Non-linear principal component analysis of nearshore bathymetry

Spatially and temporally extensive nearshore bathymetric datasets have recently been analyzed with complex principal component analysis (CPCA) to extract propagating spatial patterns that constitute most to the dominant lower-dimensional structure in the datasets. CPCA assumes this structure to be linear, which may be an oversimplification of the true structure as the nearshore is a strongly non-linear system. Here we investigate whether a neural network-based circular non-linear principal component analysis (NLPCA.cir) provides a more representative approximation of the underlying lower-dimensional structure of nearshore depth data than possible with CPCA. To that end, NLPCA.cir was applied to three datasets characterized by interannual offshore-directed sandbar behavior, coming from Egmond (The Netherlands), Hasaki Coast (Japan) and Duck (North Carolina, USA). The main difference between these datasets is the temporal variation in sandbar amplitude, which is smallest at Egmond and largest at Duck. We find that the first NLPCA.cir mode 1 at Egmond and Hasaki leads to a more complete characterization of the lower-dimensional data structure than possible with CPCA (i.e. the underlying low-dimensional structure of bathymetric data at Egmond and Hasaki is indeed non-linear). This is not the case at Duck, where the temporal variations in sandbar amplitude are so large that the non-linear lower-dimensional structure in the data, should it exist, is no longer visually apparent and can no longer be detected by NLPCA.cir. This suggests that a simple visual check of the data suffices to decide whether one should resort to NLPCA.cir or to the more simple and computationally quicker CPCA.     

Nearshore bar crest location quantified from time-averaged X-band radar images

The remote sensing of the sea surface is commonly regarded as a logistically simple and cost-effective way of obtaining long-term (>years) time series of nearshore sandbar location. In this paper, we demonstrate that, similar to video imagery, time-exposure X-band (∼3 cm wave length) radar images contain alongshore, breaking-related high-intensity bands that can be used to compute the location of the underlying sandbar crests. Analysis of time-exposure X-band images and bathymetric surveys collected at Egmond aan Zee, Netherlands shows that the radar-based bar crest location, defined as the cross-shore location of maximum radar intensity, differs from the in situ surveyed crest location by a distance of O(10 m). This difference, Δx̄_radar, depends linearly on the offshore water level, consistent with model predictions in which the radar intensity is assumed to behave as the energy of the surface roller. The model additionally suggests a dependence of Δx̄_radar on the offshore wave height when the wave field across the bar is non-saturated. In general, such wave conditions did not result in radar images with sufficient contrast to determine the bar crest location and, accordingly, the wave-height dependence was not observed clearly in the field. Because of the dependence of Δx̄_radar on the offshore water level, time series of radar-based bar crest location show artificial variability when the images are collected at different water levels. Various techniques for correcting this variability are discussed.     

海岸沙坝剖面和滩肩剖面特征研究

通过物理模型实验研究了海岸沙坝剖面和滩肩剖面的形成和演化过程,给出了稳定的沙坝剖面和滩肩剖面的几何特征。实验中考虑了两种初始坡度(1∶20和1∶10)和不同波高的规则波和不规则波,讨论了不同初始坡度海岸上破碎波空间分布特征。结果表明,沙坝产生后存在向岸和离岸两种运动形态,但最终将停留在稳定位置。稳定的沙坝剖面对应不同初始坡度和波浪存在不同的大沙坝和小沙坝分布。沙坝剖面由长时间小波高波浪序列作用后可转化为稳定滩肩剖面,该剖面不依赖于波浪和初始坡度。实验也给出了平衡剖面与理论曲线的对比以及剖面上泥沙粒径的分布。     

Numerical Modeling of the Undertow Structure and Sandbar Migration in the Surfzone

A process-based 3D numerical model for surfzone hydrodynamics and beach evolution was established. Comparisons between the experimental data and model results proved that the model could effectively describe the hydrodynamics, sediment transport feature and sandbar migration process in the surfzone with satisfactory precision. A series of numerical simulations on the wave breaking and shoaling up to a barred beach were carried out based on the model system. Analyzed from the model results, the wave-induced current system in the surfzone consists of two major processes, which are the phase-averaged undertow caused by wave breaking and the net drift caused by both of the nonlinear wave motion and surface roller effect. When storm waves come to the barred beach, the strong offshore undertow along the beach suppresses the onshore net drift, making the initial sandbar migrate to the seaside. Under the condition of calm wave environment, both the undertow and net drift flow to the shoreline at the offshore side of the sandbar, and then push the initial sandbar to the shoreline. The consideration of surface roller has significant impact on the modeling results of the sandbar migration. As the roller transfer rate increases, the sandbar moves onshore especially under the storm wave condition.     

