Intercomparison of coastal area morphodynamic models

Five different coastal area morphodynamic models have been set up to run on the same offshore breakwater layout and an intercomparison carried out on the hydrodynamic and morphodynamic output produced by each scheme. In addition, the predicted morphodynamics was checked against available laboratory and field data.It is concluded that the models are capable of producing realistic estimates for the dominant morphodynamic features associated with offshore breakwaters. Coupling of the wave, current and sediment transport components of each scheme is shown to yield bathymetry which attains a state of equilibrium, unlike models which are based on the initial transport field only.     

Remote sensing of intertidal morphological change in Morecambe Bay,U.K., between 1991 and 2007

Tidal Flats are important examples of extensive areas of natural environment that remain relatively unaffected by man. Monitoring of tidal flats is required for a variety of purposes. Remote sensing has become an established technique for the measurement of topography over tidal flats. A further requirement is to measure topographic changes in order to measure sediment budgets. To date there have been few attempts to make quantitative estimates of morphological change over tidal flat areas. This paper illustrates the use of remote sensing to measure quantitative and qualitative changes in the tidal flats of Morecambe Bay during the relatively long period 1991–2007. An understanding of the patterns of sediment transport within the Bay is of considerable interest for coastal management and defence purposes. Tidal asymmetry is considered to be the dominant cause of morphological change in the Bay, with the higher currents associated with the flood tide being the main agency moulding the channel system. Quantitative changes were measured by comparing a Digital Elevation Model (DEM) of the intertidal zone formed using the waterline technique applied to satellite Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) images from 1991–1994, to a second DEM constructed from airborne laser altimetry data acquired in 2005. Qualitative changes were studied using additional SAR images acquired since 2003. A significant movement of sediment from below Mean Sea Level (MSL) to above MSL was detected by comparing the two Digital Elevation Models, though the proportion of this change that could be ascribed to seasonal effects was not clear. Between 1991 and 2004 there was a migration of the Ulverston channel of the river Leven north-east by about 5 km, followed by the development of a straighter channel to the west, leaving the previous channel decoupled from the river. This is thought to be due to independent tidal and fluvial forcing mechanisms acting on the channel. The results demonstrate the effectiveness of remote sensing for measurement of long-term morphological change in tidal flat areas. An alternative use of waterlines as partial bathymetry for assimilation into a morphodynamic model of the coastal zone is also discussed.     

Beach Wizard: Nearshore bathymetry estimation through assimilation of model computations and remote observations

A data–model assimilation method (called “Beach Wizard”) is presented with which the nearshore subtidal bathymetry can be accurately estimated based on video-derived observations of wave roller dissipation and variation of the intertidal shoreline, and/or radar-derived observations of wave celerity. Using many consecutive images, these observed properties are compared with numerical model results, and through a simple, optimal least-squares estimator approach the estimated bathymetry is adjusted gradually for each image in order to improve the fit between model output and observations. The key advantages of the technique are that it is based on multiple sources of information (i.e., different remote sensors and/or data products), depends on only a few free parameters (to which the model results are insensitive), and shows good skill. Herein, the technique is applied to a synthetic case and two sets of field data from sites at Duck, NC (USA) and Egmond (The Netherlands). The method, which may be extended with observations of other properties from other sources than the three described in this paper, can deliver coastal state information (i.e., simultaneous updates of bathymetry, waves, and currents) with high temporal and spatial resolution and can be used in conjunction with or instead of in-situ measured data.     

集合调整卡尔曼滤波方法在M2分潮数值模拟中的水深估计研究

数据同化利用观测信息对模型状态场调整的同时也可以对数值模型中的不确定参数进行估计,从而改进数值模型,提高数值模拟的精度。本文基于集合调整卡尔曼滤波方法,采用广义坐标系统的美国普林斯顿大学海洋模式的外模式开展了渤海和部分黄海海域M₂分潮模拟中的水深估计研究。理想数据同化试验结果表明,集合调整卡尔曼滤波方法能很好地降低模式模拟的水位误差并反演出“真实”的水深参数。而在NAO.99Jb和验潮站数据的实际数据同化试验中,与验潮站数据相比较,水深参数估计后,模式模拟的M₂分潮振幅与迟角误差分别降低了40.27%和49.19%。     

