Planview Geometry and morphological characteristics of pocket beaches on the Catalan coast (Spain)

Coastal planform studies are a relevant initial stage before launching detailed dynamic field experiments. The aim of this study is to define the planform characteristics of 72 Catalan pocket beaches, natural and man-made, and to determine their sheltering effect, embaymentization and their status of equilibrium. Planform measurements were performed on SIGPAC, 1:5000 orthophoto sets and wave climate was provided by Puertos del Estado (Wana model). Planform parameters were applied and coastal planview indexes were determined.The study shows that the Catalan pocket beaches display a wide range of indentation, suggesting that no single structural, tectonic or morphological control dominates their planform. The man-made pocket beaches typically display indentations which are smaller than those shown by natural pocket beaches. Headland spacing and beach area are positively correlated. The more indented bays are, the shorter their beaches become. Low-indented pocket beaches are the widest and the longest ones.Deep indentation contributes towards beach protection and energy dissipation which counteracts rip efficiency and inhibits the formation of mega-rips. Pocket beaches often show gradual and moderate alongshore changes in texture and beach morphology. One third of the Catalan pocket beaches are “sediment starved”, i.e., 60% and more of their embayed shorelines are deprived of beach sediments. Examination of the status of equilibrium demonstrates that most of the Catalan pocket beaches are in an unstable mode, with indentation ratios that are unrelated to the wave obliquity.     

砂质海滩地形动力分类研究进展

海滩状态是一个地形与水动力相互作用的三维地形动力问题.国外对海滩状态的地形动力分类已开展了大量卓有成效的研究工作,既包括波控、小潮、开阔海岸海滩状态的研究,也包括波控、不同潮差海岸海滩类型的研究和岬间海岸海滩类型的研究.文中回顾并概括了自20世纪70年代至今国外在砂质海滩地形动力分类方面代表性的研究工作,这些对于我国的...     

Cyclic and Seasonal Beach Response: A Comparison of Oceanside and Bayside Beaches

This study compares the cyclic and seasonal geomorphic responses of oceanside and bayside beaches on Sandy Hook Spit, New Jersey. It was hypothesized that the different nature of onshore wind regimes at bayside and oceanside beaches would cause different types of beach change. On the east-facing ocean shoreline, rates of beach change are related to weather patterns associated with the passage of mid-latitude cyclonic storms. Bayside beach change is related to the influence of the prevailing westerlies. Storm erosion and post-storm deposition is more rapid on oceanside beaches. Swell waves occurring between storms rapidly reinstate pre-storm equilibrium conditions. Lower bay-side wave energies occurring between storms have little effect on profile development, and foreshore slopes inherited from previous storms undergo little change. Bayside beaches therefore appear to be more in equilibrium with storm conditions than oceanside beaches.

Changes in foreshore slope, beach volume, and beach position associated with individual storm events are compared to seasonal trends to test the applicability of the Hayes cyclic model of beach development to both oceanside and bayside beaches. There is evidence of a cyclic trend of develop-ment on the more exposed ocean sites and seasonal development on the more sheltered bayside sites, which suggests that cyclic development may be causally related to the difference among the energy levels of the storm and nonstorm wave regimes.     

雷州半岛灯楼角沙岬的形成

沙岬(沙嘴)是一种海岸动力地貌类型。通过区域地貌背景、海底地貌-浅地层、海洋动力条件、相关的海岸沙坝和现代海滩的分析,认为灯楼角沙岬是来自琼州海峡的东向波浪和来自北部湾的西向波浪两种相向波浪动力平衡、灯楼角东沿岸存在逆时针环流和灯楼角西沿岸存在顺时针环流两者于此辐合,并把带来的砂子沉积下来的结果。     

Differences in vegetation characteristics with shoreline position on a tropical pocket beach

ABSTRACT

Composition and richness of coastal vegetation differs with distance from the water and sheltering by topography. Transition from pioneer beach plants to mature forests is expected to be narrow on low wave energy coasts with a tropical climate favorable to vegetation growth. The goal of this paper is to determine whether vegetation on the beach and foredune will be denser and have a greater number of species and more woody shrubs near the water as wave and wind stresses diminish because of favorable shoreline orientation within a pocket beach. Field data on beach width, beach mobility, dune height, vegetation species, vegetation height and percent vegetation cover were collected in Puerto Rico along six cross-shore transects. Beaches are more stable at transects in the lee of an eolianite barrier and a tombolo. The vegetation gradient there is compressed, with denser, taller, more diverse vegetation and more tree species close to the waterline than at more exposed sites. The lack of mobility of the beaches and dunes and lack of geomorphically significant disturbance events is in contrast to the conspicuous feedbacks between overwash, topography, and vegetation on exposed mid-latitude coasts, revealing the need for more study of low-energy beach environments.     

