Wave forecasting and longshore sediment transport gradients along a transgressive barrier island: Chandeleur Islands,Louisiana

Louisiana barrier islands, such as the chain surrounding the southeast region of the state, are experiencing rapid loss of land area, shoreline erosion, and landward migration due to transgression and in-place drowning, and the landfall of several major hurricanes in the last decade. Observations of migration rates and overall impacts to these barrier islands are poorly understood since they do not respond in a traditional way, such as barrier rollover. This paper aims to verify how wave energy and potential longshore sediment transport trends have influenced the recent evolution of the Chandeleur Islands, by direct comparison with recent observations of migration and erosion trends. The Chandeleur Islands are characterized by a bidirectional transport system, with material moving from the central arc to the flanks. The longshore sediment transport along the barrier islands was calculated after propagation and transformation of waves to breaking (generated using observed winds), and through the use of a common longshore sediment transport formula. Seasonal variations in wind climate produced changes in the transport trends and gradients that agree with migration and rotation patterns observed for this barrier island system. Results suggest that wind dominance produces seasonal oscillations that cause an imbalance in the resulting transport gradients that over time are responsible for higher rates of transport in the northward direction. These results and data from other works verify the evolutionary model previously suggested, and qualitatively confirm the recent observations in asymmetric shoreline erosion.     

Erodibility of a mixed mudflat dominated by microphytobenthos and Cerastoderma edule, East Frisian Wadden Sea,Germany

Sediment erodibility and a range of physical and biological parameters were measured at an intertidal site in the German Wadden Sea area in June, September and November 2002 and February and April 2003 in order to examine the influence of macrozoobenthos and microphytobenthos on sediment erodibility and the temporal variation. The study site was a mixed mudflat situated in the mesotidal Baltrum–Langeoog tidal basin at the East Frisian barrier coast. The mud content at the site was about 35% and the filter-feeding cockle Cerastoderma edule was the dominating macrozoobenthic species (by biomass). The erodibility of the sediment showed strong temporal variation with high erosion thresholds in spring and late summer and significantly lower thresholds during the rest of the study period. The erosion thresholds were strongly dependent on the contents of chlorophyll a (chl a) and colloidal carbohydrates, both indicators of the content of microphytobenthos, in this environment primarily benthic diatoms. The content of microphytobenthos was high in September 2002 and April 2003, and regression analysis indicated that this was the only likely reason for the low erodibility found at these times. A biostabilisation index of about 4.5 was found for a situation with both abundant biofilms and cockles.     

The effect of bedforms (crest and trough systems) on sediment erodibility on a back-barrier tidal flat of the East Frisian Wadden Sea, Germany

The erosion potential over bedforms in a tidal flat of the East Frisian Wadden Sea was studied by conducting erosion and physical and biological sediment property measurements on the crests and troughs of bedforms. Five stations along a cross-shore transect of 1.5 km length from immediately below the salt marsh to the mid tide-level of the tidal flat were visited during two field campaigns in June and September 2002. Measurements of sediment erodibility were made on both crests and troughs using an EROMES erosion device and quantified in terms of critical erosion shear stress and erosion rate. Surface sediment scrape samples (upper 1 mm layer) were taken from crests and troughs to determine various physical and biological properties of the sediment. The results show that crests are generally more stable (i.e. higher critical erosion shear stresses and lower erosion rates) than troughs. In general, crests contained more chlorophyll a, colloidal carbohydrate, and EPS (extracellular polymeric substance) than troughs. Median grain-size, water content and wet bulk density of the crests showed no statistically significant difference from those of the troughs with the exception at the most landward station immediately below the salt marsh margin, where crests had significantly lower water content and higher wet bulk density than troughs.Two different processes were identified for the difference in erodibility between crests and troughs: (1) At stations with emersion times less than 6 h, the higher benthic diatom biomass (measured as chlorophyll a concentration) on the crests increases the amount of EPS, which is likely to stabilize the sediment surface of these features; (2) in a saltmarsh transition area (most landward station), physical processes such as surface drying and compaction seem to enhance in a synergistic way the sediment stability on the crests.     