台风作用下淤泥质海岸动力地貌响应

基于200509号麦莎台风(近似百年一遇)作用前后杭州湾北岸龙泉-南竹港实测的海岸地形和水文资料,利用分形技术、冲刷深度和闭合水深等相关概念分析淤泥质海岸的剖面变化、岸线进退以及地形冲淤,进而探讨海岸响应台风作用的动力地貌行为.结果表明:1)台风作用前后的海岸动力地貌过程表现为水下类似沙坝的堆积体削平、凹处填洼,水下平台发育锯齿或较小的坝--槽,海岸剖面的分维数降低,剖面坡度处于平缓;2)麦莎台风对海床的整体冲淤幅度不大,这可能是由于研究区大潮讯的增水致使波浪对海床的塑造能力减弱以及码头的遮蔽作用造成;3)台风作用对海岸的冲刷深度约为0.8 m,闭合水深为9.5 m,近岸-1 m邻近区成为海岸响应台风作用最敏感的地带;泥沙主要在0 m到闭合水深区间的海床发生纵、横向运移.     

Data assimilation of partitioned HF radar wave data into Wavewatch III

In this study the assimilation of HF radar data into a high resolution, coastal Wavewatch III model is investigated. An optimal interpolation scheme is used to assimilate the data and the design of a background error covariance matrix which reflects the local conditions and difficulties associated with a coastal domain is discussed. Two assimilation schemes are trialled; a scheme which assimilates mean parameters from the HF radar data and a scheme which assimilates partitioned spectral HF radar data. This study demonstrates the feasibility of assimilating partitioned wave data into a coastal domain. The results show that the assimilation schemes provide satisfactory improvements to significant wave heights but more mixed results for mean periods. The best improvements are seen during a stormy period with turning winds. During this period the model is deficient at capturing the change in wave directions and the peak in the waveheights, while the high sea state ensures good quality HF radar data for assimilation. The study also suggests that there are both physical and practical advantages to assimilating partitioned wave data compared to assimilating mean parameters for the whole spectrum.     

Numerical modelling of the morphological response induced by low-crested structures in Lido di Dante,Italy

This paper analyses the morphological response induced by low-crested structures on the adjacent seabed, with particular interest in the erosion patterns that frequently develop at gaps and roundheads. The mechanisms responsible for erosion processes are examined by means of morphodynamic simulations with the numerical suite MIKE 21 CAMS developed by DHI Water & Environment. The main purpose of the paper is to verify how and how far a commercial code can predict bed evolution, in vicinity of defence structures in a real case, in order to get information that may be very useful for structure design and possible maintenance of existing works. The code is applied to a long-term simulation on a study site that is characterized by a composite intervention and suffers from severe erosion, Lido di Dante (Italy). The simulation covers the period (one year and a half) between two available multi-beam surveys, in order to have a detailed real bathymetry as starting point and another one, as accurate as the first, to compare numerical with surveyed results. All the other input data for the model, as waves, tide, wind and sediment characteristics, are derived from measurements in the area; moreover, the code is calibrated using wave and current data acquired during a field campaign. The bed evolution derived from simulations shows a good agreement with the survey both in the locations and in the intensity of erosive and depositional areas. A sensitivity analysis of results to some selected modelling parameters is performed on a shorter simulation period (one month), showing that accounting for bed slope in sediment transport modelling has greater effects in bathymetry evolution than the use of a complex sediment bathymetry or the representation of wave diffraction.     

The Regional Ocean Modeling System (ROMS) 4-dimensional variational data assimilation systems: Part III - Observation impact and observation sensitivity in the California Current System