An Innovative Method of Model Integration to Forecast Spatial Patterns of Shoreline Change: A Case Study of Nags Head,North Carolina*

Many coastal erosion models are designed to be used at transects or discrete points but they produce valid results only for locations that meet a set of well-defined criteria. Results obtained from these models are difficult to generalize, since adjoining areas may not meet these requirements. In this paper, a GIS-based methodology is described for combining the results from two two-dimensional coastal erosion models and a three-dimensional static inundation model to forecast the possible response of a coastline to several alternative sea level rise scenarios. These shoreline forecasts are unique in that they integrate results obtained from several different models and allow graphical representations of these alternative future shorelines to be produced. Coastal planners may use these integrated shoreline forecasts to assess the possible impact of sea level rise on a given region. To demonstrate this methodology a case study was conducted for Nags Head, North Carolina.     

SHORELINE CHANGE AT THOMPSON ISLAND,BOSTON HARBOR,MASSACHUSETTS, 1938-1977

A photogrammetric and sediment analysis is presented to illustrate the relationship between beach erosion and seacliff recession on Thompson Island, Boston Harbor, Massachusetts. Aerial photographs taken in 1938, 1952, 1963, and 1977 were measured to determine rates of shoreline change around the island. The 39-year average rate of beach erosion is 0.3 m/yr ± 2% with an average rate of cliff recession at 0.2 m/yr ± 2%. Rates of beach erosion between six orientations that reflect principal wave approach to the island were not found to be significantly different (0.05) for the 39-year period. The rank order correlation between beach erosion and cliff recession for these six orientations was moderately well correlated (0.63). To determine possible controls of cliff erosion, 58 sediment samples were collected from glacial cliffs along the shoreline. The textural composition was determined, and then tested with discriminant function analysis. Partial correlation analysis between beach erosion and cliff recession holding a surrogate for sediment size constant improved the rank order from 0.63 to 0.84. The results indicate that coarser-grained cliffs recede at faster rates, but with less erosion occurring on adjacent beaches. Alternatively, finer-grained cliffs recede at slower rates, but with greater erosion occurring on adjacent beaches.     

广东深圳大鹏半岛海岸地貌特征

大鹏半岛位于广东省深圳市东部,海岸地貌类型多样,可分为基岩海岸、堆积海岸和生物海岸3大类型。文章根据野外调查和室内实验分析的结果论述了大鹏半岛海岸地貌类型、分布和成因,并在前人的研究基础上讨论了大鹏半岛海岸地貌演化过程：由于大鹏半岛处在构造隆升区,海岸类型以基岩海岸为主。多处基岩海岸保留了完好的海蚀崖、海蚀平台、海蚀槽穴、海蚀柱等各类典型的海蚀地貌。该半岛的堆积海岸主要发育于岩石岬角间的海湾内,在有河流流入的海湾处形成岬湾沙坝―澙湖海岸,在无河流的海岸处则形成湾顶海滩。半岛中段狭窄的呈哑铃状腰部的东岸,因深入内凹、波浪减弱,有淤泥质海岸发育;红树林发育于淤泥质海岸以及各澙湖内,而半岛周边浅海区有珊瑚群落生长。大鹏半岛以及邻近地区海岸地貌特征和海岸沉积物年代数据显示：1）地质构造与海平面升降是塑造该半岛海岸地貌的主要因素;2）该半岛的海岸地貌是在中全新世早期以后才开始发育的;3）该半岛全新世以来不存在强烈的地壳抬升;4）该半岛海岸中全新世出现过高于现代海平面的高海面。     

Interactions between onshore bedrock-channel incision and nearshore wave-base erosion forced by eustasy and tectonics

We explore the response of bedrock streams to eustatic and tectonically induced fluctuations in base level. A numerical model coupling onshore fluvial erosion with offshore wave‐base erosion is developed. The results of a series of simulations for simple transgressions with constant rate of sea‐level change (SLR) show that response depends on the relative rates of rock uplift (U) and wave‐base erosion (?_w). Simple regression runs highlight the importance of nearshore bathymetry. Shoreline position during sea‐level fall is set by the relative rate of base‐level fall (U‐SLR) and ?_w, and is constant horizontally when these two quantities are equal. The results of models forced by a realistic Late Quaternary sea‐level curve are presented. These runs show that a stable shoreline position cannot be obtained if offshore uplift rates exceed ?_w. Only in the presence of a relatively stable shoreline position, fluvial profiles can begin to approximate a steady‐state condition, with U balanced by fluvial erosion rate (?_f). In the presence of a rapid offshore decrease in rock‐uplift rate (U), short (～5 km) fluvial channels respond to significant changes in rock‐uplift rate in just a few eustatic cycles. The results of the model are compared to real stream‐profile data from the Mendocino triple junction region of northern California. The late Holocene sea‐level stillstand response exhibited by the simulated channels is similar to the low‐gradient mouths seen in the California streams.     

