Storm-generated,hummocky stratification on the outer-Scotian Shelf

Hummocky megaripples occur on Sable Island Bank, Scotian Shelf. Submersible observations show that the megaripples form during winter storms and are subsequently obliterated through bioturbation and fair-weather reworking. The megaripples of this study were underlain by a storm bed composed of: (A) a basal scoured and infilled gravel lag facies; (B) low-angle tangential crossbedding in gravel to coarse sand; (C) anisotropic hummocky stratification in medium sand; and (D) wave ripple cross-lamination in medium/fine sand. This sequence forms a tempestite bed created by a winter storm during our sampling program. Numerical simulation of bed conditions during the storm suggests that the hummocky megaripples and hummocky stratification formed together during late stages of storm decay from conditions of sheet flow. Near-bed wave motion during deposition exceeded steady currents by an order of magnitude.     

南渡江三角洲海岸泥沙纵向运移与岸滩演变的响应

南渡三角洲沿岸在盛行ＮＮＥ向波浪等动力条件的作用下,泥沙产生纵向运移,岸滩遭受侵蚀或堆积,岸滩演变剧烈。本文利用基于网格的波注折射绕射模型,分析南渡江三角洲海岸波浪动力过程、破波带波能与辐射应力分布及其引起的沿岸泥沙纵向运称。浴海岸动力学地貌的角度,通过三角洲沿岸波浪动力特征、泥沙运动的分析,探讨沙质岸滩的动态与地貌演变。     

Holocene shelf-coastal sedimentary systems associated with the Changjiang River：An overview

The fate of the terrestrial sediment supplied by rivers is a critical issue for understanding the patterns of Holocene environmental change on continental shelves. The East China Sea is a typical broad continental shelf with abundant sediment supply from large rivers. Here, a variety of sedimentary records were formed during the Holocene period. The sedimentary systems associated with these records have unique charac- teristics in terms of spatial distribution, material composition, deposition rate and the timing of deposition, which are related to active sediment transport processes induced by tides and waves, shelf circulations and sediment gravity flows. The sedimentary records thus formed are high resolution slices, i.e., each record has a temporal resolution of up to 10~-10-1 a, but only covers a limited part of the Holocene time. In terms of the spatial distribution, these records are scattered over a large area on the shelf. Further studies of these systems are required to understand the underlying process-product relationships. In particular, the mid- Holocene coastal deposits on the Jiangsu coast, the early to middle Holocene sequences of the Hangzhou Bay, as well as the Holocene mud deposits off the Zhejiang-Fujian coasts, should be investigated in terms of the material supply （from both seabed reworking during the sea level rise event and river discharges）, transport-accumulation processes, the sediment sequences and the future evolution of the sedimentary systems. Advanced numerical modeling techniques should be developed to meet the needs of these studies.     

Phase-lag effects in sheet flow transport

The inception of the sheet flow regime as well as the effects of the phase lag when the sheet flow regime is established were investigated for oscillatory flows and combined steady and oscillatory flows. A new criterion for the inception of sheet flow is proposed based on around 300 oscillatory flow cases from experiments. This criterion was introduced in the Camenen and Larson [Camenen, B., Larson, M., 2005. A bedload sediment transport formula for the nearshore. Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science 63, 249–260.] bed load formula in order to take into account phase-lag effects in the sheet flow regime. The modification of the Camenen and Larson formula significantly improves the overall agreement with data and yields a correct behavior in relation to some of the main governing parameters, which are the median grain size d₅₀, the orbital wave velocity U_w, and the wave period T_w. The calibration of the new formula was based on more than 200 experimental data values on the net sediment transport rate for a full wave cycle. A conceptual model was also proposed to estimate the ratio between sediment transport rate with and without phase lag, (r_pl = q_s,net / q_s,net,ϕ=0). This simple model provides accurate results and may be used together with any quasi-steady model for bed load transport.     

