Lateral variability of flow over a sill in a channel of southern Chile

Measurements of velocity and density profiles were used to describe the tidal and mean flow structure across and along a sill in Refugio Channel, a fjord-like inlet in Southern Chile (43.9°S). These are the first oceanographic measurements of any kind effected in Refugio Channel. Current profiles were obtained with a 307.2-kHz acoustic Doppler current profiler during two semidiurnal cycles along a repeated triangular circuit. Two along-channel transects formed the sides of the triangle that crossed the sill and were identified as the western and eastern transects. One cross-channel transect, the base of the triangle, was located on the seaward side of the sill. Density profiles were obtained at the corners of the triangle. The longitudinal mean flow in the western transect showed a two-layer exchange structure over the landward side of the sill. The structure of net seaward flow at the surface and landward flow at depth was disrupted by the sill in such a way that over the seaward side of the sill, only seaward flow was observed throughout the water column. This likely resulted from the blocking of landward net flow by the sill. In the eastern transect, two-layer exchange dominated over most of the transect and was consistent with the observed density profiles. Over the seaward side of the sill, a surface layer, ∼10m deep, flowed landward as a third layer. This feature should have been caused by river input further seaward (to the north) and produced a surface convergence region over the sill. In terms of tidal flows, the greatest tidal current amplitudes were 40cm s⁻¹ over the sill as the flow accelerated through the reduced cross-sectional area of the channel. Near-surface flow convergences were identified over both along-channel transects.     

An instrument system for the investigation of particle fluxes

We present the rationale, design, and use of an instrument system to measure the variability of vertical and horizontal particle fluxes. The system features a new sequentially sampling sediment trap which collects and seals 10 separate samples during a single deployment. Horizontal particle fluxes are simultaneously monitored with a beam transmissometer interfaced to a standard Aanderaa current meter. Results from a 10-week deployment of instruments at several depths in a deep fjord estuary indicate that the trapping rate increases from 0.5g m⁻² day⁻¹ at 20 m to 150g m⁻² day⁻¹ at 200 m (5 m above bottom) because of frequent erosion in the deep waters. Periodic flushing of the deep water by intrusions of marine water over the seaward sill markedly enhances erosion and causes an up-estuary particle transport comparable to the vertical particle flux originating at the surface.     

Glacial flood pulse effects on benthic fauna in equatorial high‐Andean streams

Equatorial glacier‐fed streams present unique hydraulic patterns when compared to glacier‐fed observed in temperate regions as the main variability in discharge occurs on a daily basis. To assess how benthic fauna respond to these specific hydraulic conditions, we investigated the relationships between flow regime, hydraulic conditions (boundary Reynolds number, Re*), and macroinvertebrate communities (taxon richness and abundance) in a tropical glacier‐fed stream located in the high Ecuadorian Andes (> 4000 m). Both physical and biotic variables were measured under four discharge conditions (base‐flow and glacial flood pulses of various intensities), at 30 random points, in two sites whose hydraulic conditions were representative to those found in other streams of the study catchment. While daily glacial flood pulses significantly increased hydraulic stress in the benthic habitats (appearance of Re* > 2000), low stress areas still persisted even during extreme flood events (Re* < 500). In contrast to previous research in temperate glacier‐fed streams, taxon richness and abundance were not significantly affected by changes in hydraulic conditions induced by daily glacial flood pulses. However, we found that a few rare taxa, in particular rare ones, preferentially occurred in highly stressed hydraulic habitats. Monte‐Carlo simulations of benthic communities under glacial flood reduction scenarios predicted that taxon richness would be significantly reduced by the loss of high hydraulic stress habitats following glacier shrinking. This pioneer study on the relationship between hydraulic conditions and benthic diversity in an equatorial glacial stream evidenced unknown effects of climate change on singular yet endangered aquatic systems. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Impacts of Holocene and modern sea-level changes on estuarine mangroves from northeastern Brazil