THE IMPACT OF TSUNAMI ON THE COASTLINE OF JERVIS BAY,SOUTHEASTERN AUSTRALIA

The Jervis Bay area offers a diversity of landforms that do not fit within contemporary views of coastal evolution. Field evidence indicates that catastrophic tsunami have had a significant impact on the coast and its hinterland both within and outside the embayment. Runup has overtopped cliffs 80 m above sea level and deposited chevron-shaped ridges to elevations of 130 m on the southern headland. Boulders, up to 6 m in diameter, have been deposited in an imbricated fashion against cliffs, on clifftops, and along shoreline ramps. Bed-form features and the size of transported material indicate flow depths up to 10 m and velocities around 8 m s^-1. While significant Pleistocene material has been swept onto the coastline, mainly in the form of barriers, radiocarbon dating indicates that tsunami have occurred repetitively throughout the Holocene. The most recent event occurred just before European settlement over 200 years ago. [Key words: barrier beaches, coastal geomorphology, tsunami, Jervis Bay, Australia.]     

Coastal hazard assessment and mapping in Northern Campania, Italy

In the Northern Campanian coastal zone, over 150 km long, three geomorphic units are recognised: (1) sandy beaches that are well developed in the northern area, where a prominent river mouth (Volturno River) is also present; (2) steep and rocky shores, often with gravelly beaches or debris cones at their base, are mainly diffuse in the southern area (Sorrentine Peninsula); and, lastly, (3) “techno coast”, shorelines stabilized with revetments and seawalls as well as former natural environments no longer clearly operational because of urbanization, as is visible in Naples and in the Vesuvian coast. Six primary hazards are considered in this investigation: shoreline erosion, riverine flooding, storms, landslides, seismicity and volcanism, and man-made structures. These hazards do not have a uniform distribution along this coast in terms of their frequency and intensity; moreover both their interaction and the intensive action of humans, often uncontrolled, makes it difficult to assess the overall coastal hazard. In this paper a semi-quantitative method with which to quantify, rank and map the distribution of hazard is applied along this particular stretch of coast. In such a stretch, previously characterized in terms of types and processes and compartmentalized into geomorphic units, the effect of individual hazards, based on their magnitude and recurrence, is evaluated. Dominant and subordinate hazards for each geomorphic unit are identified, assigning a rank that is also a weighting. Comparison of each weighting through an interaction matrix permits the calculation of a resultant, which is the overall hazard assessment and which can be expressed cartographically. The results obtained for a coastal zone with one of the highest pressures from urbanization in the world, help us to recognise that this approach could become a useful tool to aid decision-making regarding coastal land-use and planning.     

山地背风涡旋的数值研究

本文建立了一个三维原始方程数值模式，模拟山地背风坡的环流系统。模拟结果表明，在较强层结条件下，山地背风坡上地形性中尺度斜压性大大加强，引起背风坡上的反向环流和涡旋偶极子，非粘性动力强迫效应是流场分离的重要机制。     

Sparse Data Division Using Data Segmentation and Kohonen Network for Neural Network and Geostatistical Ore Grade Modeling in Nome Offshore Placer Deposit

In this paper, sparse data problem in neural network and geostatistical modeling for ore-grade estimation was addressed in the Nome offshore placer gold deposit. The problem of sparse data arises because of the random data division into training, validation, and test subsets during ore-grade modeling. In this regard, the possibility of generating statistically dissimilar data subsets by random data division was also explored through a simulation exercise. A combined approach of data segmentation and application of a Kohonen network then was used to solve the data division problem. Two neural networks and five kriging models were applied for grade modeling. The neural network was trained using an early stopping method. Performance evaluation of the models was carried out on the test data set. The study results indicated that all the models that were investigated in this study performed almost equally. It was also revealed that by using the secondary variable watertable depth the neural network and the kriging models slightly improved their prediction precision. Further, the overall R ² of the models was poor as a result of high nugget (noisy) component in ore-grade variation.     

