The nature of scour development and scour protection at offshore windfarm foundations

Analysis and interpretation of monitoring data for the seabed bathymetry local to offshore windfarm foundations has shown how the scour develops in time and highlighted variations between sites with different seabed sediment characteristics, i.e. sands and clays. Results from European offshore windfarms have generated a unique dataset for comparison with previously published data. Where surficial sediment is underlain by a marine clay the scour (to date) has been limited, whilst those with unconstrained depths of sandy sediments show scour as deep as 1.38 times the monopile diameter. Scour protection has been installed at some sites for structural stability of the foundation or for cable protection. The flow interaction with the protection causes edge scour or secondary scour in the seabed around the protection. In some cases this scour is deeper than the unprotected case. The analysis has resulted in an improved evidence base for scour in the marine environment.     

Simulation of irregular waves in an offshore wind farm with a spectral wave model

A numerical study of irregular waves in the Norwegian continental shelf wind farm (HAVSUL-II) was conducted using 3rd generation spectral wave models. The study was composed of two parts: the study of the effect of a single windmill monopile in the local incoming wave field using an empirical JONSWAP spectrum, and a wave hindcast study in the wind farm area using realistic incoming wave spectra obtained from large scale simulations for the 1991-1992 winter period. In the single windmill monopile study the SWAN wave model was used, while the hindcast study was conducted by successively nesting from a coarse grid using the WAM model up to a high-resolution (56 m) grid covering 26.2 km² of the HAVSUL-II windmill farm using the SWAN model. The effect of a single monopile on incident waves with realistic spectra was also studied. In the single windmill study the monopile was represented as a closed circular obstacle and in the hindcast study it was represented as a dry grid point. The results showed that the single windmill monopile creates a shadow zone in the down wave region with lower significant wave height (H_s) values and a slight increase of H_s in the up wave region. The effects of the windmill monopile on the wave field were found to be dependent on the directional distribution of the incoming wave spectrum and also on the wave diffraction and reflection. The hindcast study showed that the group of windmill monopiles may contribute to the reduction of the wave energy inside the offshore wind farm and that once the waves enter into the offshore wind farm they experience modifications due to the presence of the windmill monopiles, which cause a blocking of the wave energy propagation resulting in an altered distribution of the H_s field.     

Morphological evolution of a barchan dune migrating past an offshore wind farm foundation

As the number of manmade structures installed on the seafloor is increasing rapidly, we seek to understand the impact of these immobile obstacles on marine geomorphological processes, such as the evolution of bedforms. A 5.8 m diameter monopile foundation was installed at the case study offshore windfarm approximately 30 m ahead of an approaching barchan (crescent-shaped) dune. The impact of the monopile on the dune's evolution was analysed using six multibeam bathymetry surveys spanning 20 years. To substantiate this analysis, coupled three-dimensional numerical modelling of flows and sediment was conducted in which the scour inducing bed shear stresses were calculated from the modelled turbulent kinetic energy. Following the installation of the monopile, the mid-section of the dune accelerated and stretched in the direction of the wake of the monopile. Four years after the monopile's installation the rest of the dune had caught up, flattening out the slip face within half the dune's length downstream of the monopile. Due to the modified flow field, the dune was scoured deeply at the base of the monopile to a depth of 6.8 m (supported by the model results that predicted a scour depth exceeding 2 m over a period of just a few days). The surveyed volume of material scoured amounted to 8% of the total dune volume. Whilst the process of scouring occurs at a timescale of days to weeks, the dune migrated on average by 25 m/yr. The difference in the timescale of the two processes allowed the scouring to occur through the full thickness of the dune. The scoured dune profile recovered rapidly once the dune migrated downstream of the monopile. This article demonstrates how large geomorphological features can intercept and migrate past a monopile foundation without long-lasting impacts on the integrity of the feature or the foundation. © 2020 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