Projections of the impacts of modern Relative Sea Level (RSL) rise on estuarine mangroves should be supported by coastal topographic data and records of mangrove dynamics under past RSL change. This work identified inland and seaward mangrove migrations along the Jucuruçu River (Bahia, Northeastern Brazil), during the Holocene based on sedimentary features, palynological and geochemical (δ¹³C, δ¹⁵N, C/N) data integrated with digital elevation models. During the Middle Holocene, in response to RSL rise, the estuary saw mangrove forest establish up to ~37 km inland. RSL stood between -1.4 (+0.36/-2.2 m) and +1 (2.19/0.2 m) around 7400 cal yr BP, and rose to a highest position of +3.25 (4.22/2.45 m) reached around 5350 cal yr BP. That marine incursion caused the inland replacement of freshwater vegetation by mangroves on tidal flats. Since then, the estuary experienced RSL fall, reducing inland tidal water salinity towards the Late Holocene, making that the mangroves were replaced by freshwater floodplain vegetation. Today, in the seaward part of the estuary near its mouth, mangroves occupy an area of ~10 km² along tidal channels. Considering a RSL rise of 98 cm up to the end of the 21^st century, at a rate significantly higher than that of Middle Holocene RSL rise (1.5 mm/yr) and fall (0.6 mm/yr), the current mangrove substrates are expected to drown and/or eroded near the coast, while new mangroves may establish inland, at topographically higher tidal flats in nowadays freshwater-tidal zones. Mangrove area could expand over 13 km² of coastal and flood plain. Following the same interaction between RSL/climate changes and Holocene mangrove dynamics, such upstream mangrove migration may be attenuated or intensified by changes in fluvial discharge. © 2019 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Flow convergence over a broad,flat continental shelf

The broad (～500 km) southeastern Bering Sea continental shelf contains three fronts; outer (shelf break, ～170-m depth), middle (～100-m depth), and inner (～50-m depth). The shelf break and inner fronts appear to be analogous to similar fronts reported from other mid-latitude continental shelves; extensively studied examples are from the mid-Atlantic bight, off Nova Scotia, and around the British Isles. The middle front may have counterparts on the broad North Sea and East China Sea shelves.One-month current and temperature records from either side of the middle front, ～150 km landward from the shelf break, showed convergence in the layers deeper than 30 m in both the cross-shelf flow field and heat flux. The convergence was ～3 cm s^?1, so an average upwelling at ～1 × 10^?3cm s^?1 and divergence in the surface layer were required to maintain continuity. Variations in the degree of convergence arose primarily from 1 to 5-day fluctuations in sub-tidal flow across the outer shelf domain seaward of the front.Diffusive landward heat flux was dominated by tidal scales. Horizontal eddy conductivities describing the flux were ～1 ? 10⁶ on the landward side and ～5 × 10⁶cm² s^?1 on the seaward side, and were less in the layers above the bottom layer. Advective flux by the mean flow was the same order as diffusive flux, but landward in the bottom layer and seaward in the mid-water column layers, in agreement with deductions from water mass analyses. Frontal effects reduced the net cross-shelf heat flux beneath ～30 m by about 50%. The observation of a flow convergence in the middle of a broad, flat continental shelf poses an important question of dynamics.     

Circulation induced by subglacial discharge in glacial fjords: Results from idealized numerical simulations

The flow caused by the discharge of freshwater underneath a glacier into an idealized fjord is simulated with a 2D non-hydrostatic model. As the freshwater leaves horizontally the subglacial opening into a fjord of uniformly denser water it spreads along the bottom as a jet, until buoyancy forces it to rise. During the initial rising phase, the plume meanders into complex flow patterns while mixing with the surrounding fluid until it reaches the surface and then spreads horizontally as a surface seaward flowing plume of brackish water. The process induces an estuarine-like circulation. Once steady-state is reached, the flow consists of an almost undiluted buoyant plume rising straight along the face of the glacier that turns into a horizontal surface layer thickening as it flows seaward. Over the range of parameters examined, the estuarine circulation is dynamically unstable with gradient Richardson number at the sheared interface having values of <1/4. The surface velocity and dilution factors are strongly and non-linearly related to the Froude number. It is the buoyancy flux that primarily controls the resulting circulation with the momentum flux playing a secondary role.     