华南港湾海岸的地貌特征

本文根据作者参加华南海岸和港口调查研究的体会,对华南现代海岸的形成条件和港湾海岸的地貌特点进行分析。     

Global crustal thickness from neural network inversion of surface wave data

We present a neural network approach to invert surface wave data for a global model of crustal thickness with corresponding uncertainties. We model the a posteriori probability distribution of Moho depth as a mixture of Gaussians and let the various parameters of the mixture model be given by the outputs of a conventional neural network. We show how such a network can be trained on a set of random samples to give a continuous approximation to the inverse relation in a compact and computationally efficient form. The trained networks are applied to real data consisting of fundamental mode Love and Rayleigh phase and group velocity maps. For each inversion, performed on a 2°× 2° grid globally, we obtain the a posteriori probability distribution of Moho depth. From this distribution any desired statistic such as mean and variance can be computed. The obtained results are compared with current knowledge of crustal structure. Generally our results are in good agreement with other crustal models. However in certain regions such as central Africa and the backarc of the Rocky Mountains we observe a thinner crust than the other models propose. We also see evidence for thickening of oceanic crust with increasing age. In applications, characterized by repeated inversion of similar data, the neural network approach proves to be very efficient. In particular, the speed of the individual inversions and the possibility of modelling the whole a posteriori probability distribution of the model parameters make neural networks a promising tool in seismic tomography.     

Spatio-temporal analysis of decadal-scale patterns in barrier island response to storms: Perdido Key,NW Florida

The ability to accurately quantify shoreline variability is essential in order to establish aggressive mitigation strategies, based on recent global climate change projections. This investigation employed a suite of coastal data (topographic maps, aerial photography, satellite imagery and lidar) to establish decadal trends of shoreline movement along Perdido Key, a sandy barrier island off Florida’s northwest coast. The technique used to detect morphologic change with time was a recently developed tool, Analyzing Moving Boundaries Using R. This innovative methodology improves our understanding of the evolution of coastal systems by modeling shoreline variance using a method that is sensitive to shoreline shape. Results show that the barrier shoreline is a highly dynamic feature with distinct zones of erosion and accretion that are pervasive over time. In general, the island is displaying a mechanism of rotational instability with the eastern half retreating, and the western portion advancing. The inflection point, around which this rotational shifting is taking place, lies at the center of a Pleistocene headland located along the island’s midpoint. The results of this study suggest that coastal evolution along the island may be meta-stable, with trends in shoreline variance corresponding mainly to discrete storm events in time.     

Classification of mineral deposits into types using mineralogy with a probabilistic neural network

In order to determine whether it is desirable to quantify mineral-deposit models further, a test of the ability of a probabilistic neural network to classify deposits into types based on mineralogy was conducted. Presence or absence of ore and alteration mineralogy in well-typed deposits were used to train the network. To reduce the number of minerals considered, the analyzed data were restricted to minerals present in at least 20% of at least one deposit type. An advantage of this restriction is that single or rare occurrences of minerals did not dominate the results. Probabilistic neural networks can provide mathematically sound confidence measures based on Bayes theorem and are relatively insensitive to outliers. Founded on Parzen density estimation, they require no assumptions about distributions of random variables used for classification, even handling multimodal distributions. They train quickly and work as well as, or better than, multiple-layer feedforward networks. Tests were performed with a probabilistic neural network employing a Gaussian kernel and separate sigma weights for each class and each variable. The training set was reduced to the presence or absence of 58 reported minerals in eight deposit types. The training set included: 49 Cyprus massive sulfide deposits; 200 kuroko massive sulfide deposits; 59 Comstock epithermal vein gold districts; 17 quartzalunite epithermal gold deposits; 25 Creede epithermal gold deposits; 28 sedimentary-exhalative zinc-lead deposits; 28 Sado epithermal vein gold deposits; and 100 porphyry copper deposits. The most common training problem was the error of classifying about 27% of Cyprus-type deposits in the training set as kuroko. In independent tests with deposits not used in the training set, 88% of 224 kuroko massive sulfide deposits were classed correctly, 92% of 25 porphyry copper deposits, 78% of 9 Comstock epithermal gold-silver districts, and 83% of six quartzalunite epithermal gold deposits were classed correctly. Across all deposit types, 88% of deposits in the validation dataset were correctly classed. Misclassifications were most common if a deposit was characterized by only a few minerals, e.g., pyrite, chalcopyrite,and sphalerite. The success rate jumped to 98% correctly classed deposits when just two rock types were added. Such a high success rate of the probabilistic neural network suggests that not only should this preliminary test be expanded to include other deposit types, but that other deposit features should be added     