琼州海峡南岸海岸动力地貌研究

岬湾相间的琼州海峡南岸在海岸动力条件作用下,岸滩发生侵蚀或堆积,特别是南岸中部的南渡江三角洲沿岸岸滩演变剧烈。该文从海岸动力地貌的角度,对琼州海峡南岸的海岸动力特征、泥沙运动以及岸滩演变进行分析。根据海峡南部三维潮流场数值模拟结果,结合经验公式初步分析潮流引起的泥沙运移速率和方向,得到岸外水域总的泥沙运移趋势为从西向东。根据波浪动力计算分析沿岸泥沙运移,探讨沙质岸滩的动态与地貌演变之间的关系,得出海峡南岸海岸地貌演变与盛行的NE和NNE向风浪有密切关系,岸滩的演变过程主要受制于这两个方向的风浪及其引起的泥沙沿岸运移。     

废黄河口海域的悬沙输运机制研究

废黄河三角洲是南黄海内陆架的重要物源。为深入探索废黄河口海域沉积物输运机制,利用2015~2016年夏季与冬季在废黄河口外海域10个站位获取的现场沉积动力数据,计算潮不对称参数、余流、悬沙输运量等。分析结果表明,废黄河口海域沉积物输运模式存在显著的空间差异,大部分海域悬沙沿等深线向南输运,仅在近岸侧局部悬沙向岸或向北输运、离岸最远处站位向北输运但输运率较小;近岸浅水海域以平流输沙为主,其他离岸区域以再悬浮作用为主。由于流速和悬沙浓度之间的相位差,导致余流(净水输运)方向与净悬沙输运方向存在差异。研究沉降速度与悬沙输运涨落潮不对称的关系,发现沉降速度越大,悬沙输运的不对称性就越显著;沉降速度是造成近底部流速与悬沙浓度相位差的主要原因,导致废黄河口外净悬沙输运存在显著的垂向差异。     

Bedforms and depositional sedimentary structures of a barred nearshore system, eastern Long Island, New York

The depositional sedimentary structures and textures of a single-barred nearshore system on the Atlantic coast of eastern Long Island, New York, were studied along seven shore-normal transects. Data along these transects consisted of textural analysis of 160 sediment samples, temporal bedform observations, and 42 can cores for the analysis of sedimentary structures.

Six sedimentary subenvironments were observed, based on distinct combinations of sediment color and texture, bedforms, physical, and biogenic sedimentary structures, and benthic infaunal communities. The shoreface environment is divided into the upper shoreface, the longshore trough, and the longshore bar. The divisions of the inner shelf environment are the shoreface-inner shelf transition, the offshore, and the coarse-grained deposit. The first five subenvironments are arranged in bands parallel to the shoreline, whereas the coarse-grained deposit occurs in patches across the inner shelf.

The location of fair-weather wave base, coinciding with a reduction in slope (3.0–0.3°) from the shoreface to the inner shelf, is characterized by the cessation of debris surge in the troughs of ripples, the formation of a “rust layer” of microorganisms over the bedform surface, and a sediment color change caused by an increase in organic detritus. The sequence of bedforms and physical sedimentary structures observed in this system fits well with existing wave-generated (oscillatory) flow regime models. These models explain the observed sequences as a response to the degree of asymmetric flow created by shoaling waves. Distribution of biogenic structures and assemblages of infaunal organisms is influenced by the distance landward or seaward of fair-weather wave base.

The overall relationships of this nearshore system can then be summarized as a hypothetical prograding stratigraphic sequence. The entire sequence is underlain by organic-rich, bioturbated, offshore deposits. Overlying the offshore is the planar-laminated sediments of the transition. Grading upward from the transition are the cleaner, planar-laminated, seaward slope deposits of the longshore bar. Above this, is a distinct erosional surface indicating the base of the massive to cross-laminated coarse sediments of the longshore trough. Capping the sequence are the cross- to planar-laminated, clean sands of the upper shoreface and foreshore.     