运行状态下海上单桩风机系统自振频率分析

系统自振频率限制是海上风机结构设计中的一个关键因素。运行状态下风机动力荷载会引起基础的水平侧移,较大的水平侧移会导致基础刚度的降低,进一步影响风机系统的自振频率。该文基于有限元软件ABAQUS平台,建立单桩式海上风机结构系统的自振频率数值模型,并讨论运行状态下基础水平侧移对大直径海上风机系统自振频率的影响。模型中考虑了塔筒的变截面特性;桩-土相互作用通过p-y曲线方法模拟;桩和塔采用梁单元模拟;通过Pushover分析汇总出水平侧移引起的桩顶水平刚度。研究结果表明:桩基侧向位移会降低风机结构体系的自振频率;桩基侧向位移对基频的影响较小,对高阶频率的影响显著;大直径海上风机的频率计算中可忽略风机运行状态对体系自振频率的影响。     

Hydrodynamic and sediment dynamic modifications of tidal flow in the near-field area of offshore breakwaters

Numerical modeling was used in order to study the effect of tidal currents within a breakwater scheme that has reached morphodynamic equilibrium. Tidal flow is simulated, using a downscaling procedure from a regional numerical model, in order to investigate the small-scale hydrodynamic modifications caused by the structures in the absence of waves. Sediment transport processes at different stages of the neap and spring tidal cycle are also considered over the entire scheme. Significant modifications to the tidal currents were identified, caused by the presence of the following structures: (1) obstruction of the main tidal flow and (2) flow channelization between the structures and the coastline, leading to flow acceleration over the salients. Furthermore, the effect of the modified tidal regime on bedload sediment transport processes was investigated. The design characteristics of the scheme (i.e., gap width, offshore distance, and relative angle with respect to the tidal currents) are found to influence locally the tidal flow and the bedload transport, over the top of the salients, modulating their growth. Despite being located in a mixed-energy, wave-dominated environment, the shear stress ratio between currents and waves show a dominance of tidal processes at the sheltered areas of the scheme (i.e., behind the breakwaters) that diminishes as the incident wave period increases. Hence, in order to correctly predict the morphological evolution of such coast under the influence of coastal protection schemes, the tidal processes have to be studied in addition to the wave processes.     

The effect of asymmetric dune roughness on tidal asymmetry in the Weser estuary

The bed of estuaries is often characterized by ripples and dunes of varying size. Whereas smaller bedforms adapt their morphological shape to the oscillating tidal currents, large compound dunes (here: asymmetric tidal dunes) remain stable for periods longer than a tidal cycle. Bedforms constitute a form roughness, that is, hydraulic flow resistance, which has a large-scale effect on tidal asymmetry and, hence, on hydrodynamics, sediment transport, and morphodynamics of estuaries and coastal seas. Flow separation behind the dune crest and recirculation on the steep downstream side result in turbulence and energy loss. Since the energy dissipation can be related to the dune lee slope angle, asymmetric dune shapes induce variable flow resistance during ebb and flood phases. Here, a noncalibrated numerical model has been applied to analyze the large-scale effect of symmetric and asymmetric dune shapes on estuarine tidal asymmetry evaluated by residual bed load sediment transport at the Weser estuary, Germany. Scenario simulations were performed with parameterized bed roughness of symmetric and asymmetric dune shapes and without dune roughness. The spatiotemporal interaction of distinct dune shapes with the main drivers of estuarine sediment and morphodynamics, that is, river discharge and tidal energy, is shown to be complex but substantial. The contrasting effects of flood- and ebb-oriented asymmetric dunes on residual bed load transport rates and directions are estimated to be of a similar importance as the controls of seasonal changes of discharge on these net sediment fluxes at the Lower Weser estuary. This corroborates the need to consider dune-induced directional bed roughness in numerical models of estuarine and tidal environments.     

