, are probably good indicators of such disturbances. In this study, we evaluated the responses of the two amphipods Talitrus saltator and Atlantorchestoidea brasiliensis to human pressure on Spanish and a Brazilian beach, hypothesizing that disregarding species differences, their population sizes will decline under urbanized conditions. The Barra da Tijuca (Brazil) and Levante (Spain) beaches have mixed landscapes with varying levels of development, and each has a protected area (MPA) adjacent to urbanized sites. Numbers of talitrids as well as visitors were compared among sites on each beach. Talitrids were most abundant at the protected sites. This was true of both beaches, even though temporal patterns of human activity were quite different, with Levante experiencing sharp declines in the number of visitors during its harsh winter. Urbanized sites did not experience high Talitrid densities even during a period of low human pressure. On this basis, T. saltator and A. brasiliensis were considered good indicators of urbanization and recreational activities on sandy beaches. MPAs were found to be very important for the successful conservation of the talitrid populations. A feasible method of managing human pressure and thereby conserving beach biodiversity therefore seems to be the establishment of beach MPAs.     

基于拉格朗日拟序结构的黑潮区域海流运输结构提取和分析

海流的拉格朗日运动对于研究物质输送有着重要意义，拉格朗日拟序结构(LCSs)作为研究海流结构的新型方法，相比于传统欧拉方法更为客观。本文提出了一种新的计算LCSs束的方法，基于25年的平均速度场，利用变分方法计算得到黑潮区域的气候态LCSs，并通过简化合并的方法得到了气候态LCSs束，该LCSs束能够突出地显示出海流特性和运输模式，其代表的平均拉格朗日环流有很强的约束作用，且具有鲁棒性。最终我们获得了气候态下12个月份的流场结构图，揭示了月周期性拉格朗日环流规律。本文还利用虚拟粒子输运、多年浮标轨迹以及气候态温盐异常3种方法进行了验证，与拉格朗日运输模式相吻合，证明了海流拉格朗日拟序结构的准确性和可靠性。     

The effects of storms and storm-generated currents on sand beaches in Southern Maine, USA

Storms are one of the most important controls on the cycle of erosion and accretion on beaches. Current meters placed in shoreface locations of Saco Bay and Wells Embayment, ME, recorded bottom currents during the winter months of 2000 and 2001, while teams of volunteers profiled the topography of nearby beaches. Coupling offshore meteorological and beach profile data made it possible to determine the response of nine beaches in southern Maine to various oceanographic and meteorological conditions. The beaches selected for profiling ranged from pristine to completely developed and permitted further examination of the role of seawalls on the response of beaches to storms.

Current meters documented three unique types of storms: frontal passages, southwest storms, and northeast storms. In general, the current meter results indicate that frontal passages and southwest storms were responsible for bringing sediment towards the shore, while northeast storms resulted in a net movement of sediment away from the beach. During the 1999–2000 winter, there were a greater percentage of frontal passages and southwest storms, while during the 2000–2001 winter, there were more northeast storms. The sediment that was transported landward during the 1999–2000 winter was reworked into the berm along moderately and highly developed beaches during the next summer.

A northeast storm on March 5–6, 2001, resulted in currents in excess of 1 m s⁻¹ and wave heights that reached six meters. The storm persisted over 10 high tides and caused coastal flooding and property damage. Topographic profiles made before and after the storm demonstrate that developed beaches experienced a loss of sediment volume during the storm, while sediment was redistributed along the profile on moderately developed and undeveloped beaches. Two months after the storm, the profiles along the developed beaches had not reached their pre-storm elevation. In comparison, the moderately developed and undeveloped beaches reached and exceeded their pre-storm elevation and began to show berm buildup characteristic of the summer months.     

Geological control of beach morphodynamic state

The concept of beach morphodynamic states has achieved widespread acceptance in the coastal geological literature since its inception in the mid-1980s and expansion in the 1990s. Much of the pioneering work was undertaken in Australia under a range of environmental conditions in microtidal environments and a close empirical relationship between beach 3-dimensional morphology and the Dean's parameter (H_b/W_sT) was established. Subsequently, the Relative Tidal Range parameter (H_b/TR) was extended to beaches of all tidal ranges.In this paper, observations are presented from 25 beaches around the north coast of Ireland. These beaches exist on an environmental gradient that encompasses marked tidal and wave energy variability (micro to macrotidal and low to high wave energy). Each beach was visually categorised into one of several established beach states described in the literature, on the basis of field observations. For each beach, the RTR and Dean's parameter were calculated for the immediately antecedent period and used to predict the beach state using published relationships. Observed and predicted beach states were then compared.Comparison of observed and predicted beach states showed that while beaches with observed dissipative morphology typically matched the expected criteria, most other beach states did not. Lack of agreement between predicted and observed beach states has been reported elsewhere and attributed to failings in the RTR and Dean's parameter. In addition, this study identifies geological factors as important constraints on actual beach state. In the majority of beaches studied, inherited geological factors appear to be more important determinants of beach morphology than contemporary dynamics.     