Evidence for sediment recirculation on an ebb-tidal delta of the East Frisian barrier-island system, southern North Sea

The Otzum ebb-tidal delta, located between Langeoog and Spiekeroog islands along the East Frisian barrier-island coast, southern North Sea, was investigated with respect to its morphological evolution, sediment distribution patterns and internal sedimentary structures. Bathymetric charts reveal that, over the last 50 years, the size of the Otzum ebb-tidal delta has slightly shrunk, while sediment has accreted on the ebb-delta lobe to the east of the main inlet channel (west of Spiekeroog). Swash bars superimposed on the eastern ebb-tidal shoal (Robben Plate) have migrated south or south-eastwards, i.e. towards the inlet throat. The main ebb-delta body is composed of fine quartz sand, whereas the superimposed swash bars and the inlet channel bed consist of medium-grained quartz sand containing high proportions of coarser bioclastic material. Internal sedimentary structures in short box-cores (up to 30 cm long) are dominated by flood-oriented cross-beds. Longer vibro-cores (up to 1.5 m long) show that, at depth, the sediment is dominated by storm-generated parallel (upper plane bed) laminations with intercalated shell layers and dune cross-bedding. The cross-bedded sands in both box-cores and vibro-cores from the ebb-delta shoal predominantly dip towards the south or southeast, indicating transport towards the inlet throat by the flood current. The observations demonstrate that, contrary to previous contentions, the sediments of the highly mobile swash bars do not bypass the inlet but are instead being continually recirculated by the combined action of tidal currents and waves. In this model, the cycle begins with both fine and medium sands, including shell hash, being transported seawards in the main ebb channel until they reach the shallow ebb-delta front. From here, the sediment is pushed onto the eastern ebb-delta shoal by the flood current assisted by waves, becoming strongly size-sorted in the process. The medium sands together with the shell hash are formed into swash bars which migrate along arcuate paths over a base of fine sand back to the main ebb channel located south of the ebb delta. By the same token, the fine sand between the swash bars is transported south-eastwards by the flood current in the form of small dunes until it cascades into the large flood channel located to the west of Spiekeroog. From here, the fine sand is fed back into the main ebb channel, thus completing the cycle. No evidence was found on the ebb delta for alongshore sediment bypassing.     

Sediment trapping and bypassing characteristics of a stable tidal inlet at Kaohsiung Harbor, Taiwan

Around the artificially stabilized tidal inlet that connects Kaohsiung Harbor to Taiwan Straight, 203 surficial samples of the sea floor were taken from the nearshore, in the outer harbor, and portions of the inner harbor. The bathymetry of the same area was also surveyed. The sand fraction in each sample was analyzed for the grain-size composition with a custom-built rapid sediment analyzer. A total of twenty-one size-classes were used in the analysis. Three hypothetical sediment sources were assumed to have influenced the spatial grain-size patterns in the study area: the northward and southward littoral drifts, and the sediments exported from the harbor. After reducing the influence of each hypothetical sediment source separately, the data were analyzed using empirical orthogonal (eigen) function (EOF) analysis. The results indicate that the northward long-term littoral drift is the dominant direction of sediment transport in the nearshore of the study area. A conceptual model for four different sediment trapping and bypassing patterns are proposed. (1) Excess bypass (or net outflux): this bypass pattern is characterized by the export of fine-grained sediments (mud and size classes in the very fine sand fraction) from the interior of the harbor. (2) Partial bypass (or partial trapping): this bypass pattern is represented by the size-classes in fine sand fraction. The amount of these grain sizes entering the outer harbor through the inlet is more than the amount exiting at the inlet mouth, resulting in the retention of a portion of these grain sizes. (3) Total bypass (or zero trapping): grain sizes that exhibit this bypass pattern do not come near the mouth of the inlet. These grain sizes include medium and coarse sand fractions. (4) Lag deposits: this group includes the size classes in the very coarse sand fraction, which are largely concentrated in the scour pit immediately seaward of the inlet mouth. In general, surficial sediment grain-size patterns represent a time-averaged response of the substrate to the transport processes over the time scale of at least two seasons. The differential associations of grain-size groups with various topographic features in the study area suggest morpho-textural relationships exist between the sea floor topography and grain size distribution patterns.     