Surficial sediment erodibility from time-series measurements of suspended sediment concentrations: development and validation

Numerical models of fine sediment transport depend on different approaches to parameterize the erosion properties of surficial sediment strata. These properties, namely the critical shear stress for erosion and the erosion rate coefficient, are crucial for reproducing the short-term and long-term sediment dynamics of the system. Methods to parameterize these properties involve either specialized laboratory measurements on sediment samples or optimization by model calibration. Based on observations of regular patterns in the variation of suspended sediment concentrations (SSC) over the tidal cycle in a small, narrow estuary, an alternate approach, referred to as the entrainment flux method, for quantifying the erosion properties of surficial bed strata is formulated and applied. The results of this method are shown to be analogous to the erosion data used to formulate the standard linear erosion formulation developed by various authors. The erosion properties inferred from the entrainment flux method are also compared to direct measurements of erodibility on sediment samples from the same site using the Gust microcosm apparatus. The favorable comparison of the two approaches suggests that the entrainment flux method can be used to infer and quantify the erodibility of surficial sediment strata in similar small and narrow estuaries. This method has certain advantages, chiefly its ease of implementation and the fact that it uses SSC time series which would typically be expected to be available for the study of or for model application at a given site. Guidelines for selecting the appropriate dataset for the application of the method are also presented.     

Contemporary hydrodynamics and morphological change of a microtidal estuary: a numerical modelling study

Contemporary hydrodynamics and morphological change are examined in a shallow microtidal estuary, located on a wave-dominated coast (Port Stephens, NSW, Australia). Process-based numerical modelling is undertaken by combining modules for hydrodynamics, waves, sediment transport and bathymetry updates. Model results suggest that the complex estuarine bathymetry and geometry give rise to spatial variations in the tidal currents and a marked asymmetry between ebb and flood flows. Sediment transport paths correspond with tidal asymmetry patterns. The SE storms significantly enhance the quantities of sediment transport, while locally generated waves by the westerly strong winds also are capable of causing sediment entrainment and contribute to the delta morphological change. The wave/wind-induced currents are not uniform with flow over shoals driven in the same direction as waves/winds while a reverse flow occurring in the adjacent channel. The conceptual sediment transport model developed in this study shows flood-directed transport occurs on the flood ramp while ebb-directed net transport occurs in the tidal channels and at the estuary entrance. Accretion of the intertidal sand shoals and deepening of tidal channels, as revealed by the model, suggest that sediment-infilling becomes advanced, which may lead to an ebb-dominated estuary. It is likely that a switch from flood- to ebb-dominance occurs during the estuary evolution, and the present-day estuary acts as a sediment source rather than sediment sink to the coastal system. This is conflictive to the expectation drawn from the estuarine morphology; however, it is consistent with previous research suggesting that, in an infilling estuary, an increase in build-up of intertidal flats/shoals can eventually shift an estuary towards ebb dominance. Thus, field data are needed to validate the result presented here, and further study is required to investigate a variety of estuaries in the Australian area.     

The effect of geometry and tidal forcing on hydrodynamics and net sediment transport in semi-enclosed tidal basins

A new depth-averaged exploratory model has been developed to investigate the hydrodynamics and the tidally averaged sediment transport in a semi-enclosed tidal basin. This model comprises the two-dimensional (2DH) dynamics in a tidal basin that consists of a channel of arbitrary length, flanked by tidal flats, in which the water motion is being driven by an asymmetric tidal forcing at the seaward side. The equations are discretized in space by means of the finite element method and solved in the frequency domain. In this study, the lateral variations of the tidal asymmetry and the tidally averaged sediment transport are analyzed, as well as their sensitivity to changes in basin geometry and external overtides. The Coriolis force is taken into account. It is found that the length of the tidal basin and, to a lesser extent, the tidal flat area and the convergence length determine the behaviour of the tidally averaged velocity and the overtides and consequently control the strength and the direction of the tidally averaged sediment transport. Furthermore, the externally prescribed overtides can have a major influence on tidal asymmetry in the basin, depending on their amplitude and phase. Finally, for sufficiently wide tidal basins, the Coriolis force generates significant lateral dynamics.     