Meiobenthic diversity in space and time: The case of harpacticoid copepods in two Mediterranean microtidal sandy beaches

Meiobenthic data from two microtidal sandy beaches of the eastern Mediterranean (Crete, Greece) were used to investigate patterns of both alpha and beta diversity in space and time. Copepod assemblages and environmental variables related to sediment characteristics, morphodynamics and food were studied over a year at four distinct habitats at each beach; the retention, resurgence and saturation zones of Salvat's intertidal scheme (midlittoral zone), and the surf zone of the sublittoral. Αlpha diversity analysis indicated similar species richness at both beaches when the whole 13-month data set was considered but was higher at the sheltered site when each sampling period was examined separately. Both beaches supported higher diversity in the sublittoral zone. Species richness increased seawards at the midlittoral zone of the sheltered site whereas, no pattern was evident at the exposed site, where the intense hydrodynamic conditions homogenized the sediments. Beta diversity increased markedly towards the sublittoral, indicating greater differences in alpha diversity between the sublittoral and the midlittoral zone. Species turnover was more variable at the exposed beach and at the most landward stations, where environmental conditions change often between extremes. A proportion of the variation in alpha diversity was explained by food availability at both beaches and additionally by grain size at the sheltered site. However, no environmental variable explained beta diversity patterns. Although the results of our study support the hypothesis of Multicausal Environmental Severity proposed for sandy beach macrofauna, we believe the classic Intermediate Disturbance Hypothesis is a more appropriate framework for the meiofauna communities of the studied sites.     

An ecological perspective on the deployment and design of low-crested and other hard coastal defence structures

Coastal areas play a crucial role in the economical, social and political development of most countries; they support diverse and productive coastal ecosystems that provide valuable goods and services. Globally flooding and coastal erosion represent serious threats along many coastlines, and will become more serious as a consequence of human-induced changes and accelerated sea-level rise. Over the past century, hard coastal defence structures have become ubiquitous features of coastal landscapes as a response to these threats. The proliferation of defence works can affect over half of the shoreline in some regions and results in dramatic changes to the coastal environment. Surprisingly little attention has been paid to the ecological consequences of coastal defence. Results from the DELOS (Environmental Design of Low Crested Coastal Defence Structures, EVK3-CT-2000-00041) project indicate that the construction of coastal defence structures will affect coastal ecosystems. The consequences can be seen on a local scale, as disruption of surrounding soft-bottom environments and introduction of new artificial hard-bottom habitats, with consequent changes to the native assemblages of the areas. Proliferation of coastal defence structures can also have critical impacts on regional species diversity, removing isolating barriers, favouring the spread of non-native species and increasing habitat heterogeneity. Knowledge of the environmental context in which coastal defence structures are placed is fundamental to an effective management of these structures as, while there are some general consequences of such construction, many effects are site specific. Advice is provided to meet specific management goals, which include mitigating specific impacts on the environment, such as minimising changes to surrounding sediments, spread of exotic species or growth of nuisance species, and/or enhancing specific natural resources, for example enhancing fish recruitment or promoting diverse assemblages for eco-tourism. The DELOS project points out that the downstream effects of defence structures on coastal processes and regional-scale impacts on biodiversity necessitate planning and management at a regional (large coastline) scale. To effectively understand and manage coastal defences, environmental management goals must be clearly stated and incorporated into the planning, construction, and monitoring stages.     