Sand transport under combined current and wave conditions: A semi-unsteady,practical model

For the general purposes of morphodynamic computations in coastal zones, simple formula-based models are usually employed to evaluate sediment transport. Sediment transport rates are computed as a function of the bottom shear stress or the near bed flow velocity and it is generally assumed that the sediment particles react immediately to changes in flow conditions. It has been recognized, through recent laboratory experiments in both rippled and plane bed sheet flow conditions that sediment reacts to the flow in a complex manner, involving non-steady processes resulting from memory and settling/entrainment delay effects. These processes may be important in the cross-shore direction, where sediment transport is mainly caused by the oscillatory motions induced by surface short gravity waves.The aim of the present work is to develop a semi-unsteady, practical model, to predict the total (bed load and suspended load) sediment transport rates in wave or combined wave-current flow conditions that are characteristic of the coastal zone. The unsteady effects are reproduced indirectly by taking into account the delayed settling of sediment particles. The net sediment transport rates are computed from the total bottom shear stress and the model takes into account the velocity and acceleration asymmetries of the waves as they propagate towards the shore.A comparison has been carried out between the computed net sediment transport rates with a large data set of experimental results for different flow conditions (wave-current flows, purely oscillatory flow, skewed waves and steady currents) in different regimes (plane bed and rippled bed) with fine, medium and coarse uniform sand. The numerical results obtained are reasonably accurate within a factor of 2. Based on this analysis, the limits and validity of the present formulation are discussed.     

珠江黄茅海河口洪季侧向余环流与泥沙输移

2012年洪季对珠江黄茅海河口湾侧向动力结构与泥沙输移过程进行了系统观测,采用动量平衡和泥沙通量机制分解等方法,分析了河口流、温盐和泥沙侧向分布特征以及泥沙输移过程,探讨了侧向动量平衡与泥沙输移机制。洪季黄茅海河口存在明显的侧向流,西滩和北槽均形成表层向东、底层向西的两层侧向流,拦门沙滩顶呈现表、底层向西、中层向东的三层侧向流,而拦门沙前缘侧向流整体向西。河口湾纵向净泥沙通量表现为北槽向海、西滩向陆,拦门沙滩顶及其前缘均向海;侧向净泥沙通量表现为滩顶及其前缘均向西,西滩向东、北槽向西。这种侧向泥沙辐聚过程是高浓度悬沙聚集于滩槽界面的重要原因,向陆净通量是西滩回淤的重要原因。滩槽间侧向余环流动量平衡主要是侧向斜压梯度力、科氏力和侧向平流作用。欧拉平流输运在侧向泥沙输运中起主要作用,潮泵效应也起重要作用。     

Bedload sediment transport dynamics in a macrotidal embayment, and implications for export to the southern Great Barrier Reef shelf

Keppel Bay is a macrotidal embayment on a tectonically stable, tropical coast, which links the Fitzroy River with the Great Barrier Reef continental shelf. Estuaries and deltas act as conduits between catchments and inner shelf environments. Therefore, understanding sediment transport pathways in these complex systems is essential for the management of ecosystems such as coral-reefs that are potentially vulnerable to enhanced river sediment loads. Furthermore, the morphology and sediment dynamics of subtidal sand ridges and dunes are relatively poorly characterised in macrotidal estuaries, particularly in turbid, episodic systems such as the Fitzroy River and Keppel Bay. Our sedimentological analysis of seabed samples, shear-stress modelling and three-dimensional acoustic imaging reveals that Keppel Bay is a mixed wave- and tide-dominated estuarine system. Areas of sediment starvation and shoreward transport characterise the offshore zone, whereas a complex of both active and relict tidal sand ridges, and associated subaqueous dunes, dominate the relatively protected southern Keppel Bay. Transport within this region is highly dynamic and variable, with ebb-dominated sediment transport through tidal channels into the outer bay where there is a switch to wave-dominated shoreward transport. Ultimately, bedload sediments appear to be reworked back inshore and to the north, and are gradually infilling the bedrock-defined embayment. Our characterisation of the Keppel Bay system provides a detailed example of the physiography of the seaward portion of a tide-dominated system, and shows that sediment transport in these areas is influenced by a variable hydrodynamic regime as well as relict channels and bedrock topography.     