"THREE DIMENSIONAL MATHEMATICAL MODEL OF SEDIMENT TRANSPORT IN ESTUARINE REGIONS-- A CASE STUDY OF THE HAIHE RIVER MOUTH" Yuchuan Bai,Huanting SHEN and Shixiong HU

The paper presents the 3D finite element simulation of tidal flow and Sediment transport in the estuarine region of the Haihe river. The proposed model adopts sigma-transformation of the hydrodynamic and sediment transport equations. The hydrodynamic and sediment transport models are verified in case of a simple test problem for which analytical solutions are available. Finally the models are applied to muddy Haihe river estuary of North China and it is claimed that hydrodynamic and sediment transport models give a reliable comparison with the observed field data. However, there are certain discrepancies, and some reasonable questions regarding the present state-of-art, in the modeling of three-dimensional multilevel hydrodynamics and sediment transport, which are provided below for answer.     

Tidal straining effect on the suspended sediment transport in the Huanghe (Yellow River) Estuary, China

Tidal straining effect on sediment transport dynamics in the Huanghe (Yellow River) estuary was studied by field observations and numerical simulations. The measurement of salinity, suspended sediment concentration, and current velocity was conducted during a flood season in 1995 at the Huanghe river mouth with six fishing boats moored at six stations for 25-h hourly time series observations. Based on the measurements, the intra-tidal variations of sediment transport in the highly turbid river mouth was observed and the tidal straining effect occurred. Our study showed that tidal straining of longitudinal sediment concentration gradients can contribute to intra-tidal variability in sediment stratification and to asymmetries in sediment distribution within a tidal cycle. In particular, the tidal straining effect in the Huanghe River estuary strengthened the sediment-induced stratification at the flood tide, thus producing a higher bottom sediment concentration than that during the ebb. A sediment transport model that is capable of simulating sediment-induced stratification effect on the hydrodynamics in the bottom boundary layers and associated density currents was applied to an idealized estuary to demonstrate the processes and to discuss the mechanism. The model-predicted sediment processes resembled the observed characteristics in the Huanghe River estuary. We concluded that tidal straining effect is an important but poorly understood mechanism in the transport dynamics of cohesive sediments in turbid estuaries and coastal seas.     

Sediment dynamics in an offshore tidal channel in the southern Yellow Sea

The geomorphology of the southern Yellow Sea（SYS） is characterized by offshore radial sand ridges（RSR）.An offshore tidal channel（KSY Channel） is located perpendicular to the coast,comprised of a main and a tributary channel separated by a submarine sand ridge（KSY Sand Ridge） extending seaward.In order to investigate the interactions among water flow,sediment transport,and topography,current velocity and suspended sediment concentration（SSC） were observed at 11 anchor stations along KSY Channel in RSR during a spring tide cycle.High resolution bottom topography was also surveyed.Residual currents and tidally averaged suspended sediment fluxes were calculated and analyzed by using the decomposition method.Results suggested that the water currents became stronger landward but with asymmetrical current speed and temporal duration of flood and ebb tides.Residual currents showed landward water transport in the nearshore channel and a clockwise circulation around the KSY Sand Ridge.Tidally-averaged SSC also increased landward along the channel.The main mechanisms controlling SSC variations were resuspension and horizontal advection,with spatial and temporal variations in the channel,which also contributed to sediment redistribution between channels and sand ridges.Residual flow transport and the tidal pumping effect dominated the suspended sediment flux in the KSY Channel.The KSY Sand Ridge had a potential southward migration due to the interaction between water flow,sediment transport,and topography.     

A geometric method to study water and sediment exchange in tidal harbors

The exchange flow of water and sediment between a harbor and the surrounding waters can be geometrically decomposed into three main components: tidal filling, horizontal, and vertical exchange flows. The method is applied to analyze available measurements at two important harbor basins in Belgium. The geometric analysis can also be applied to the results of a numerical model of hydrodynamics and sediment transport, provided it has sufficient horizontal, vertical, and temporal resolutions to capture the dynamics at the harbor mouth. As such, it can be used as a tool in model calibration. The presented method can provide some insight into the complex relationship (phasing and spatial correlations) between hydrodynamics and sediment concentration that determines harbor siltation.     