Phytoplankton ecology of a barrier island estuary: Great South Bay,New York

The phytoplankton ecology of Great South Bay, New York, was studied over a 1-year period. The study area, a large barrier island estuary (coastal lagoon with estuarine circulation), was characterized by high levels of inorganic nutrients, high turbidity and a shallow euphotic zone (<2 m). Net annual primary production by phytoplankton was high—450 g C m^?2 year^?1—and accounted for approximately 85% of the total ecosystem primary production. Chlorophyll a-specific productivity was dependent on mean photic zone light intensity in areas of the bay <1 m in depth from September 1979 through June 1980; 65–95% of the total light extinction in those areas was attibutable to suspended solids. Nitrogenous nutrient concentration did not limit phytoplankton productivity. Diatom and dinoflagellate cell densities varied greatly over time, while cryptomonad and chlorophyte species were abundant throughtout the year. Chlorophytes of 2–4 μm (‘small forms’) were numerically dominant, and contributed approximately half of the total phytoplankton biomass. Dilution of bay water by intruding ocean water appeared to control the spatial distribution of chlorophyll a on the south side of the bay; in other areas, growth appeared to exceed the rate of dilution by flushing. Waters entrained in eelgrass beds were significantly higher in salinity and mean photic zone light intensity, and had lower phytoplankton standing stock and depth-integrated primary production than control areas; waters in the sediment plume of active clamdigging boats were statistically similar to control areas with respect to water quality and phytoplankton community characteristics.     

Control of pelagic sediment distribution by internal waves of tidal period: Possible interpretation of data from the southern East Pacific Rise

Sediment depositional patterns were observed on acoustic-reflection profiles at 36 and 42°S across the East Pacific Rise, near 100°W longitude. The sediment thickness as a function of distance from the crest shows a remarkable linearity on the east side of the rise, where the bottom topography is unusually subdued. The rate of sedimentation is 3.8 m/m.y at 42°S and 7.2 m/m.y. at 36°S. Disturbance to the even sedimentation appears to be correlated with topographic features more than 300 m high, and may therefore be associated with the interference between the barotropic tides and the topography. The group velocity of internal waves of semi-daily period is 15 cm sec⁻¹ in this area for a vertical wave number of 300 m⁻¹, and the characteristic slopes at 9° to the horizontal. The waves travel faster than the flow velocity of the tides and at an angle less than the slopes associated with the larger topographic features. Therefore a typical tidal velocity of 3 cm sec⁻¹ can be magnified substantially before the particle velocity approaches the group velocity and breaking occurs. Less magnification is possible near smaller topography because the group velocity is proportional to wavelength for internal waves of constant period. The tidal flow is magnified most near the boundary where the internal waves are reflected, and the higher velocities should cause settling sediment particles to remain in suspension locally. Thick boundary layers caused by breaking and mixing can shield the smaller-scale topography from the tidal motion.     

Cohesive sediment transport in the 3D-hydrodynamic-baroclinic circulation model,: study case for idealized tidal inlet

This work provides a general hydrodynamic circulation model that can be used to understand density driven flows, which may arise in the case of suspension of fine-grained materials. The research is expected to provide a better understanding of the characteristics of spatial and temporal variability of current, which is associated with the period of ebb and flood tidal cycles.The model development includes extending the existing three-dimensional (3D) ADCIRC model with (1) baroclinic forcing term and (2) transport module of suspended and soluble materials. The transport module covers the erosion, material suspension and deposition processes for cohesive type sediment. In the case of an idealized tidal inlet in stratified water, the inclusion of baroclinic term can demonstrate the prevailing longshore sediment transport. It is shown that the model has application to the transport of the cohesive sediments from the mouth of the Mississippi River along the north shore of the Gulf of Mexico towards and along the Texas coast.     