侵蚀浪条件下沉水植被对沙坝-潟湖海岸的冲淤影响研究

全球海岸生态系统正遭受气候变化及人类活动带来的威胁, 本文基于沙坝-潟湖系统海岸典型剖面形态, 通过设计实施动床波浪水槽试验, 定量研究了侵蚀浪条件下沉水植被对该系统海岸冲淤的影响。结果表明: 沉水植被明显削弱了沙坝前坡波浪破碎区前缘的波高增大幅度, 并使坝后波高衰减; 植被作用使波浪反射和透射系数减小、耗散系数增大; 侵蚀浪作用下, 沙坝坝顶冲刷较明显, 潟湖内呈淤积趋势, 海岸前丘受波浪冲刷呈陡坎形态。植被影响下沙坝和前丘区域最大侵蚀厚度均减小; 植被可减少沙坝净侵蚀量、潟湖内淤积量及离岸输沙量, 对海岸前丘有较好的保护作用。     

基于Prophet算法的海南近海波浪长时段时序分析与预测

近年来,以大数据为基础的人工智能算法逐步兴起并被用于海洋波浪短期预测。本文采用2015−2019年海南近海逐时波浪实测时序数据,基于Prophet算法建立了海南近海波浪长时段时序预测模型,分析了2015−2019年海南近海波浪日、月、年变化特性,并对海南近海2020年波浪变化过程进行了预测。结果显示,Prophet算法模型对波浪波高和周期的预测值和实测值整体吻合良好,可有效用于长时段波浪的特性分析和时序预测。     

波浪作用下沙坝不稳定性实验研究

对波群、规则波和不规则波作用下沙质海岸上沙坝运动进行了实验研究。研究沙坝产生的机理和不稳定性,以及不同波浪下所产生的海岸平衡剖面形状。实验中发现,波浪作用下沙坝处于向岸和离岸运动的不稳定状态,其原因可由地形不稳定性分析。探讨了波群调制系数对沙坝运动的影响,讨论了不同波况对海岸剖面形态的影响。     

The importance of extratropical and tropical cyclones on the short-term evolution of barrier islands along the northern Gulf of Mexico, USA

Data are presented indicating the complexity and highly variable response of beaches to cold front passages along the northern Gulf of Mexico, in addition to the impacts of tropical cyclones and winter storms. Within the past decade, an increase in the frequency of tropical storms and hurricanes impacting the northern Gulf has dramatically altered the long-term equilibrium of a large portion of this coast. A time series of net sediment flux for subaerial and nearshore environments has been established for a section of this coast in Florida, and to a lesser extent, Mississippi. The data incorporate the morphological signature of six tropical storms/hurricanes and more than 200 frontal passages.

Data indicate that (1) barrier islands can conserve mass during catastrophic hurricanes (e.g., Hurricane Opal, a strong category 4 hurricane near landfall); (2) less severe hurricanes and tropical storms can promote rapid dune aggradation and can contribute sediment to the entire barrier system; (3) cold fronts play a critical role in the poststorm adjustment of the barrier by deflating the subaerial portion of the overwash terrace and eroding its marginal lobe along the bayside beach through locally generated, high frequency, steep waves; and (4) barrier systems along the northern Gulf do not necessarily enter an immediate poststorm recovery phase, although nested in sediment-rich nearshore environments. While high wave energy conditions associated with cold fronts play an integral role in the evolution and maintenance of barriers along the northern Gulf, these events are more effective in reworking sediment after the occurrence of extreme events such as hurricanes. This relationship is even more apparent during the clustering of tropical cyclones.

It is anticipated that these findings will have important implications for the longer term evolution of barrier systems in midlatitude, microtidal settings where the clustering of storms is apparent, and winter storms are significant in intensity and frequency along the coast.     

Shoreface morphodynamics on wave-dominated coasts

An open ocean shoreface typical of long, wave-dominated sandy coasts has been examined through a combination of extensive field measurements of wave and current patterns with computations of marine bedload transport and sedimentation. Sand transport on the upper shoreface is dominantly controlled by waves with only secondary transport by currents. Sand on the middle and lower shoreface, as well as the inner continental shelf is entrained by storm waves and transported by a complex pattern of bottom boundary layer currents.

