The tidal force function and tidal torques

Summary The tidal force function of the two-body system is defined. It is formed by two parts, reflecting the direct, as well as, the indirect tidal effects. It enables deriving the tidal torques due to both the tidal effects independently of density distributions. The Stokes parameters of both bodies, the Love numbers and phase lag angles are sufficient for the solution.     

Simulation of tides in hydrocarbon lakes on Saturn’s moon Titan

Numerous hydrocarbon lakes have recently been detected on Saturn’s largest moon Titan, representing the only known large bodies of liquids on a planetary surface outside the Earth. In the context of comparative oceanography, tides and tidal currents in two representative lakes on Titan (Kraken Mare and Ontario Lacus) are simulated by a three-dimensional baroclinic ocean circulation model. Since the tide-generating force on Titan is an order of magnitude larger than on Earth and the gravitational acceleration is small, tides and currents are substantially larger than in Earth’s lakes and are more comparable with those in Earth’s oceans. The predicted maximum tidal range in Kraken Mare is 4 m. The tidal wave propagates around the basin of Kraken Mare, while a nearly standing tidal wave is excited in Ontario Lacus. Titan’s rotation is too slow to affect the tidal flow in any Titan’s lake. The tidal current velocity in Kraken Mare amounts to a few centimeters per second except in the vicinity of a narrow strait, where it is enhanced by an order of magnitude. In summer, when the lake is stratified, internal tides can develop. Seiches cannot be caused by tide. In the largest lakes, atmospheric tide may cause additional lake surface displacements.     

A model for simulating the response of runoff from the mountainous watersheds of inland river basins in the arid area of northwest China to climatic changes

The subaerial tidal sand area in the northern Jiangsu Province (Subei), stretching from Dongtai towards east with a fan shape, is an early developing stage of radial sand ridges distributed in the South Yellow Sea. Since 5000–6000 a BP, after the Holocene transgression maximum in the northern Jiangsu Province, subaqueous tidal sand bodies were exposed and changed into land gradually. The environmental magnetism analysis shows that subaerial tidal sand strata are formed by the convergent-divergent paleo-tidal current field. The sediment source of tidal sand strata came early from the Changjiang River and late from the Yellow River. Sea floor erosion by tidal currents also served as an important sand source. Drilling cores and ground-penetrating profile show that there exists no probability of sand supplying directly by a large river through the apical area of tidal sand ridges either on land or in the sea. Fluvial deposits supplied the tidal sand bodies by alongshore transportation, which corresponds to the conclusions obtained by the analyses of provenance and paleocurrent field. Project supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 43236120 and 49676288).     

Tidal inlet response to sediment infilling of the associated bay and possible implications of human activities: the Marennes-Oléron Bay and the Maumusson Inlet,France

Tidal inlet characteristics are controlled by wave energy, tidal range, tidal prism, sediment supply and direction and rates of sand delivered to the inlet. This paper deals with the relations between inlet and lagoon evolutions, linked by the tidal prism. Our study is focused on the Maumusson Inlet and the Marennes-Oléron Bay (first oyster farming area in Europe), located on the western coast of France. The tidal range (2–6 m) and wave climate (mean height: 1.5 m) place this tidal inlet system in the mixed energy (tide, waves), tide-dominated category. The availability of high-resolution bathymetric data since 1824 permits to characterise and quantify accurately morphological changes of both the inlet and the tidal bay. Since 1824, sediment filling of the tidal bay has led to a 20% decrease in its water volume, and a 35% reduction of the inlet throat section. Furthermore, the bay is subjected to a very high anthropic pressure, mainly related to oyster farming. Thus, both natural and human-related processes seem relevant to explain high sedimentation rates. Current measurements, hydrodynamic modelling and cross-sectional area of the inlet throat are used in order to quantify tidal prism changes since 1824. Both flood and ebb tidal prism decreased by 35%. Decrease in the Marennes-Oléron Bay water volume is inferred to be responsible for a part of tidal prism decrease at the inlet. Tidal prisms decrease may also be explained by an increase in frictional resistance to tidal wave propagation, due to a general shoaling and oyster farms in the bay. A conceptual model is proposed, taking into account natural and human-related sedimentation processes, and explaining tidal inlet response to tidal bay evolutions.     