The critical role played by observations during ocean data assimilation was explored when the Regional Ocean Modeling System (ROMS) 4-dimensional variational (4D-Var) data assimilation system was applied sequentially to the California Current circulation. The adjoint of the 4D-Var gain matrix was used to quantify the impact of individual observations and observation platforms on different aspects of the 4D-Var circulation estimates during both analysis and subsequent forecast cycles. In this study we focus on the alongshore and cross-shore transport of the California Current System associated with wind-induced coastal upwelling along the central California coast. The majority of the observations available during any given analysis cycle are from satellite platforms in the form of SST and SSH, and on average these data exert the largest controlling influence on the analysis increments and forecast skill of coastal transport. However, subsurface in situ observations from Argo floats, CTDs, XBTs and tagged marine mammals often have a considerable impact on analyses and forecasts of coastal transport, even though these observations represent a relatively small fraction of the available data at any particular time.During 4D-Var the observations are used to correct for uncertainties in the model control variables, namely the initial conditions, surface forcing, and open boundary conditions. It is found that correcting for uncertainties in both the initial conditions and surface forcing has the largest impact on the analysis increments in alongshore transport, while the cross-shore transport is controlled mainly by the surface forcing. The memory of the circulation associated with the control variable increments was also explored in relation to 7 day forecasts of the coastal circulation. Despite the importance of correcting for surface forcing uncertainties during analysis cycles, the coastal transport during forecast cycles initialized from the analyses has less memory of the surface forcing corrections, and is controlled primarily by the analysis initial conditions.Using the adjoint of the entire 4D-Var system we have also explored the sensitivity of the coastal transport to changes in the observations and the observation array. A single integration of the adjoint of 4D-Var can be used to predict the change that occurs when observations from different platforms are omitted from the 4D-Var analysis. Thus observing system experiments can be performed for each data assimilation cycle at a fraction of the computational cost that would be required to repeat the 4D-Var analyses when observations are withheld. This is the third part of a three part series describing the ROMS 4D-Var systems.     

Wave farm impact on the beach profile: A case study

If wave energy is to become a fully-fledged renewable, its environmental impacts must be fully understood. The objective of the present work is to examine the impact of a wave farm on the beach profile through a case study. The methodology is based on two coupled numerical models: a nearshore wave propagation model and a morphodynamic model, which are run in two scenarios, both with and without the wave farm. Wave data from a nearby coastal buoy are used to prescribe the boundary conditions. A positive effect on the wave climate, the cross-shore sediment transport and, consequently, the evolution of the beach profile itself due to the presence of the wave farm was found. The wave farm leads to a reduction in the erosion of the beach face. This work constitutes the first stage of the investigation of the effectiveness of a wave farm as a coastal defence measure, and the accuracy of the quantification of the erosion reduction will be enhanced in future research. In any case, the overarching picture that emerges is that wave farms, in addition to providing carbon-free energy, can be used as elements of a coastal defence scheme.     

RTM Gravity Forward-Modeling Using Topography/Bathymetry Data to Improve High-Degree Global Geopotential Models in the Coastal Zone

We apply the residual terrain modeling (RTM) technique for gravity forward-modeling to successfully improve high-resolution global gravity fields at short spatial scales in coastal zones. The RTM scheme is combined with the concept of rock-equivalent topography, allowing to use a single uniform constant mass-density in the RTM forward-modeling, both at land and sea. SRTM30_PLUS bathymetry is merged with higher-resolution SRTM V4.1 land topography, and expanded into spherical harmonics to degree 2160, yielding a new and consistent high-degree RTM reference surface. The forward-modeling performance is demonstrated in coastal zones of Greece and Canada using ground-truth vertical deflections, gravity from land and shipborne gravimetry, and geoid heights from GPS/leveling, with improvements originating from bathymetry clearly identified. We demonstrate that the SRTM30_PLUS bathymetry carries information on gravity field structures at spatial scales less than 5 arc minutes, which can be used to augment EGM2008 in (rugged) coastal zones, both over land and marine areas. This may be of value (i) to partially reduce the signal omission error in EGM2008/GOCE-based height transfer in areas devoid of dense gravity data, (ii) to fill the gap between land gravity and shipborne gravity along rugged coastlines, and (iii) for the development of next-generation altimetric gravity fields.     

Managing local coastal inundation risk using real-time forecasts and artificial dune placements

Uncertainty in the behaviour of future storm events and extreme water levels means that the introduction of Early Warning Systems for coastal inundation risk at vulnerable local sites becomes increasing paramount. In this study the coupled hydro-morphodynamic model XBeach is used at two sites along the Emilia-Romagna coastline in northern Italy to predict coastal inundation risk in the presence of coastal structures and temporary artificial dunes. These dunes are typically formed by beach scraping and are used on this coastline to protect beach-front infrastructure during the winter period. Coastal inundation risk is defined by the cross-shore distance between the seaward edge of the building and the time-varying waterline predicted by XBeach. A series of synthetic storm events as well as a real-world scenario that caused dune failure at one of the sites are tested. Comparisons between XBeach results and the Van Der Meer empirical formula for wave transmission behind offshore structures show a very strong agreement, while the real-world scenario indicates promising model prediction performance of dune failure at least one day in advance. A new model tool known as DuneMaker is developed that modifies XBeach model grids to simulate the impacts of scraped/placed artificial dunes of varying size, shape and configuration. The use of this tool is demonstrated on the same model test runs, where it is shown that improved dune design can reduce the predicted coastal inundation risk at critical points of vulnerability identified by the model.     