Tidal circulation and energy dissipation in a shallow, sinuous estuary

The tidal dynamics in a pristine, mesotidal (>2 m range), marsh-dominated estuary are examined using moored and moving vessel field observations. Analysis focuses on the structure of the M ₂ tide that accounts for approximately 80% of the observed tidal energy, and indicates a transition in character from a near standing wave on the continental shelf to a more progressive wave within the estuary. A slight maximum in water level (WL) occurs in the estuary 10–20 km from the mouth. M ₂ WL amplitude decreases at 0.015 m/km landward of this point, implying head of tide approximately 75 km from the mouth. In contrast, tidal currents in the main channel 25 km inland are twice those at the estuary mouth. Analysis suggests the tidal character is consistent with a strongly convergent estuarine geometry controlling the tidal response in the estuary. First harmonic (M ₄) current amplitude follows the M ₂ WL distribution, peaking at mid-estuary, whereas M ₄ WL is greatest farther inland. The major axis current amplitude is strongly influenced by local bathymetry and topography. On most bends a momentum core shifts from the inside to outside of the bend moving seaward, similar to that seen in unidirectional river flow but with point bars shifted seaward of the bends. Dissipation rate estimates, based on changes in energy flux, are 0.18–1.65 W m⁻² or 40–175 μW kg^–1. A strong (0.1 m/s), depth-averaged residual flow is produced at the bends, which resembles flow around headlands, forming counter-rotating eddies that meet at the apex of the bends. A large sub-basin in the estuary exhibits remarkably different tidal characteristics and may be resonant at a harmonic of the M ₂ tide.     

The impact of pro‐glacial lakes on downstream sediment delivery in Norway

Glacier recessions caused by climate change may uncover pro‐glacial lakes that form important sedimentation basins regulating the downstream sediment delivery. The impact of modern pro‐glacial lakes on fluvial sediment transport from three different Norwegian glaciers: Nigardsbreen, Engabreen and Tunsbergdalsbreen, and their long‐term development has been studied. All of these lakes developed in modern times in overdeepened bedrock basins. The recession of Nigardsbreen uncovered a 1.8 km long and on average 15 m deep pro‐glacial lake basin during 1937 to 1968. Since then the glacier front has been situated entirely on land, and the sediment input and output of the lake has been measured. The suspended sediment transport into and out of the lake averaged 11 730 t yr^?1 and 2340 t yr^?1 respectively. Thus, 20% remained in suspension at the outlet. The measured mean annual bedload supplied to the lake was 11 800 t yr^?1, giving a total transport of 23 530 t yr^?1 which corresponds to a specific sediment yield of 561 t km^?2 yr^?1. A 1.9 km long and up to 90 m deep pro‐glacial lake basin downstream from Engabreen glacier was uncovered during 1890 to 1944. The average suspended sediment load delivered from the glacier during the years 1970–1981 amounted to 12 375 t yr^?1and the transport out of the lake was 2021 t yr^?1, giving an average of 16% remaining in suspension. The mean annual bedload was 8000 t yr^?1, thus the total transport was 20 375 t yr^?1, giving a specific sediment yield of 566 t km^?2 yr^?1. For Tunsbergdalsbreen glacier, measurements in the early 1970s indicated that the suspended sediment transport was on average 44 000 t yr^?1. From 1987 to 1993 the recession of the glacier uncovered a small pro‐glacial lake, 0.3 km long and around 9 m deep. Downstream from this, the suspended sediment load measured in 2009 was 28 000 t yr^?1, indicating that as much as 64% remained in suspension. Flow velocity, grain size of sediment, and morphology of the lake are important factors controlling the sedimentation rate in the pro‐glacial lakes. A survey of the sub‐glacial morphology of Tunsbergdalsbreen revealed that there are several overdeepened basins beneath the glacier. The largest is 4 km long and 100 m deep. When the glacier melts back they will become lakes and act as sedimentation basins. Despite an expected increase in sediment yield from the glacier, little sediment will pass these lakes and downstream sediment delivery will be reduced markedly. Beneath Nigardsbreen there was only a small depression that may form a lake and the sediment delivery will not be significantly affected. © 2014 The Authors. Earth Surface Processes and Landforms published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.     

Interaction Between the Warm Subsurface Atlantic Water in the Sermilik Fjord and Helheim Glacier in Southeast Greenland

Recent observations of ocean temperature in several Greenland fjords suggest that ocean warming can cause large changes in the outlet glaciers in these fjords. We have observed the Helheim outlet-glacier front in the Sermilik Fjord over the last three decades using satellite images, and the vertical fjord temperature and salinity during three summer expeditions, 2008?C2010. We show that the subsurface water below 250 m depth is the warm saline Atlantic Water from the Irminger Sea penetrating into the fjord and exposing the lower part of the Helheim glacier to warm water up to 4°C. Lagged correlation analysis spanning the 30-year time series, using the subsurface Atlantic Water temperature off the coast as a proxy for the variability of the subsurface warm Atlantic Water in the fjord, indicates that 24% of the Helheim ice-front movement can be accounted for by ocean temperature. A strong correlation (?C0.75) between the ice-front position and the surface air temperature from a nearby meteorological station suggests that the higher air temperature causes melting and subsequent downward percolation of meltwater through crevasses leading to basal lubrication; the correlation accounts for 56% of the ice-front movement. The precise contribution of air temperature versus ocean temperature however, remains an open question, as more oceanographic and meteorological measurements are needed close to the glacier terminus.     