Sediment distribution and transport along a rocky, embayed coast: Monterey Peninsula and Carmel Bay, California

Field measurements of beach morphology and sedimentology were made along the Monterey Peninsula and Carmel Bay, California, in the spring and summer of 1997. These data were combined with low-altitude aerial imagery, high-resolution bathymetry, and local geology to understand how coastal geomorphology, lithology, and tectonics influence the distribution and transport of littoral sediment in the nearshore and inner shelf along a rocky shoreline over the course of decades. Three primary modes of sediment distribution in the nearshore and on the inner shelf off the Monterey Peninsula and in Carmel Bay were observed. Along stretches of the study area that were exposed to the dominant wave direction, sediment has accumulated in shore-normal bathymetric lows interpreted to be paleo-stream channels. Where the coastline is oriented parallel to the dominant wave direction and streams channels trend perpendicular to the coast, sediment-filled paleo-stream channels occur in the nearshore as well, but here they are connected to one another by shore-parallel ribbons of sediment at depths between 2 and 6 m. Where the coastline is oriented parallel to the dominant wave direction and onshore stream channels are not present, only shore-parallel patches of sediment at depths greater than 15 m are present. We interpret the distribution and interaction or transport of littoral sediment between pocket beaches along this coastline to be primarily controlled by the northwest-trending structure of the region and the dominant oceanographic regime. Because of the structural barriers to littoral transport, peaks in wave energy appear to be the dominant factor controlling the timing and magnitude of sediment transport between pocket beaches, more so than along long linear coasts. Accordingly, the magnitude and timing of sediment transport is dictated by the episodic nature of storm activity.     

Field observations of waves generated by passing ships: A note

This short contribution reports the results of a field study on the nearshore characteristics of waves generated by both conventional and high speed passenger ferries. The field observations took place in the late summer of 2005, at a beach close to the port of Mytilene (Island of Lesbos, Greece), and involved the visual observation of ship waves, using digital video recordings and image processing techniques. The results showed that passage of the fast ferry was associated with a longer, more complex and energetic nearshore event; this event not only did include higher nearshore waves (up to 0.74 m) and was organised in different wave packets, but it was also an order of magnitude longer (∼ 680 s) than the conventional ferry event. Regarding the effects on beach sediment dynamics, the fast ferry waves were estimated to be very efficient in mobilising the nearshore sediments in contrast to those of the conventional ferry. The fast ferry service appears to generate daily prolonged nearshore events, which contain waves with higher energy than those expected from the normal summer wind wave regime of the area; these events also include some high and very steep waves, which can be particularly erosive. Therefore, fast ferry wakes may have considerable impacts on the seasonal beach sediment dynamics/morphodynamics and the nearshore benthic ecology, as well as they may pose significant risks to bathers, affecting the recreational use of the beaches exposed to fast ferry traffic. Finally, the study has shown that satisfactory field observations of the nearshore characteristics of ship-generated (and wind) waves can be obtained using inshore deployments of calibrated poles, digital video cameras and appropriate image processing algorithms.     

Process-based model for nearshore hydrodynamics, sediment transport and morphological evolution in the surf and swash zones

Hydrodynamics and sediment transport in the nearshore zone were modeled numerically taking into account turbulent unsteady flow. The flow field was computed using the Reynolds Averaged Navier–Stokes equations with a k–ε turbulence closure model, while the free surface was tracked using the Volume-Of-Fluid technique. This hydrodynamical model was supplemented with a cross-shore sediment transport formula to calculate profile changes and sediment transport in the surf and swash zones. Based on the numerical solutions, flow characteristics and the effects of breaking waves on sediment transport were studied. The main characteristic of breaking waves, i.e. the instantaneous sediment transport rate, was investigated numerically, as was the spatial distribution of time-averaged sediment transport rates for different grain sizes. The analysis included an evaluation of different values of the wave friction factor and an empirical constant characterizing the uprush and backwash. It was found that the uprush induces a larger instantaneous transport rate than the backwash, indicating that the uprush is more important for sediment transport than the backwash. The results of the present model are in reasonable agreement with other numerical and physical models of nearshore hydrodynamics. The model was found to predict well cross-shore sediment transport and thus it provides a tool for predicting beach morphology change.     