Numerical experiments on the long-term morphodynamics of the Colorado River Delta

The interaction among tidal currents, sediment transport, and long-term changes of the sea bottom in the Colorado River Delta have been investigated applying a two dimensional nonlinear hydrodynamic-numerical finite differences model. The system was forced by the dominant M ₂ tidal component at the open boundary. We carried out calculations to study the morphodynamics of the actual bathymetry caused by the bedload sediment transport. To investigate the origin of actual morphological features, we performed experiments using a smoothed bathymetry, in which the islands Montague, Gore, and Pelícano were eliminated. Under the imposed tidal hydrodynamics, the results indicate that the bedload transport contributes significantly in the genesis of sandbanks and in the formation and maintaining of the Montague and Gore Islands.     

Growth of large-scale bed forms due to storm-driven and tidal currents: a model approach

An idealized morphodynamic model is used to gain further understanding about the formation and characteristics of shoreface-connected sand ridges and tidal sand banks on the continental shelf. The model consists of the 2D shallow water equations, supplemented with a sediment transport formulation and describes the initial feedback between currents and small amplitude bed forms. The behaviour of bed forms during both storm and fair weather conditions is analyzed. This is relevant in case of coastal seas characterized by tidal motion, where the latter causes continuous transport of sediment as bed load.The new aspects of this work are the incorporation of both steady and tidal currents (represented by an M₂ and M₄ component) in the external forcing, in combination with dominant suspended sediment transport during storms. The results indicate that the dynamics during storms and fair weather strongly differ, causing different types of bed forms to develop. Shoreface-connected sand ridges mainly form during storm conditions, whereas if fair weather conditions prevail the more offshore located tidal sand banks develop. Including the M₄ tide changes the properties of the bed forms, such as growth rates and migration speeds, due to tidal asymmetry. Finally a probabilistic formulation of the storm and fair weather realization of the model is used to find conditions for which both types of large-scale bed forms occur simultaneously. These conditions turn out to be a low storm fraction and the presence strong tidal currents in combination with strong steady currents during storms.     

Numerical modeling of tidal currents, sediment transport and morphological evolution in Hangzhou Bay, China

A 2D depth-averaged numerical model is set up to simulate the macro-scale hydrodynamic characteristics, sediment transport patterns and morphological evolution in Hangzhou Bay, a large macro-tidal estuary on the eastern coast of China. By incorporating the shallow water equations, the suspended sediment transport equation and the mass-balance equation for sediment; short-term hydrodynamics, sediment transport and long-term morphological evolution for Hangzhou Bay are simulated and the underlying physical mechanisms are analyzed. The model reproduces the spatial distribution patterns of suspended sediment concentration (SSC) in Hangzhou Bay, characterized by three high SSC zones and two low SSC zones. It also correctly simulates the residual flow, the residual sediment transport and the sediment accumulation patterns in Hangzhou Bay. The model results are in agreement with previous studies based on field measurements. The residual flow and the residual sediment transport are landwards directed in the northern part of the bay and seawards directed in the southern part. Sediment accumulation takes place in most areas of the bay. Harmonic analysis revealed that the tide is flood-dominant in the northern part of the bay and ebb-dominant in the southern part of the bay. The strength of the flood-dominance increases landwards along the northern Hangzhou Bay. In turn sediment transport in Hangzhou Bay is controlled by this tidal asymmetry pattern. In addition, the direction of tidal propagation in the East China Sea, the presence of the archipelago in the southeast and the funnel-shaped geometry of the bay, play important roles for the patterns of sediment transport and sediment accumulation respectively.     