Seawater intrusion and fresh groundwater hydraulics in fjord delta aquifers inferred from ground penetrating radar and resistivity profiles—Sunndalsøra and Esebotn, western Norway

Geophysical surveys have been carried out in two fjord delta aquifers in western Norway. Geophysical methods comprised ground penetrating radar (GPR), shallow reflection seismic and resistivity measurements. The purpose of the investigations was to evaluate hydrogeological properties of the fjord delta aquifers with emphasis on the possibilities of abstracting saline groundwater for use in fish farming. At Sunndalsøra, reflection seismic was helpful in the mapping of the base of the aquifer. Resistivity profiles revealed both the spatial and seasonal variability of seawater intrusion. Penetration depths of ground penetrating radar (GPR-D) revealed the spatial variation of the boundary of the transition zone between saline and fresh groundwater. Maps of GPR-D can be used to indicate direction and magnitude of mean hydraulic gradients and thus to locate optimal sites for both fresh and saline groundwater abstraction.In fjord delta aquifers, both rivers and abandoned river channels constitute important groundwater divides. Optimal locations for saline groundwater abstraction wells are in areas separated from the rivers by abandoned river channels. In areas between the rivers and the abandoned river channels, groundwater abstraction will result in decreasing salinity of the water.     

Three‐dimensional hydrodynamic and salinity transport modelling of Danshuei River estuarine system and adjacent coastal sea,Taiwan

A three‐dimensional, time‐dependent hydrodynamic and salinity model was applied to the Danshuei River estuarine system and adjacent coastal sea in Taiwan. The model forcing functions consist of tidal elevations along the open boundary and freshwater flows from the main stem and tributaries in the Danshuei River system. The bottom roughness height was calibrated and verified with model simulation of barotropic flow, and the turbulent diffusivities were calibrated through comparison of time‐series of salinity distributions. The overall model verification was achieved with comparisons of residual current and salinity distribution. The model simulation results are in qualitative agreement with the available field data. The model was then used to investigate the tidal current, residual current, and salinity patterns under the low freshwater flow condition in the modelling domain. The results reveal that the extensive intrusion of saline water imposes a significant baroclinic forcing and induces a strong residual circulation in the estuary. The downriver net velocity in the upper layer increases seaward despite the enlargement of the river cross‐section in that direction. Strong residual circulation can be found near the Kuan‐Du station. This may be the result of the deep bathymetric features there. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Suspended sediment fluxes at an intertidal flat: The shifting influence of wave,wind, tidal,and freshwater forcing

Using in situ, continuous, high frequency (8–16 Hz) measurements of velocity, suspended sediment concentration (SSC), and salinity, we investigate the factors affecting near-bed sediment flux during and after a meteorological event (cold front) on an intertidal flat in central San Francisco Bay. Hydrodynamic forcing occurs over many frequency bands including wind wave, ocean swell, seiching (500–1000 s), tidal, and infra-tidal frequencies, and varies greatly over the time scale of hours and days. Sediment fluxes occur primarily due to variations in flow and SSC at three different scales: residual (tidally averaged), tidal, and seiching. During the meteorological event, sediment fluxes are dominated by increases in tidally averaged SSC and flow. Runoff and wind-induced circulation contribute to an order of magnitude increase in tidally averaged offshore flow, while waves and seiching motions from wind forcing cause an order of magnitude increase in tidally averaged SSC. Sediment fluxes during calm periods are dominated by asymmetries in SSC over a tidal cycle. Freshwater forcing produces sharp salinity fronts which trap sediment and sweep by the sensors over short (∼30 min) time scales, and occur primarily during the flood. The resulting flood dominance in SSC is magnified or reversed by variations in wind forcing between the flood and ebb. Long-term records show that more than half of wind events (sustained speeds of greater than 5 m/s) occur for 3 h or less, suggesting that asymmetric wind forcing over a tidal cycle commonly occurs. Seiching associated with wind and its variation produces onshore sediment transport. Overall, the changing hydrodynamic and meteorological forcing influence sediment flux at both short (minutes) and long (days) time scales.     