Process-based modelling of a shoreface nourishment

A state-of-the-art process-based model is applied to hindcast the morphological development of a shoreface nourishment along the barrier island of Terschelling, The Netherlands. The applied morphodynamic model is Delft3D for fully three-dimensional flow and sediment transport in coastal environments. Owing to a complex geomorphological setting of the study area, the curvi-linear model includes adjacent tidal inlets and covers 40×70 km with an increasing grid size resolution towards the nourishment site in the center of the island. In 1993, a total of 2 Mm³ of sand was supplied to the nearshore bar zone off Terschelling, filling up the trough between the middle and outer bar. By spring 1994, most of the nourished sediment had been redistributed onshore and welded onto the middle bar where it remained in the following years. The morphodynamic model is applied to the prediction of this rapid nearshore profile behaviour. The calibration of the model against an extensive set of full-scale hydrodynamic data at several locations throughout the nearshore bar zone shows a good representation of the measured hydrodynamics. Morphodynamic results show a dependency on spatial scale: on the scale of precise bed level evolution with respect to bar migration and growth, model predictions are poor as the nearshore bars are predicted to flatten out. Resorting to bulk volumes integrated over larger spatial scales, the model clearly has skill in predicting the overall effects of the nourishment. The lack of phase shift between sediment transport and bathymetry is identified as the key controlling factor for the poor sandbar predictions.     

Analysis of SARAL/AltiKa Wind and Wave over Indian Ocean and its Real-time Application in Wave Forecasting System at ISRO

The current study aims to analyze the wind and wave parameters over Indian Ocean region obtained from first Ka –band altimeter AltiKa onboard SARAL, a collaborative mission of Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) and Centre National d'Etudes Spatiales (CNES), France. It also demonstrates a real time application of SARAL data by assimilating the wave height in a wave model operational at the Space Applications Centre, ISRO. State-of–the art coastal wave model Simulating Wave Near shore (SWAN) is used for this purpose. The well-tested optimal interpolation technique is adopted for assimilation. Before proceeding to the assimilation per se, SARAL/AltiKa Wind and Significant Wave Height (SWH) have been validated using in- situ observations and WAVEWATCH III model. Apart from assessment of wind and wave data quality, this also served the purpose of providing error covariance to be used in assimilation. Supremacy of the assimilation run over parallel control run without assimilation has been judged by comparing the results with buoy observations at Indian National Centre for Ocean Information System (INCOIS). The statistics of validation of the assimilation run has been found to be extremely encouraging and interesting.     

Sequential assimilation in the wind wave model for simulations of typhoon events around Taiwan Island

We investigate the effect of data assimilation in the Wind Wave Model (WWM, Hsu et al., 2005) for wind wave simulations of typhoon events using an Optimal Interpolation (OI) method in the coastal waters of Taiwan. The main point of the present study is that the assimilation is conducted for typhoon events with short-time periods around an island. Five real typhoon events were used for numerical assimilation experiments with different combinations of the key parameters: the correlation length, the ratio of the errors between the observation and the prediction, and the number of measuring stations. The retrieved wind velocity is obtained using the wave energy growth curve computed from the WWM. The wave energy dissipation function suggested by Makin and Kudryavtsev (1999) was adopted in the data assimilation. This study shows that assimilation can improve the initial performance of the wave model, but it becomes insignificant after about 12 h. In summary, the OI approach is shown to be a reliable assimilation scheme for the WWM applied to typhoon events in the coastal waters of Taiwan Island.     

The effects of a bypass dunefield on the stability of a headland bay beach: A case study

This paper presents a case study on the modelling of a headland bay beach influenced by sediment input from migrating coastal dunes. The study area is the region around the town of Ingleses on Santa Catarina Island, Santa Catarina state, South-Eastern Brazil. Ingleses has been threatened by nature at two different fronts. At the north-eastern side of the town lies Ingleses Beach, a headland bay beach which seems to be subject to persistent erosion in recent years. On the south-western side the town is threatened by a migrating dunefield, which is encroaching onto houses and infrastructure, but which has not reached the beach in the past 70 years. A second dunefield in the area does not pose a direct threat to the town, but passes it on the eastern side and forms an important influence on the development of the beach. The sediment influx rate from this dunefield to the beach is 10,000 m³/year. To investigate the effect of the dunefields on the morphodynamic system, a numerical model has been created using the software packages SWAN and UNIBEST and the static equilibrium bay shape was determined by the software package MEPBAY. The result of the long-term scenario as predicted by UNIBEST agrees rather well with the static equilibrium bay shape found with MEPBAY. This provides sounds basis for the credibility of both models. Consequently, the predicted evolutional trend of the shoreline seems plausible.     