Performance of intertidal topography video monitoring of a meso-tidal reflective beach in South Portugal

This study discusses site-specific system optimization efforts related to the capability of a coastal video station to monitor intertidal topography. The system consists of two video cameras connected to a PC, and is operating at the meso-tidal, reflective Faro Beach (Algarve coast, S. Portugal). Measurements from the period February 4, 2009 to May 30, 2010 are discussed in this study. Shoreline detection was based on the processing of variance images, considering pixel intensity thresholds for feature extraction, provided by a specially trained artificial neural network (ANN). The obtained shoreline data return rate was 83%, with an average horizontal cross-shore root mean square error (RMSE) of 1.06 m. Several empirical parameterizations and ANN models were tested to estimate the elevations of shoreline contours, using wave and tidal data. Using a manually validated shoreline set, the lowest RMSE (0.18 m) for the vertical elevation was obtained using an ANN while empirical parameterizations based on the tidal elevation and wave run-up height resulted in an RMSE of 0.26 m. These errors were reduced to 0.22 m after applying 3-D data filtering and interpolation of the topographic information generated for each tidal cycle. Average beach-face slope tan(β) RMSE were around 0.02. Tests for a 5-month period of fully automated operation applying the ANN model resulted in an optimal, average, vertical elevation RMSE of 0.22 m, obtained using a one tidal cycle time window and a time-varying beach-face slope. The findings indicate that the use of an ANN in such systems has considerable potential, especially for sites where long-term field data allow efficient training.     

Tidal and Fluvial Influence on Shallow Groundwater Fluctuation in Coastal Wetlands in Yellow River Delta,China

In coastal wetland, groundwater is influenced by both tidal processes and land hydrological processes. To study the influences of tidal processes and river runoff on the shallow groundwater dynamic in coastal wetland of the Yellow River Delta, surface and shallow groundwater depth were monitored. It was found that in the east part of the study area where close to the shoreline, surface is characteristic of obvious periodicity, the fluctuation of surface water was mainly controlled by tidal processes. As to the shallow groundwater, fluctuation of water depth is also influenced by the tidal process and has obvious periodicity similar to the surface water. In the north part of the study area, the shallow groundwater is mainly influenced by the Yellow River runoff. The influence distance of tidal processes and river runoff on shallow groundwater system is 14 700 and 11 600 m, respectively.     

莎车Ms5．2地震天体引潮力和温度异常初探

对2011年12月1日莎车Ms5．2地震的天体引潮力周期变化过程进行计算,并根据该周期分析了NCEP温度数据资料,提取地震前的异常增温变化图像。结果表明：天体引潮力对处于临界状态的活动断层具有诱发作用;震前温度变化发生明显异常,经历起始增温一异常加强一高峰一衰减一平静的演化过程;出现温度异常位置与震中位置有较好的空间对应关系;NCEP温度异常研究在地震前兆研究中有较好的实用价值。     

Large‐scale sediment bodies and superimposed bedforms on the continental shelf close to the Strait of Gibraltar: interplay of complex oceanographic conditions and physiographic constraints

A previously unknown field of large‐scale sedimentary bodies has been mapped and studied on the continental shelf off the Cape Trafalgar near the Strait of Gibraltar with particular emphasis on the relationship between large‐scale sediment bodies and the superimposed bedforms. This study is based on a grid of 975 km of high‐resolution seismic profiles collected at water depths ranging between 15 and 60 m. High variability of large‐scale sedimentary bodies is attributed to the complex interaction of hydrodynamic agents. The most prominent sedimentary features are sand banks and ridges that indicate long‐term southwest and southward‐directed sediment transport patterns, possibly due to the interplay of two dominant current systems flowing southward and westward. These sediment bodies evolve laterally to distinct external geometries, such as sand shoals in shallow water and sand sheets in the vicinity of larger sand banks that indicate moderate current velocities. In addition, pre‐existing physiography is considered to play a role in the generation of certain sediment bodies, developed over inclined surfaces or confined laterally by elevations. Relationships between superimposed bedforms (mostly very large dunes) and underlying sediment bodies vary across the study area. Most superimposed bedforms occur over the complex mosaic of sediment banks and sheets, suggesting the interaction of several high‐energy currents with different directions, such as tidal and/or wind‐driven currents. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A general solution for tide‐induced groundwater fluctuation in an estuarine‐coastal confined and unconfined aquifer system