Modelling an anthropogenic effect of a tidal basin evolution applying tidal and wave boundary forcings: Ley Bay,East Frisian Wadden Sea

Potential physical impacts of an anthropogenic effect on a tidal basin evolution are investigated applying the Delft3D model suite under both tidal and wave boundary forcings. Study area is based on a peninsula construction of the Ley Bay in the East Frisian Wadden Sea. Model simulation spans from 1975 to 1990 in two stages of which the second stage begins with the implemented peninsula on the 1984 predicted morphology. The model bed consists of initially distributed three sediment fractions. Sensitivity of the Ley Bay evolution is analysed under three different sediment transport formulations: 1) Van Rijn, 1993 (VR93), 2) Soulsby, 1997 (SVR) and 3) Van Rijn et al., 2004 (VR04).Offshore tides and waves are transformed up to the model boundaries via a nested modelling approach and a statistically derived highly schematised wave climate is adopted in the simulations. Predicted morphologies indicate lower agreement with the measured morphology due to including very sparse data. Despite this discrepancy, they reproduce the major changes in the Ley Bay caused by the peninsula construction while each formula results in a slightly different channel/shoal pattern. Predicted evolution under the SVR shows the strongest sediment exporting system and therefore the lowest agreement with the 1990 measured morphology. Both VR93 and VR04 formulas resulted in marginal exporting systems and more or less similar morphologies. In fact, only the VR04 prediction indicates a fair agreement with the 1990 data. Temporal evolution under the VR04 shows concentrated velocity patterns at the bay entrance and in the eastward bay channel resulting in the development of this channel and sedimentation in the southern part of the bay as found in the data.     

海南岛万泉河口博鳌潮汐汊道演变及沿岸输沙率的计算

通过收集不同时期的遥感资料,结合已往的研究,分析了海南岛万泉河口博鳌潮汐汊道演变的年际与季节性变化规律;根据实测波浪资料计算了年沿岸输沙率及沿岸输沙率的季节变化。结果表明,博鳌潮汐汊道的演变具有周期性的规律,年际特征为南、北侧沙嘴分别向口门进积、口门总体变窄;从10a以上的尺度来看,封堵口门的趋势不断被洪季时的洪水和风暴潮增水所打断。另外通过沙嘴体积变化反推了博鳌近岸的沿岸输沙率,其结果与CERC公式计算结果一致,表明此公式在博鳌岸段有较好的适用性。     

Movement and Home Ranges of Dugongs Around the Lease Islands, East Indonesia

Abstract. Four individual dugongs Dugong dugong , MÜLLER, 1776 were tracked with buoyant, tethered. conventional and satellite radio transmitters. The dugongs three adult females and one immature male were encircled with a net at a catch site near Haruku Island, East Indonesia, and tracked for between 41 and 285 days. The animals showed individualistic patterns of movement, moving between 2 and 3 core areas, travelling between 17 and 65 km from the site of capture. One adult female spent most of the time at two distinct inshore seagrass beds separated by about 17 km; she made five trips between the two sites. Two other females made separate trips to two distinct sites, one of them returning to the catch site at Haruku Island. The immature male journeyed between two areas about 65 km apart. completing the journey in four days. The patterns of movement confirmed a practice of regular recropping of restricted grazing swards by small, loose feeding assemblages rather than fixed herds with a strong social bond. Mean home ranges covered 4.1 km² 50% harmonic mean and 43.4 km² 95% harmonic mean.     

Assessment and management of the trochus fishery at West Nggela, Solomon Islands: An interdisciplinary approach

A proper understanding of the management status of small-scale subsistence and artisanal fisheries requires not only detailed sociocultural study, but comprehensive analysis of the state of the fished population(s), using rigorous stock assessment and other fisheries biology tools. In this article I describe several approaches taken to assess the artisanal trochus fishery at West Nggela. This includes stock density and other data, that demonstrate many reefs are overfished. I discuss the social and economic factors influencing the performance of the fishery. The importance of an understanding of property tenure is dealt with in some detail. An analysis of the various categories of fishers’ ecological knowledge about trochus is also presented, and discussed with respect to the categories of biological and ecological information considered by most fisheries biologists as essential to the assessment and management of a fishery.     