Storm events have been studied and modeled for the shoreface off Tiana Beach, Long Island. The dominant effect of coastal frontal storms is to cause significant shore-parallel bedload transport with important shore-normal secondary components. These storms tend to result in net offshore transport of sand removed from the beach and surf zone systems. The bedload transport during a storm is convergent on the shoreface leading to accretion. Most accretion occurs on the upper shoreface with lesser deposits covering the middle and lower shoreface as well as the inner continental shelf. Longer-term equilibrium can be maintained by slow return of sand up the shoreface during non-storm conditions.

Annual and geologic time-scale budgets of shoreface sand transport and sedimentation yield equilibrium, net accretion or net deposition. The annual balance results from an integration of the event-scale bedload transport patterns and morphologic responses. These processes and responses have feedback mechanisms which stabilize the system over longer, but not geologic, time scales. Geologic time scale balances are controlled by relative sea level changes and relative availability of sediment supply with the event-scale shoreface and transporting processes providing the mechanism to produce the changes in long-term morphology and sedimentation patterns. In the area of study, the long-term pattern is one of net shoreface erosion, and the permanent loss of sand to the shelf floor.     

Seasonal persistence of a small southern California beach fill

Torrey Pines State Beach, a site with large seasonal fluctuations in sand level, received a small shoreface beach fill (about 160,000 m³) in April 2001. The 600 m-long, flat-topped nourishment pad extended from a highway riprap revetment seaward about 60 m, terminating in a 2 m-tall vertical scarp. A 2.7 km alongshore span, centered on the nourishment region, was monitored prior to the nourishment and biweekly to monthly for the following 2 years. For the first 7 months after the nourishment, through fall 2001, significant wave heights were small, and the elevated beach fill remained in place, with little change near and above Mean Sea Level (MSL). In contrast, the shoreline accreted on nearby control beaches following a seasonal pattern common in southern California, reducing the elevation difference between the nourished and adjacent beaches. During the first winter storm (3 m significant wave height), the shoreline retreated rapidly over the entire 2.7 km survey reach, forming an alongshore-oriented sandbar in 3 to 4 m water depth [Seymour, R.J., Guza, R.T., O'Reilly, W., Elgar, S., 2004. Rapid erosion of a Southern California beach fill. Coastal Engineering 52 (2), 151–158.]. We show that the winter sandbar, most pronounced offshore of the nourishment, moved back onto the beach face during summer 2002 (following the usual seasonal pattern) and formed a wider beach above MSL at the site of the original nourishment than on the control beaches. Thus, the April 2001 shoreline nourishment was detectable until late fall 2002, persisting locally over a full seasonal cycle. In an extended 7-year time series, total sand volumes (summed between the back beach and 8 m water depth, over the entire 2.7 km reach) exhibit multi-year fluctuations of unknown origin that are twice as large as the nourishment volume.     

Climate-based Monte Carlo simulation of trivariate sea states

Accurate wave climate characterization, which is vital to understand wave-driven coastal processes and to design coastal and offshore structures, requires the availability of long term data series. Where existing data are sparse, synthetically generated time series offer a practical alternative. The main purpose of this paper is to propose a methodology to simulate multivariate hourly sea state time series that preserve the statistical characteristics of the existing empirical data. This methodology combines different techniques such as univariate ARMAs, autoregressive logistic regression and K-means clusterization algorithms, and is able to take into account different time and space scales. The proposed methodology can be broken down into three interrelated steps: i) simulation of sea level pressure fields, ii) simulation of daily mean sea conditions time series and iii) simulation of hourly sea state time series. Its effectiveness is demonstrated by synthetically generating multivariate hourly sea states from a specific location near the Spanish Coast. The direct comparison between simulated and empirical time series confirms the ability of the developed methodology to generate multivariate hourly time series of sea states. Finally, the potential of the proposed methodology to simulate multivariate time series at multiple locations and incorporate climate change issues is discussed.     