Subsurface Temperature Changes Due to the Crustal Magmatic Activity – Numerical Simulation

Geothermal aspects of the hypothesis, relating the earthquake swarms in the West Bohemia/Vogtland seismoactive region to magmatic activity, are addressed. A simple 1-D geothermal model of the crust was used to assess the upper limit of the subsurface heating caused by magma intrusion at the assumed focal depth of 9 km. We simulated the process by solving the transient heat conduction equation numerically, considering the heat of magma crystallization to be gradually released in the temperature interval 1100°C to 900°C. The temperature field prior to the intrusion was in steady-state with a surface temperature of 10°C and heat flow of 80 mWm ^–2 , the temperature at the 9 km depth was 270°C. The results suggest that the temperature and heat flow in the uppermost 1 km of the crust begin to grow 100 ka after the intrusion emplacement only, and that the amplitudes of the changes for the realistic lateral extent (a few kilometres) of the intrusion are very small. It was also found that the rate of magma solidification depends strongly on the thickness of the intrusion. It takes about 100 years for a 50 m thick sill to cool down from 1100°C to 600°C, which value represents the lower limit of the solidus temperature. The same cooling takes only 60 days if the sill is 2 m thick. If the nature of the strongly reflected boundaries, interpreted from the January 1997 Nový Kostel seismograms, is connected with the fresh emplacement of magma, the calculated cooling rates have a predictive potential for the temporal changes of the waveforms.     

Numerical modelling of stratified tidal flow over a fjord sill

Field observations of tidally driven stratified flow in the sill area of Knight Inlet (British Columbia) revealed a very complicated structure, which includes solitary waves, upstream bifurcation, hydraulic jump and mixing processes. Recent observations suggest that the flow instabilities on the plunging pycnocline at the lee side of the sill may contribute to solitary wave generation through a subharmonic interaction. The present study reports on a series of numerical experiments of stratified tidal flow in Knight Inlet performed with the help of a fine resolution fully non-linear non-hydrostatic numerical model. The model reproduces all important stages of the baroclinic tidal dynamics observed in Knight Inlet. Results demonstrate that solitary waves are generated apart from the area of hydrodynamic instability. Accelerating tidal flux forms a baroclinic hydraulic jump just above the top of the sill, whereas the bifurcations and zones of shear instabilities are formed downstream of the sill. The first baroclinic mode having the largest velocity escapes from the generation area and propagates upstream, disintegrating further into a packet of solitary waves reviling the classical “non-subharmonic” mechanism of generation. The remaining part of the disturbance (slow baroclinic modes) is arrested by tidal flow and carried away to the lee side of the obstacle, where shear instability, billows and mixing processes are developed. Some sensitivity runs were performed for different value of tidal velocity.     

Patterns of tidal flow asymmetry on shoreface-connected ridge topography off Spiekeroog Island,German Bight

Summary Asymmetry in spring-neap, flood-ebb, and acceleration-deceleration near-bottom tidal current parameters is assessed on the basis of fair-weather measurements at nineteen locations off Spiekeroog Island, German Bight. The study is aimed at a better understanding of flow-substrate interactions and, by implication, the development of shoreface-conneeted ridges which occur in 8–18 m water depth off the East Frisian coast. The ridges are spaced 1–1.5 km apart, have a relief of 3–5 m, widths of 1–2 km, and flank steepnesses of < 1‡. Flood-current peak-velocity asymmetry on each ridge was found to increase from the trough across the crest towards the seaward flank at both spring and neap tide. Tidal excursion was flood asymmetric at spring tide, but the asymmetry diminished with offshore distance. Flood and ebb accelerating currents had higher mean velocities than the decelerating counterparts at spring tide. The mean velocity of decelerating currents tended to be flood-asymmetric at neap tide. Asymmetry was also noted between flood and ebb current directions, on the one hand, and between spring tide and neap tide cross-ridge flow angle (0–44‡) of these currents, on the other. The observed asymmetries in tidal flow parameters are considered critical to ridge growth and maintenance, and most probably result from a combination of overtides as well as geometric and inertial effects due to the ridge topography.