Bayside beach dynamics: Implications for simulation modeling on eroding sheltered tidal beaches

The purpose of this paper is to compare the differences between oceanside and bayside beaches. Field data on twelve beach process and response variables were gathered from February 1972 to April 1973 on four sample beaches at Sandy Hook Spit, New Jersey. Linear correlation is used to identify the most influential process variables and determine how the interrelationships among variables differ on each beach. The analysis confirms the importance of breaker height, wave steepness and wind direction on beach response. The correlation of beach processes with their associated responses are higher on the oceanside than on the bayside beaches, indicating that local, non-storm waves may be relatively insignificant in effecting substantial beach modification.Despite the greater magnitude of processes and beach change on the oceanside sites, erosion was more persistent on the bayside during the period of study. The frequent occurrence of short, steep erosional waves on the bayside prevented onshore movement of sediment between storms, resulting in a permanent loss of material from the beach face and dune. On the oceanside, long, low, depositional waves occurring between storms replenished most of the material carried away during the storm. This fresh beach material acted as a buffer against the erosion of the dunes during the following storm.The dominant bay waves are locally generated and may therefore be simulated using meteorological variables. However, the low wave energies on the bayside sites result in an increase in the relative importance of tidal currents, wind-induced currents, and refracted ocean swell. These factors complicate the application of simplified wave process—beach response models to the study of beaches exposed to these effects.     

利用卫星测高、GRACE和GOCE资料估计全球海洋表面地转流

重力恢复和气候试验GRACE(gravity recovery and climate experiment)卫星极大地提高了地球重力场的精度和分辨率,特别是中长波分量,联合卫星测高数据可获得全球海洋表面大尺度洋流循环。另外,新一代地球重力和海洋环流探测卫星GOCE(gravity field and steady-state ocean circulation explorer)于2009年3月成功发射,采用卫星重力梯度测量原理,对重力场的高频部分非常敏感,使其高分辨率监测全球海洋循环成为可能。本文利用1~7年GRACE观测数据确定的重力场模型和18个月GOCE观测数据确定的地球重力场模型GO_CONS_GCF_2_TIM_R3,联合卫星测高确定的平均海面高模型MSS_CNES_CLS_11,分别估计全球海洋表面地转流,并且与实测浮标数据结果进行比较。分析表明GOCE重力卫星确定的重力场模型具有更高的空间分辨率,能够确定高精度和高空间分辨率的全球海洋地转流,如墨西哥湾暖流的细节和特征,并且与实测浮标结果基本一致。而基于1~4年GRACE观测资料的模型不能很好估计全球地转流特征,基于7年GRACE观测资料的重力场模型ITG-Grace2010s确定的全球地转流的精度仍低于18个月GOCE观测数据确定的地球重力场模型GO_CONS_GCF_2_TIM_R3的结果,估计的全球地转流仍含有较大的噪声,不能很好地反应中小尺度地转流细节特征。并计算ITG_Grace2010s和GOCE_TIM3的稳态海面地形和全球平均地转流的内符合精度,结果显示,在全球范围内,GOCE_TIM3的稳态海面地形和全球平均地转流的精度都比ITG_Grace2010s结果的精度有着很大的改善,其中ITG_Grace2010s的稳态海面地形的精度为21.6cm,而GOCE_TIM3的结果则为7.45cm,ITG_Grace2010s的全球平均地转流的精度为40.7cm/s,而GOCE_TIM3的结果则为19.6cm/s。     

华南休闲海滩沙坝触发的裂流风险及特征研究

为应对频发的致命性海滩溺水事故，自然资源部开展了我国首次滨海旅游区裂流灾害技术调查，在华南地区发现大量滨海休闲海滩存在浅滩沙坝和裂流现象。作为全国调查的部分成果，本文应用多种方法研究了广东省3个热门海滩沙坝触发的裂流机理、特征和演变规律。地形动力计算和卫星影像显示了沙坝形态、岸线形状以及裂流的高度动态性，尤其在青澳湾裂流呈现非常规的反季节变化，冬季风险较高而夏季风险较低。在相位解析水动力数值模拟中，裂流表现出对沙坝形态、浪高、浪向的高度敏感性。沙坝间较宽间隙会产生尺寸较大的裂流区，但比起窄沟槽不一定伴随更强的流速。当大部分水流集中从邻近的较宽通道回流入海时，部分窄沟槽几乎没有裂流产生。裂流流速与浪高成正比与入射角成反比。数值模拟结果表明，当入射角达到10°～30°时，沿岸流会取代离岸流占主导地位。现场调查也验证了在低潮时，较浅的水深会放大水流和波浪的地形效应，导致裂流风险加剧。本文研究结果可为滨海旅游区裂流灾害的工程减缓措施和公共警示提供有益参考。未来将会持续开展针对特定岸线的长期观测，以为裂流预警报和风险管控积累足够的统计数据。