支撑刚度对水平板波浪冲击压力影响

上部结构位于浪溅区及由弹性桩腿支撑的海洋结构物,如海上栈桥和海洋平台等,在恶劣海况下会受到强烈的波浪冲击作用并产生振动响应。通过物理模型实验研究了波浪对三种不同支撑刚度的结构物冲击作用。分析了不同支撑刚度结构物底面冲击压力和冲击力的变化特性。讨论了支撑刚度对结构波浪冲击力的影响,给出了冲击压力和冲击力随相对净空(s/H)和相对板长(B/L)的变化规律。实验分析结果表明:水平板底面波浪冲击压力与冲击力均随弹性支撑刚度K的增大而增大;随相对净空(s/H)的增大先增大后减小;随相对板长(B/L)的增大而减小。     

基于随机集合的非传统型有效波极值模型

The analysis and design of offshore structures necessitates the consideration of wave loads. Realistic modeling of wave loads is particularly important to ensure reliable performance of these structures. Among the available methods for the modeling of the extreme significant wave height on a statistical basis, the peak over threshold method has attracted most attention. This method employs Poisson process to character- ize time-varying properties in the parameters of an extreme value distribution. In this paper, the peak over threshold method is reviewed and extended to account for subjectivity in the modeling. The freedom in selecting the threshold and the time span to separate extremes from the original time series data is incorpo- rated as imprecision in the model. This leads to an extension from random variables to random sets in the probabilistic model for the extreme significant wave height. The extended model is also applied to different periods of the sampled data to evaluate the significance of the climatic conditions on the uncertainties of the parameters.     

Seasonal-scale nearshore morphological evolution: Field observations and numerical modeling

A coupled waves–currents-bathymetric evolution model (DELFT-3D) is compared with field measurements to test hypotheses regarding the processes responsible for alongshore varying nearshore morphological changes at seasonal time scales. A 2001 field experiment, along the beaches adjacent to Grays Harbor, Washington, USA, captured the transition between the high-energy erosive conditions of winter and the low-energy beach-building conditions typical of summer. The experiment documented shoreline progradation on the order of 10–20 m and on average approximately 70 m of onshore sandbar migration during a four-month period. Significant alongshore variability was observed in the morphological response of the sandbar over a 4 km reach of coast with sandbar movement ranging from 20 m of offshore migration to over 175 m of onshore bar migration, the largest seasonal-scale onshore migration event observed in a natural setting. Both observations and model results suggest that, in the case investigated here, alongshore variations in initial bathymetry are primarily responsible for the observed alongshore variable morphological changes. Alongshore varying incident hydrodynamic forcing, occasionally significant in this region due to a tidal inlet and associated ebb-tidal delta, was relatively minor during the study period and appears to play an insignificant role in the observed alongshore variability in sandbar behavior at kilometer-scale. The role of fully three-dimensional cell circulation patterns in explaining the observed morphological variability also appears to be minor, at least in the case investigated here.     

波浪动力因素变化对沙质岸滩演变的影响

通过波浪水槽实验,对海平面变化造成的波浪动力因素改变引起的沙质岸滩形态响应开展机理性研究。实验采用1∶10单一沙质斜坡概化岸滩,利用3种不同实验水深模拟海平面变化,考虑椭圆余弦波、非规则波、规则波和孤立波4种类型波浪作用。实验对波浪在斜坡上的传播变形、破碎、上爬和回落过程的波高及波浪作用后的岸滩地形进行了测量。实验结果表明,椭圆余弦波、规则波和非规则波作用下,平衡岸滩呈现出滩肩形态,孤立波作用下则呈沙坝形态。海平面上升造成波浪动力增强,沙质岸滩平衡剖面形状基本保持不变向岸平移,槽谷、滩肩、沙坝位置以及岸线蚀退距离,均呈现出良好规律性。     

NearCoM-TVD — A quasi-3D nearshore circulation and sediment transport model

The newly developed nearshore circulation model, SHORECIRC, using a hybrid finite-difference finite-volume TVD-type scheme, is coupled with the wave model SWAN in the Nearshore Community Model (NearCoM) system. The new modeling system is named NearCoM-TVD and the purpose of this study is to report the capability and limitation of NearCoM-TVD for several coastal applications. For tidal inlet applications, the model is verified with the semi-analytical solution of Keulegan (1967) for an idealized inlet-bay system. To further evaluate the model performance in predicting nearshore circulation under intense wave–current interaction over complex bathymetry, modeled circulation patterns are validated with measured data during RCEX field experiment (MacMahan et al., 2010). For sediment transport applications, two sediment transport models are applied to predict three sandbar migration events at Duck, NC, during August to October 1994 (Gallagher et al., 1998). The model of Kobayashi et al. (2008) incorporates wave-induced onshore sediment transport rate as a function of the standard deviation of wave-induced horizontal velocities. The modeled beach profile evolution for two offshore events and one onshore event agrees well with the measured data. The second model investigated here combines two published sediment transport models, namely, the total load model driven by currents under the effect of wave stirring (Soulsby, 1997) and the wave-driven sediment transport model due to wave asymmetry/skewness (van Rijn et al., 2011). The model study with limited field data suggests that the parameterization of wave stirring is appropriate during energetic wave conditions. However, during low energy wave conditions, the effect of wave stirring needs to be re-calibrated.     