History and sand budgets of the barrier island system in the Panama City,Florida, region

Shell Island and Crooked Island peninsulas comprise the Holocene barrier system in the Panama City, Florida, region. Both of these peninsulas have experienced a history of integration-fragmentation-integration superimposed on a net shoreward migration since 1779. Catastrophic events such as hurricanes are most probably responsible for the pass cutting which has fragmented these barriers. Both barrier peninsulas have very nearly segmented St. Andrew Sound into an eastern and western portion. This segmentation has been achieved through natural causes in the eastern or Crooked Island region, but an alternation in the tidal return pattern, effected by the cutting of a canal across Shell Island, is probably responsible for the ongoing segmentation of the western portion.Rates of erosion/deposition, determined by comparing bathymetries charted in 1877, 1930, and 1946, demand that these two peninsulas receive material by eastward transport. Furthermore, the long shore drift of both peninsulas is bidirectional, northwesterly and southeasterly. These two drift components are very nearly equal in magnitude immediately west of Shell Island; net easterly drift occurs on Shell Island peninsula. Crooked Island experiences net westerly and easterly drift; the easterly drift terminates in the Bell Shoal area and does not reach the adjacent St. Joe Spit.     

Provenance-related characteristics of beach sediments around the island of Menorca, Balearic Islands (western Mediterranean)

The island of Menorca, one of the Balearic Islands (Spain) located in the western Mediterranean, is characterised by a contrasting geology and landscape with two major geographic domains: (1) a southern region called Migjorn, comprised of Late Miocene calcarenites and limestones, and (2) a northern region known as Tramuntana, which is composed of folded and faulted Palaeozoic, Mesozoic and Tertiary (Oligocene) siliceous and calcareous rocks. Both domains are lined by numerous pocket beaches exhibiting a high variety of surficial sediment assemblages. Grain-size and compositional analyses revealed that cliff erosion and nearshore Posidonia oceanica meadows are the main sources of sediments consisting mostly of medium- to coarse-grained carbonate sands of marine biogenic origin, with variable amounts of terrigenous rock fragments and quartz. Based on distinctly different contributions of bioclastic material, biogenic carbonates and quartz, 320 sediment samples from 64 beaches were grouped into different facies associations dominated by either (1) biogenic sands, (2) biogenic sands with terrigenous contributions or (3) terrigenous sands with quartz. Nevertheless, there is a marked regional variability in sediment texture and composition. Thus, variable mixtures of carbonate and siliciclastic sediments characterise the beaches of the northern region, whereas the beaches of the southern region are composed mostly of carbonate sands of marine biogenic origin. An exception is the central sector of the south coast, which is enriched in quartz sand (~10 %); this can be related to outcrops of quartz-rich basement rock and also to rocks exposed in some northern drainage basins captured by southern streams since the Plio-Quaternary.     

The influence of island generated eddies on the carbon dioxide system, south of the Canary Islands

Measurements of surface partial pressure of CO₂ and water column alkalinity, pH_T, nutrients, oxygen, fluorescence and hydrography were carried out, south of the Canary Islands during September 1998. Cyclonic and anticyclonic eddies were alternatively observed from the northwestern area to the central area of the Canary Islands. Nutrient pumping and vertical uplifting of the deep chlorophyll maximum by cyclonic eddies were also ascertained by upward displacement of dissolved inorganic carbon. A model was applied to determine the net inorganic carbon balance in the cyclonic eddy. The fluxes were determined considering both the diffusive and convective contributions from the upward pumping and the corresponding horizontal transport of water outside the area. An increase in the total inorganic carbon concentration in the upper layers inside the eddy field of 133 mmol C m^− 2 d^− 1 was determined. The upward flux of inorganic carbon decreased the effect of the increased primary production on the carbon dioxide chemistry. The reduced fCO₂ inside the cyclonic eddy, 15 μatm lower than that observed in non-affected surface water, was explained by thermodynamic aspects, biological activity, eddy upward pumping and diffusion and air–sea water exchange effects.     