Use of Noise to Augment Training Data: A Neural Network Method of Mineral–Potential Mapping in Regions of Limited Known Deposit Examples

One of the main factors that affects the performance of MLP neural networks trained using the backpropagation algorithm in mineral-potential mapping isthe paucity of deposit relative to barren training patterns. To overcome this problem, random noise is added to the original training patterns in order to create additional synthetic deposit training data. Experiments on the effect of the number of deposits available for training in the Kalgoorlie Terrane orogenic gold province show that both the classification performance of a trained network and the quality of the resultant prospectivity map increasesignificantly with increased numbers of deposit patterns. Experiments are conducted to determine the optimum amount of noise using both uniform and normally distributed random noise. Through the addition of noise to the original deposit training data, the number of deposit training patterns is increased from approximately 50 to 1000. The percentage of correct classifications significantly improves for the independent test set as well as for deposit patterns in the test set. For example, using ±40% uniform random noise, the test-set classification performance increases from 67.9% and 68.0% to 72.8% and 77.1% (for test-set overall and test-set deposit patterns, respectively). Indices for the quality of the resultant prospectivity map, (i.e. D/A, D × (D/A), where D is the percentage of deposits and A is the percentage of the total area for the highest prospectivity map-class, and area under an ROC curve) also increase from 8.2, 105, 0.79 to 17.9, 226, 0.87, respectively. Increasing the size of the training-stop data set results in a further increase in classification performance to 73.5%, 77.4%, 14.7, 296, 0.87 for test-set overall and test-set deposit patterns, D/A, D × (D/A), and area under the ROC curve, respectively.     

1990年以来中国大陆海岸线稳定性研究

海岸线变迁是一个动态的演变过程,它是自然与人类共同作用的结果。基于1990年、2000年、2007年和2012年4个时期的资源卫星、Landsat系列卫星的遥感影像,采用色差Canny算子计算方法提取岸线数据,计算近22 a来中国大陆海岸线向海推进或向陆后退的空间位置变化量及年均变化速度,研究中国大陆海岸线空间位置与稳定性的演变规律,得出以下结论：① 中国海岸线空间位置变化以向海推进为主;② 中国海岸线多为相对稳定海岸线,其次为强烈岸进岸线,稳定性岸线全国均有分布,而强烈岸进岸线多分布于江苏和辽宁两省;③ 自1990年以来,中国大陆岸线的稳定性指数逐渐降低,22 a下降了1.1,以长江入海口为分界,南方沿海城市岸线稳定性指数高于北方。     

Estimating the fluvial sediment input to the coastal sediment budget: A case study of Ghana

Knowledge of fluvial sediment supply to the coastal sediment budget is important for the assessment of the impacts on coastal stability. Such knowledge is valuable for designing coastal engineering schemes and the development of shoreline management planning policies. It also facilitates understanding of the connection between rivers in the hinterland and adjoining coastal systems. Ghana's coast has many fluvial sediment sources and this paper provides the first quantitative assessments of their contributions to the coastal sediment budget. The methods use largely existing data and attempt to cover all of Ghana's significant coastal rivers. Initially work was hindered by insufficient direct measured data. However, the problem was overcome by the application of a regression approach, which provides an estimated sediment yield for non-gauged rivers based on data from gauged rivers with similar characteristics. The regression approach was effective because a regional coherence in behaviour was determined between those rivers, where direct measured data were available. The results of the assessment revealed that Ghana's coast is dissected by many south-draining rivers, stream and lagoons. These rivers, streams and lagoons supply significant amounts of sediment to coastal lowlands and therefore contribute importantly to beaches. Anthropogenic impoundment of fluvial sediment, especially the Akosombo dam on the Volta River, has reduced the total fluvial sediment input to the coast from about 71 × 10⁶ m³/a before 1964 (pre-Akosombo dam) to about 7 × 10⁶ m³/a at present (post-Akosombo dam). This sharp reduction threatened the stability of the east coast and prompted an expensive ($83 million) defence scheme to be implemented to protect 8.4 km-long coastline at Keta. Sections of Ghana's coast are closely connected to the hinterland through the fluvial sediment input from local rivers. Therefore, development in the hinterland that alters the fluvial sediment input from those local rivers could have significant effects on the coast. There is the need, therefore, to ensure that catchment management plans and coastal management plans are integrated or interconnected.