近岸波、流作用下结构物附近海岸演变的数值模拟

针对与砂质海岸在波浪作用下的演变有关的波浪、近岸流及输沙问题进行了系统的研究,并对结构物附近海岸演变进行了数值模拟。考虑了波浪折射-绕射及波浪破碎的综合作用,在近岸流场的模拟中用沿水深积分形成的K方程模型确定涡粘系数。计算岸滩地形变化时,综合波浪、近岸流作用的底沙和悬沙输沙率,并考虑波浪对泥沙作用的影响。模型对防波堤和近岸沉船附近地形变化进行了模拟,效果良好。     

Numerical modelling of sand beach evolution around coastal structures

I~crIOWIn the coastal area, especially at the sandy seashore, wave and nearshore current are the major factors which affect sediment transPOrt and the motyhChdynamics.The numerical models of predicting the beach evolution can be classified intO the medi~term and long-term models according to their space and time scales (De Briend et al., 1993;Watanabe, 1990; Watanabe et al., 1986; Tao, 1996). In the medium-term model the effects ofwave, nearshore current and sediment transport are conside…     

Waves, currents, sediment flux and morphological response in a barred nearshore system

A shore-normal array of seven, bi-directional electromagnetic flowmeters and nine surface piercing, continuous resistance wave staffs were deployed across a multiple barred nearshore at Wendake Beach, Georgian Bay, Canada, and monitored for a complete storm cycle. Time-integrated estimates of total (ITVF) and net (INVF) sediment volume flux together with bed elevation changes were determined using depth-of-activity rods.

The three bars, ranging in height from 0.10 to 0.40 m accreted during the storm (0.03 m), and the troughs were scoured (0.05 m). Sediment reactivation depths reached 0.14 m and 12% of the nearshore control volume was mobilized. However, the INVF value for the storm was less than 1% of the control volume revealing a near balance in sediment volume in the bar system. Landward migration of the inner, crescentic and second, sinuous bars occurred in association with an alongshore migration of the bar form itself; the outermost, straight, shore-parallel bar remained fixed in location.

The surf zone was highly dissipative throughout the storm (ε = 3.8 × 10²–192 × 10²) and the wave spectrum was dominated by energy at the incident frequency. Spectral peaks at frequencies of the first harmonic and at one quarter that of the incident wave were associated with secondary wave generation just prior to breaking and a standing edge wave, respectively. The former spectral peak was within the 95% confidence band for the spectrum while the latter contributed not more than 10% to the total energy in the surface elevation spectrum even near the shoreline.

During the storm wave height exceeded 2 m (H_s) and periods reached 5 s (T_{p k}): orbital velocities exceeded 0.5 m s⁻¹ (u_{rm s}) and were above the threshold of motion for the medium-to-fine sands throughout the storm. Shore-parallel flows in excess of 0.4 m s⁻¹ were recorded with maxima in the troughs and minima just landward of the bar crest.

The rate and direction of sediment flux is best explained by the interaction of antecedent bed slopes with spatial gradients in the mean and asymmetry of the shore-normal velocity field. These hydrodynamic parameters represent “steady” flows superimposed on the dominantly oscillatory motion and assumed a characteristic spatial pattern from the storm peak through the decay period. Increases spatially in the magnitudes of both the mean flows and flow asymmetries cause an increasing net transport potential (erosion); decreases in these values spatially cause a decreasing net transport potential and thus deposition. These transport potentials are increased or decreased through the gravity potential induced by the local bed slope. Shore-parallel flow was important in explaining sediment flux and morphological change where orbital velocities, mean flows and flow asymmetries were at a minimum.     

Sedimentology and morphodynamics of a macrotidal beach, Pendine Sands, SW Wales

The foreshore of Pendine Sands forms the seaward part of an extensive, sandy coastal barrier in a shallow Carmarthen Bay, SW Wales. The sedimentological features of the macrotidal foreshore reflect a tide-induced modification of nearshore wave characteristics. As the tide ebbs, the breaker height may decrease, the surf zone widens and becomes increasingly dissipative, and swash/backwash velocities diminish. A concomitant change from plunging to spilling breakers and increasingly symmetrical swash zone flows are associated with a decreasing beach gradient.

A zero net transport model demonstrates that the beach profile is self-stabilising in the short-term, and periodic levelling has shown that the beach is in long-term equilibrium with prevailing conditions, though this does not preclude a significant dynamic response to changing tides and waves.