This paper presents an analytical solution to tide‐induced head fluctuations in a two‐dimensional estuarine‐coastal aquifer system that consists of an unconfined aquifer and a heterogeneous confined aquifer extending under a tidal river with a semipermeable layer between them. This study considers the joint effects of tidal‐river leakage, inland leakage, dimensionless transmissivity between the tidal‐river and inland confined aquifer, and transmissivity anisotropic ratios. The analytical solution for this model is obtained via the separation of variables method. Three existing solutions related to head fluctuation in one‐ or two‐dimensional leaky confined aquifers are considered as special cases in the present solution. This study shows that there is a threshold of tidal‐river confined aquifer length. When the tidal‐river length is greater than the threshold length, the inland head fluctuations remain sensitive to the leakage effect but become insensitive to the tidal‐river width and dimensionless transmissivity. Considering leakage and transmissivity anisotropy, this study also demonstrates that at a location farther from the river–inland boundary, head fluctuations increase with increasing leakage and transmissivity anisotropy; the maximum head fluctuation occurs when leakage and transmissivity anisotropy are both at their maximum values. The combined action of the 3 effects of loading, tidal‐river aquifer leakage, and inland aquifer leakage differs significantly according to various aquifer parameters. The analytical solution in this paper can be applied to demonstrate the behaviours of the head fluctuations of an estuarine‐coastal aquifer system, and the head fluctuations can be clearly described when the tidal and hydrogeological parameters are derived from field measurement data or hypothetical cases.     

C.—W. M. O.—O. M. M.

Abstract

The intrusion of seawater in a tidal river is treated as a diffusion problem, characterized by a coefficient of longitudinal diffusivity.

In order to analyse the longitudinal diffusivity, a mathematical model is set up, consisting of two bodies of water, either one besides the other or one on top of the other. The two bodies are assumed to move relatively to each other, as a secondary effect of the tidal flow. It is moreover assumed that there is turbulent exchange of salt between the bodies.

It is demonstrated that the diffusion of salt into the river is greatest for an optimum value of the coefficient of exchange between the two bodies.

Exchange weaker or stronger than this optimum both diminish the salt intrusion.

The theory is applied to the Rotterdam Waterway, for which estimates of the exchange are made. Estimation of the reduction of the turbulence by stratification and hence of the vertical exchange, shows that the observed strong intrusion is explainable.

Intensified vertical mixing, for instance as provoked by compressed air, need not always result in less intrusion, and hence should be considered carefully.     

Fluctuations in the tidal limit of the Yangtze River estuary in the last decade

The tidal limit is the key interface indicating whether water levels will be affected by tidal waves, which is of great significance to navigation safety and regional flood control. Due to limitations in research methods, recent changes in the Yangtze River tidal limit, caused by sea level rise and large-scale engineering projects, urgently need to be studied. In this study,spectrum analysis was undertaken on measured water level data from downstream Yangtze River hydrological stations from2007 to 2016. The bounds of the tidal limit were identified through comparisons between the spectra and red noise curves, and the fluctuation range and characteristics were summarized. The results showed that:(1) During the extremely dry period, when the flow rate at Jiujiang station was about 8440 m3 s-1, the tidal limit was near Jiujiang; whereas during the flood season, when the flow rate at Jiujiang station was about 66700 m3 s-1, the tidal limit was between Zongyang Sluice and Chikou station.(2)From the upper to lower reach, the effect of the Jiujiang flow rate on the tidal limit weakens, while the effect of the Nanjing tidal range increases. The tidal limit fluctuates under similar flow rates and tidal ranges, and the fluctuation range increases with increasing flow rate and decreasing tidal range.(3) With the continued influence of rising sea levels and construction in river basin estuaries, the tidal limit may move further upstream.     

Hydrography and frontogenesis in a glacial fjord off the Strait of Magellan

Current velocity and hydrographic profiles obtained for the first time in a Chilean glacial fjord were combined with under-way surface temperature and salinity measurements to describe the formation of tidal intrusion fronts and plume-like fronts. These fronts formed within several hundred meters from each other in the vicinity of a shallow sill, maximum depth of approximately 3 m, in a glacial fjord off the Strait of Magellan in the Chilean Patagonia. Measurements were obtained in mid-December of 2003 and 2004, during late austral spring, under active glacier melting and calving. The glacial fjord is approximately 18 km long from the face of the glacier to the connection with the Strait of Magellan and typically less than 1 km wide throughout the system. Between the glacier face and the 3-m sill, depths are typically less than 100 m, and seaward of the sill, depths increase to more than 200 m. Velocity and salinity data obtained during flood periods revealed that water with oceanic salinity was aspirated to near-surface levels from depths of approximately 30 m as flood flows accelerated from approximately 10 cm s⁻¹, seaward of the sill, to approximately 60 cm s⁻¹ at the sill crest. The upwelled water was then slightly diluted by mixing at the sill crest before plunging down to the basin between the glacier and the sill. The plunging of salty water over the sill created dramatic tidal intrusion fronts only a few tens of meters from the sill crest and pumping of salt with every flood period. During ebb periods, the low salinity waters derived from the glacier and a small river near the glacier converged at the sill crest. After some mixing, the buoyant waters were released within a thin layer (∼3 m deep) lead by a plume-like front that remained coherent for a few hundred meters seaward of the sill. The main findings of this study were that tidal intrusion and plume fronts were observed within 2 km from each other, and that tidal pumping was the predominant mechanism for salt fluxes into the system.     