Coastal profile response to sea level rise: a process‐based approach

Prevailing ideas and calculations of coastal response to sea level rise (SLR) are often based on the Bruun model (Bruun P., Sea‐level rise as a cause of shore erosion, Journal Waterways Harbors Division, ASCE 88 : 117–130, 1962) that predicts upward and landward transfer of an equilibrium profile during SLR through offshore sediment transport on the shoreface. The model is based on a number of assumptions of questionable validity as well as outdated concepts on how sediment is transported across the shoreface. This contribution takes a numerical modelling approach that is based on first‐order processes contributing to the movement of sediment across the shoreface. Using a wave transformation model that predicts hydrodynamic processes driving cross‐shore sediment transport and an energetics‐based model for the coupling between hydrodynamics and sediment transport, we show that cross‐shore sediment transport is mainly onshore directed at the boundary between the lower and the upper shoreface, in agreement with the model proposed by Davidson‐Arnott (Conceptual model of the effects of sea level rise on sandy coasts, Journal of Coastal Research 21 : 1166–1172, 2005). The transition from onshore to offshore directed transport is located well within the surf zone and with a rising sea level this transition point becomes displaced landward and upward. Tests also show that substrate slope is of fundamental importance to the manner in which beaches react to rising sea level. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Modeling the preservation potential of tidal flat sedimentary records,Jiangsu coast,eastern China

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.     

Modelling the hydrodynamics of offshore sandbanks

This paper describes the details of a quasi-three-dimensional model (3DBANK), which has been developed to investigate medium and long-term morphological evolution and development of offshore sandbanks. The model is based on a three-dimensional tidal module using the Galerkin-eigenfunction method, but also includes four sub-modules to compute: the instantaneous bedform characteristics from which the temporal and spatial variations of the shear stresses at the sea bed can be derived; the suspended sediment concentration through the water column; the bed-load and suspended sediment fluxes at a point-in-plan; and the resulting morphological changes, respectively. The model also includes the effects of the wind and waves at the sea surface, as well as the wave–current interaction (WCI), and operates with full hydrodynamic and morphodynamic interaction. The components of the model were tested against laboratory and field data, and the complete model was then applied to Middlekerke Bank off the Flemish coast where extensive field measurements were taken during the European Community (EC) funded Circulation and Sediment Transport Around Banks (CSTAB) Project using various advanced instrumentation including STABLE and HF OSCR. Comparisons of the model results with the field measurements and observations show that the model is capable of reproducing the current and wave-induced bedforms, bed roughness, tidal currents and tidal residuals around the sandbank satisfactorily, and can be used to study the long-term sandbank evolution under various offshore conditions. This paper, however, focuses on the hydrodynamic aspects of the model, while the details of the morphological components will be given in a companion paper.     

The impact of silt trapping in large reservoirs on downstream morphology: the Yangtze River

The sediment load of the Yangtze River (China) is decreasing because of construction of dams, of which the Three Gorges Dam (TGD) is the best known example. The rate of the decline in sediment load is well known, but changes in the sediment grain size distribution have not been given much attention. The TGD mostly traps sand and silt while clay is flushed through the reservoir. A large amount of sand is available in the Yangtze River downstream of the reservoir, and therefore the pre-dam sand concentration is not substantially reduced. The availability of silt on the Yangtze River bed is limited, and it is expected that most silt will be removed from the riverbed within one to two decades. In order to evaluate the impact of the change in grain size distribution on the tidal flats of the Yangtze Estuary, a highly schematized tidal flat model is setup. This model broadly reveals that the observed deposition rates are exceptionally large because of the high sediment concentration, the abundance of silt, the seasonal dominance of waves (shaping a concave profile), and the offshore tidal asymmetry. The model further suggests that deposition rates will be limitedly influenced by reductions in clay or fine silt but strongly impacted by reductions in median to coarse silt. The response of the downstream morphology to reservoir sedimentation therefore strongly depends on the type of trapped sediment. As a consequence, silt-dominated rivers, such as the Yangtze River and the Yellow River may be more strongly impacted than sand-dominated systems.