Winter dynamics on the northern Portuguese shelf. Part 2: bottom boundary layers and sediment dispersal

The northern Portuguese shelf, between 41°N and 42°N, is characterised by the presence of a mid-shelf mud deposit, the Douro Mud Patch (DMP). Observations conducted between July 1996 and June 1999 under the framework of project OMEX II–II, are used to examine the impact of the dynamic processes in the lower water column, particularly on the DMP. The typical wave conditions observed during the winter maintain a highly energetic environment, capable of promoting the erosion of fine sediments at mid-shelf depths. However, the bottom nepheloid layers generated beneath these waves only extend a few meters above the bottom and are contained within rocky outcrops with similar heights that fringe the outer shelf. Each year there are about ten storms, mostly associated with southerly winds that create downwelling conditions over the shelf. The waves associated with these storms produce shear velocities over 3 cm/s at mid-shelf and bottom nepheloid layers which extend a few tens of meters above the bottom and spread offshore, over the outer shelf and upper slope. A rough estimate suggests that these events account for an offshore export of about 20×10⁶ kg of fine sediments each year (equivalent to 1–2% of sediments trapped at DMP).     

基于非线性薛定谔方程的波浪预报方法研究

为探索海浪波面信息的实时预报方法,以三阶非线性薛定谔(NLS)方程的逆散射变换求解为基础,通过理论推导,给出了一种由实测波高时历数据计算其NLS方程本征值的方法,进一步实现了对波浪包络时空演变的预报。通过预报结果与实测波列的比对,验证了方法的有效性和准确性。该方法可为船舶或海上平台的大浪预警,以及为大波浪中海上作业寻找窗口期等提供一条新的技术途径。     

A generalized approach for long-term modelling of extreme crest-to-trough wave heights

This paper deals with the long-term modelling of high sea waves. The solution is given for the return period of sea storms during which an arbitrary chosen number of waves, with crest-to-trough heights exceeding a fixed threshold, occur. This return period is derived starting from the Equivalent Triangular Storm (ETS) model, which associates a triangle to each actual storm and thus represents a significant wave height time series at a fixed location by means of a sequence of triangular storms. The short-term statistics is then applied to investigate the occurrence of large crest-to-trough wave heights during a given storm. Finally, by combining the statistical distribution of significant wave heights, the ETS model and the short-term wave statistics, the solution is given for the return periods R_N and R_N of a sea storm in which N or at least N waves higher than a fixed threshold occur. The values of R_N are then calculated, starting from data of two buoys moored in the Pacific Ocean and in the Mediterranean Sea.     

Evaluation of two spectral wave models for wave hindcasting in the Mackenzie Delta

Climate change, reduced sea ice and increased ice-free waters over extended areas for longer summer periods potentially lead to increased wave energy in the Beaufort Sea (Wang et al., 2015; Khon et al., 2014) [1], [2], which is a major concern for coastal and offshore engineering activities. We compare two spectral wave models SWAN (Simulating WAves Nearshore) and MIKE 21 SW (hereafter MIKE21) in simulations of storm-generated waves in the Mackenzie Delta region of the southern Beaufort Sea. SWAN model simulations are performed using two nested grids system, whereas MIKE21 uses an unstructured grid system. Forcing fields are defined by hourly hindcast winds. Moving ice edge boundaries are incorporated during storm simulations. Modelled wave spectra from four storms are shown to compare well with field observations. Two established whitecapping formulations in SWAN are investigated: one dependent on mean spectral wave steepness, and the other on local spectral steepness. For the Beaufort Sea study area, we suggest that SWAN wave simulations using the latter local spectral steepness formulation are better than those using the former mean spectral steepness formulation. MIKE21 simulations also tend to agree with SWAN results using the latter whitecapping formulation.