辽东湾两侧砂质海岸侵蚀灾害与防治

自20世纪60年代至90年代，由于多种原因，辽东湾东西两侧的初始沙质海岸侵蚀范围逐年扩大，侵蚀不断加剧，给当人民的生产和生活带来严重危害。由多年监测资料发现，侵蚀严重的熊岳岸线以2～4m／a的速率而大幅度后退，特别严重的地区最大后退达10km；辽西绥中某些岸段平均每年后退1～2m。20世纪90年代后期，由于一些海域管理措施的出台和相应的海岸防护工程的建设，海岸侵蚀逐渐减弱。通过现场调查和多年监测，分析了辽东湾东西两侧砂质海岸侵蚀的特点，认为海岸组成物质松散与海岸动力作用强烈是本区现代海岸侵蚀的基本条件，人为活动是关键因素，并提出了海岸侵蚀灾害的防治对策。     

Conspicuous sediment structures in fossil beach deposits (southern Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain): paleoliquefaction features versus biogenic origin

Tubular-shaped concretions and concretionary dykes occur in Holocene fossil beach deposits between the township of El Médano and Punta Roja in southern Tenerife, Canary Islands. These sediment structures have been interpreted either as the result of (a) the interaction between hot ignimbrites that overflowed wet beaches; (b) fast accumulation of beach sands on hot and degassing ignimbrites; (c) paleoliquefaction caused by an earthquake (seismites). Based on the interpretation as seismites, an intense paleoearthquake with a moment magnitude of M = 6.8 was proposed to be responsible for the generation of the paleoliquefaction structures. However, we here reinterpret the sedimentary structures in question using the general criteria diagnostic for rhizocretions and root tubules with respect to their orientation, size, branching system, and style of cementation and, thus, consider them, to be of biogenic origin.     

Effects of sediment on fish communities in East Cape streams,North Island,New Zealand

We examined the effects of sediment on fish communities at 38 sites in the East Cape region of New Zealand. Many streams in this region are subject to high sediment loads, a natural situation that has been exacerbated by the conversion of native forest to pasture. The fish community consisted of diadromous native species common throughout New Zealand that require access to and from the sea. We found that site altitude and distance inland were important factors in determining the abundance and composition of the fish community. We used four measures as indices of sediment load: suspended sediment concentration, median substrate size, substrate stability, and the ratio of the wetted width to the width of the active (non‐vegetated) stream channel. Although all indices were correlated, the ratio of wetted width to width of active channel was most closely related to fish abundance and diversity. Fish abundance and diversity reduced as sediment load increased among streams, with up to nine fish species in streams with low sediment loads and only two species in streams with high sediment loads. In‐stream habitat also varied with sediment load; as load increased, depth and substrate size decreased and velocity increased. These results suggest that activities that increase sediment loads in rivers will have a negative impact on native fish communities in New Zealand.     

Potential implications of global warming and barrier island degradation on future hurricane inundation,property damages,and population impacted

Hurricane flooding is a leading natural threat to coastal communities. Recent evidence of sea level rise coupled with potential future global warming indicate that sea level rise will accelerate and hurricanes may intensify over the coming decades. In regions fronted by barrier islands, the protective capacity of these islands may diminish as they are degraded by rising sea level. Here we present a hydrodynamic and geospatial analysis of the relative role of barrier island degradation on potential future hurricane flooding. For the City of Corpus Christi, Texas, USA, hurricane flooding is projected to rise between 20% and 70% by the 2030s, resulting in an increase in property damages and impacted population. These findings indicate that adaptive management strategies should be developed and adopted for mitigating loss of natural barrier islands when these islands act as protective features for populated bayside communities. Finally, this study illustrates a method for applying models to forecast future storm protection benefits of barrier island restoration projects.