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Tidestromasymmetrien der Zungenrifftopographie vor Spiekeroog

Zusammenfassung Basierend auf Daten von 19 Me\stationen vor Spiekeroog wurden die Asymmetrien bodennaher Tidestromparameter bei Spring-und Nipptide, Ebbe und Flut sowie Tidebeschleunigung/-verz?gerung bei ruhigem Wetter untersucht. Ziel der Studie ist ein besseres Verst?ndnis der Wechselwirkung zwischen Str?mung und Boden und somit der Entwicklung der Zungenriffe vor der ostfriesischen Küste in 8 bis 18 m Tiefe. Die 1–1,5 km auseinanderliegenden Riffe sind 3–5 m hoch, 1–2 km breit und haben eine Neigung von < 1‡. Bei maximalem Flutstrom nahm die Asymmetrie auf den Zungenriffen von der Mulde über den Scheitel zum seew?rtigen Riffhang hin zu, und zwar bei Spring-und bei Nipptide. Die Gezeitenauslenkung war bei Springtide asymmetrisch, jedoch nahm die Asymmetrie mit zunehmender Entfernung von der Küste ab. Die Flut-und Ebbstr?me hatten bei Springtide h?here mittlere Geschwindigkeiten als die Str?me bei Nipptide. Die mittlere Geschwindigkeit der Str?me bei Nipptide war eher flutasymmetrisch. Asymmetrie wurde auch zwischen den Richtungen bei Flut-und Ebbstrom einerseits und dem Str?mungswinkel (0–44‡) über die Riffzunge bei Nipp-und Springtide andererseits beobachtet. Die Asymmetrien der Tidestrompara-meter sind offenbar für Wachstum und Erhalt der Riffzungen von Bedeutung. Sie sind wahrscheinlich auf Obertiden sowie geometrie-und inertialbedingte Effekte der Riffzungentopographie zurückzuführen.

     

Influence of bottom frictional effects in sill regions upon lee wave generation and implications for internal mixing

A cross-sectional nonhydrostatic model using idealized sill topography is used to examine the influence of bottom friction upon unsteady lee wave generation and flow in the region of a sill. The implications of changes in shear and lee wave intensity in terms of local mixing are also considered. Motion is induced by a barotropic tidal flow which produces a hydraulic transition, associated with which are convective overturning cells, wave breaking, and unsteady lee waves that give rise to mixing on the lee side of the sill. Calculations show that, as bottom friction is increased, current profiles on the shallow sill crest develop a highly sheared bottom boundary layer. This enhanced current shear changes the downwelling of isotherms downstream of the sill with an associated increase in the hydraulic transition, wave breaking, and convective mixing in the upper part of the water column. Both short and longer time calculations with wide and narrow sills for a number of sill depths and buoyancy frequencies confirm that increasing bottom friction modifies the flow and unsteady lee wave distribution on the downstream side of a sill. Associated with this increase in bottom friction coefficient, there is increased mixing in the upper part of the water column with an associated decrease in the vertical temperature gradient. However, this increase in mixing and decrease in temperature gradient in the upper part of the water column is very different from the conventional change in near-bed temperature gradient produced by increased bottom mixing that occurs in shallow sea regions as the bottom drag coefficient is increased.     

Currents in a small channel on a sandy tidal flat

Channels affect drainage and bed stresses on tidal flats. Here, near-bottom currents observed on a sandy tidal flat are compared with those observed 35 m away inside a shallow (≈0.3 m deep) channel. For water depths between 0.5 and 2.5 m (when both current meters are submerged), current speeds 0.13 m above the bed on the flat are about 30% greater than those observed 0.13 m above the bed in the channel, and are approximately equal to those observed 0.58 m above the channel bed (0.26 m above the flat elevation). Flow directions on the flat are similar to those in the channel. For flows directed across the channel axis, the ratio of speeds increases from about 1.3 to about 2.2 with increasing water depth. The corresponding ratio of the vertical velocity variances (a proxy for turbulence) decreases from about 1.5 to about 0.2, suggesting that the turbulence near the bed of the channel is greater than that near the bed of the flat for water depths greater than about 1.0 m. Drag coefficients estimated with the vertical velocity variance are approximately 70% larger in the channel than over the visually smoother flat, consistent with prior studies suggesting that channels may increase tidal-flat roughness. For flows directed along the channel axis (in the cross-flat direction), the ratio of speeds (1.2) is similar to the ratio predicted by a cross-flat momentum (along-channel) balance.     