Asynchronous data assimilation with the EnKF

This study revisits the problem of assimilation of asynchronous observations, or four-dimensional data assimilation, with the ensemble Kalman filter (EnKF). We show that for a system with perfect model and linear dynamics the ensemble Kalman smoother (EnKS) provides a simple and efficient solution for the problem: one just needs to use the ensemble observations (that is, the forecast observations for each ensemble member) from the time of observation during the update, for each assimilated observation. This recipe can be used for assimilating both past and future data; in the context of assimilating generic asynchronous observations we refer to it as the asynchronous EnKF. The asynchronous EnKF is essentially equivalent to the four-dimensional variational data assimilation (4D-Var). It requires only one forward integration of the system to obtain and store the data necessary for the analysis, and therefore is feasible for large-scale applications. Unlike 4D-Var, the asynchronous EnKF requires no tangent linear or adjoint model.     

Space and time variability of uncertainty in morphodynamic simulations

The uncertainty associated with simulations of process-based coastal area morphodynamic models is assessed through numerical experimentation. Appropriate metrics of uncertainty are defined based on the standard deviation of the model results at each location and each time step. Uncertainty is examined using a set of realistic one year morphodynamic simulations of the evolution of a highly dynamic tidal inlet. Results indicate that uncertainty increases linearly with time, and suggest that its rate grows with increasing sediment fluxes. Hence, the limits of predictability of morphodynamic model applications are higher for slowly varying systems. Attempts to reduce uncertainty by aggregating model results at larger spatial scales met with limited success. Ensemble simulations are suggested as a possible avenue to investigate the long-term evolution of tidal inlets using process-based models.     

Assimilation of surface currents into a regionalmodel over Qingdao coastal waters of China

Surface currents measured by high frequency （HF） radar arrays are assimilated into a regional ocean model over Qingdao coastal waters based on Kalman filter method. A series of numerical experiments are per- formed to evaluate the performance of the data assimilation schemes. In order to optimize the analysis pro- cedure in the traditional ensemble Kalman filter （ENKF）, a different analysis scheme called quasiensemble Kaman filter （QENKF） is proposed. The comparisons between the ENKF and the QENKF suggest that both them can improve the simulated error and the spatial structure. The estimations of the background error covariance （BEC） are also assessed by comparing three different methods： Monte Carlo method; Canadian quick covariance （CQC） method and data uncertainty engine （DUE） method. A significant reduction of the root-mean-square （RMS） errors between model results and the observations shows that the CQC method is able to better reproduce the error statistics for this coastal ocean model and the corresponding external forcing. In addition, the sensibility of the data assimilation system to the ensemble size is also analyzed by means of different scales of the ensemble size used in the experiments. It is found that given the balance of the computational cost and the forecasting accuracy, the ensemble size of 50 will be an appropriate choice in the Qingdao coastal waters.     

The statistical observation localized equivalent-weights particle filter in a simple nonlinear model

This paper presents an improved approach based on the equivalent-weights particle filter(EWPF) that uses the proposal density to effectively improve the traditional particle filter. The proposed approach uses historical data to calculate statistical observations instead of the future observations used in the EWPF’s proposal density and draws on the localization scheme used in the localized PF(LPF) to construct the localized EWPF. The new approach is called the statistical observation localized E...     

基于半分析模型和非线性优化的高光谱遥感水深探测

海岸带浅水和底质的成分复杂且分布不均,使遥感水深探测面临很大挑战。 尝试通过利用 Hydrolight 仿真建立的遥感反射率半分析模型来解决这个问题。 采用英属维尔京群岛彼得岛的高光谱影像,应用非线性优化的方法提取了水下地形。 从反演水深和海图标注水深拟合的趋势线斜率为 0. 9392,决定系数为 0. 8258。 试验结果证明,使用定标好的高光谱影像进行海岸带地区快速水深探测是可行的。