The flow regimes of wave-generated currents decline as the tide ebbs, and normal beach processes do not usually affect the lower foreshore. Accordingly, there is an overall seaward-fining of the primary framework component of the sands. In more detail, this framework component displays a slight seaward-coarsening across an upper foreshore dominated by high water swash and surf; a rapid seaward-fining across the mid-foreshore in response to the ebb-attenuating swash zone flow velocities; and a slight seaward-fining across the lower foreshore under the action of nearshore shoaling waves. Bedforms vary from a swash/backwash emplaced flat bed across the upper foreshore to the small ripples of nearshore asymmetric oscillatory flows across the lower foreshore.

The surface sediment veneer is not representative of the subsurface sediments which form in response partly to fairweather conditions, partly to storms. The upper foreshore is characterised by swash/backwash emplaced plane bedding in fine sands frequently disrupted by bubble cavities. The mid-foreshore is composed of coarser-grained shelly traction clogs arranged as landward- and seaward-dipping large-scale cross bedding and/or plane bedding; these are probably storm breaker/surf deposits. The lower foreshore, though partially and sometimes totally bioturbated, shows landward-dipping small-scale cross bedding in very fine sands sorted by nearshore shoaling waves.

Tide- and storm-induced modification of the nearshore flow regimes therefore produces a distinctive shore-normal array of sedimentary facies. Each facies is characterised by diagnostic textural and structural signatures. A prograding sequence of such macrotidal deposits would be similar to, but more extensive than, a comparable microtidal sequence.     

目标样本粒度判据在海湾环境演变研究中的运用——以福建前湖湾为例

高密度采集福建前湖湾海岸剖面133个泥沙样品做粒度分析,其频率曲线显示多种粒度分布特征,预示多种沉积环境的变化。采集研究剖面周边海滩、河口浅滩、河口、滨海沼泽和海岸沙丘等已知环境的样品作为目标样本。将目标样本沉积参数平均粒径(Mz)、标准偏差(σ)、峰态(Kg)设为判别参数,利用Excel计算海岸剖面样品与目标样本参数的距离,筛选最小距离样品,归为已知目标样本的同类。据此,分析了海岸剖面蕴含的6个沉积环境变化阶段。利用剖面底部淤泥测年14C=(328 15±170)a BP,和剖面上部泥炭测年14C=(24 130±100)a BP,了解这一变化发生的年代。自(32 815±170)a BP以来,前湖湾经历了河口浅滩-河口、沙丘-河口-滨海沼泽-海滩-沙丘等海岸环境演变过程。     

海南岛南渡江三角洲海岸演变的波浪作用分析

本文应用白沙门1984年波浪统计资料,通过对南渡江三角洲北部近岸海底泥沙活动特性与东部废弃海岸泥沙沿岸输移方式及其岸外沙坝、堡岛响应波浪动力而具有的形状进行分析,揭示了波浪在南渡江三角洲北部沿岸演变中的重要作用。     

Sediment Load of Asian Rivers flowing into the Oceans and their Regional Variation

Study of the major Asian rivers discharge to the ocean reveals variations of their water discharges and sediment loads.and local characteristics of river sediment concentrations.On the basis of this,the Asian rivers fall into three regions,including Eurasia Arctic,East Asia,Southeast and South Asia Regions.The Eurasia Arctic Region is characterized by the lowest sediment concentration and load,while the East Asia Region is of the highest sediment concentration and higher sediment load,and the South-East and South Asia Region yields Higher Sediment concentration and highest sediment load. The sediment loads of these regions are mainly controlled by climate,geomorphology and tectonic activity.The Eurasia Arctc rivers with large basin areas and water discharge,drain low relief which consists of tundra sediment,thus causing the lowest sediment load.The East Asia rivers with small basin areas and lowest water discharges,drain extensive loess plateau,and transport most erodible loess material,which results in highest sediment concentration.The SE and South Asia rivers originating from the Tibet Plateau have large basin areas and the largest water discharges because of the Summer Monsoon and high rainfall influence,causing the highest sediment load.In Asia,tectonic motion of the Tibet Plateau Plays an important role.Those large rivers originating from the Tibet Plateau trasport about 50% of the world river sediment load to ocean annually,forming large estuaries and deltas,and consequently exerting a great influence on sedimentation in the coastal zone and shelves.