High-resolution fjord sediment record of a receding glacier with growing intermediate proglacial lake (Steffen Fjord,Chilean Patagonia)

Proglacial lakes are effective sediment traps but their impact on the reliability of downstream sediment records to reconstruct glacier variability remains unclear. Here, we investigate the sedimentary signature of the recent recession of Steffen Glacier (Chilean Patagonia, 47°S) in downstream fjord sediments, with a focus on identifying the trapping (decreased downstream sediment yield) and filtering (removal of coarse particles) effectiveness of a growing intermediate proglacial lake. Four sediment cores were collected along a 14 km longitudinal transect in Steffen Fjord and the sediment physical and chemical properties were compared with aerial imagery at high temporal resolution. The caesium-137 (¹³⁷Cs) chronology of the most distal core and sediment trap data suggest that sediment accumulation in the fjord remained relatively stable through time, despite the accelerating glacier recession and the growth of Steffen proglacial lake. This is in contrast with many studies that indicate a decrease in sediment yield during proglacial lake expansion. It implies that the increase in sediment export due to accelerating meltwater production may be balanced by the sediment trapping effect of the growing proglacial lake. The fjord sediments show a slight fining upward accompanied by a marked decrease in flood-induced grain-size peaks, most likely due to the increasing filtering and dampening effect of the expanding proglacial lake. Our findings show that the filtering effect of the proglacial lake reached a threshold in 1985, when the lake attained an area of 2.02 km². The additional 5 km of glacier recession during the following 32 years did not have any significant impact on downstream sedimentation. This study confirms that proglacial lakes act as sediment traps but it indicates that (1) the trapping effect can be outpaced by accelerating glacier recession and (2) the filtering effect becomes stable once the lake attains a certain critical size. © 2020 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Lateral circulation driven by boundary mixing and the associated transport of sediments in idealized partially mixed estuaries

A three-dimensional, hydrostatic, primitive equation numerical model with modern turbulence closures is used to explore lateral circulation and the associated transport of sediments in idealized, moderately to highly stratified estuaries. The model results suggest that boundary mixing on a sloping bottom can drive a significant amount of lateral circulation. This mechanism has received little attention to date in the estuarine literature. Good agreement with an analytical solution and similar vertical structures of lateral flows to observations from the Hudson River estuary support the importance of the boundary mixing mechanism. Boundary mixing is at least as important as differential advection for the modeled scenarios, when the two mechanisms are evaluated using the salt balance equation for model runs without rotation. Linearly superposing analytical solutions for lagged boundary mixing lateral flow and Ekman-forced lateral flow yields a good representation of the near-bottom lateral flow from the model with rotation. The 2 h lag required for the boundary mixing solution is roughly equal to the vertical diffusion time scale, indicating that lateral flow adjustment depends on development of a bottom mixed layer. Sediment dynamics at cross sections seaward and landward of the salt intrusion are very different. Seaward of the salt intrusion, sediments are eroded in the channel and preferentially deposited on the right slope (looking seaward), mainly due to the combination of high sediment concentration in the channel during flood with strong up-slope transport on that side (tidal pumping). Lateral sediment re-distribution landward of the salt intrusion is negligible due to weak residual lateral circulation.     

A geomorphological reconnaissance of the submarine part of the East Rift Zone of Kilauea Volcano,Hawaii

More than half of the intensely active East Rift Zone of Kilauea Volcano crops out underwater along the crest of the submarine Puna Ridge. I present multibeam bathmetry of the entire ridge, near-bottom photographic and sonar observations of the plunging crest of its deeper distal half, and seismic profiles across the ridge tip and the adjacent structural moat. Analysis of large-scale relief, small-scale topography, and superficial rock types indicates that the rift zone is actively propagating across the moat but is probably a superficial structure that does not penetrate the underlying oceanic crust, that its tip is covered with large lava flows erupted at high rates and is surrounded with extensive debris flow deposits, and that the axial topography at depths of 2–4 km is dominated by gaping fissures and collapse pits, showing a preponderance of intrusive rather than extrusive events. Some aspects of this central-volcano rift zone, such as its geometry at small lateral offsets, resemble those at interplate rift zones along fast-spreading mid-ocean rises, but the great contrast in lithosphere thickness results in fundamental structural differences.