Can recreational echosounder-chartplotter systems be used to perform accurate nearshore bathymetric surveys?

This work intends to determine if low-cost surveying techniques based on recreational echosounders can be used to perform nearshore bathymetry for analysing evolution of coastal sectors. For that purpose, two hydrographic surveying techniques were compared, i.e. (1) a real-time kinematic differential global positioning system (RTK-DGPS) synchronised with a single beam echosounder with real-time tidal elevation correction and (2) a low-cost recreational echosounder-chartplotter system using Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) with real-time European Geostationary Navigation Overlay Service (EGNOS) augmentation services and depth values post-processed using measured sea level. Two bathymetric data sets were obtained, one by each method, for the same area and survey lines at an ebb tidal delta (Tavira Inlet, Ria Formosa Portugal). Vertical differences were determined assuming no morphological variations between surveys. Results showed that depth elevation differences between bathymetric surfaces were of 0.10?±?0.16 m, slightly higher but within the same order of the error attributable to the used interpolator (0.00?±?0.11 m, triangular surface fitting). The differences between surveys performed with two different equipment sets and using different methodologies for correcting water elevations are very small both quantitative and qualitatively. Those differences can be diminished by improving the tidal level correction and uncertainties associated to different tidal slopes throughout the survey area. Pitch/roll corrections performed with low-cost GPS receivers would be also a valuable addition to the accuracy and precision of the method. It is then concluded that navigation with EGNOS augmentation services and sounding devices ten times cheaper than combined RTK-DGPS with single beam echosounders allow to measure and monitor accurately the nearshore bathymetry.     

A conceptual model of depositional,rather than erosional,tidal channel development in the rapidly prograding Skagit River Delta (Washington,USA)

The origin and growth of blind tidal channels is generally considered to be an erosional process. This paper describes a contrasting depositional model for blind tidal channel origin and development in the Skagit River delta, Washington, USA. Chronological sequences of historical maps and photos spanning the last century show that as sediments accumulated at the river mouth, vegetation colonization created marsh islands that splintered the river into distributaries. The marsh islands coalesced when intervening distributary channels gradually narrowed and finally closed at the upstream end to form a blind tidal channel, or at mid‐length to form two blind tidal channels. Channel closure was probably often mediated through gradient reduction associated with marsh progradation and channel lengthening, coupled with large woody debris blockages. Blind tidal channel evolution from distributaries was common in the Skagit marshes from 1889 to the present, and it can account for the origin of very small modern blind tidal channels. The smallest observed distributary‐derived modern blind tidal channels have mean widths of 0·3 m, at the resolution limit of the modern orthophotographs. While channel initiation and persistence are similar processes in erosional systems, they are different processes in this depositional model. Once a channel is obstructed and isolated from distributary flow, only tidal flow remains and channel persistence becomes a function of tidal prism and tidal or wind/wave erosion. In rapidly prograding systems like the Skagit, blind tidal channel networks are probably inherited from the antecedent distributary network. Examination of large‐scale channel network geometry of such systems should therefore consider distributaries and blind tidal channels part of a common channel network and not entirely distinct elements of the system. Finally, managers of tidal habitat restoration projects generally assume an erosional model of tidal channel development. However, under circumstances conducive to progradation, depositional channel development may prevail instead. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Physical controls on the dynamics of inlet sandbar systems

Knowledge of the physical processes acting at inlet systems and their interaction with sediments and sediment bodies is important to the understanding of such environments. The objectives of this study are to identify and assess the relative importance of the controlling processes across the complex sandbar system at the Teign inlet (Teignmouth, UK) through the combined application of a numerical model, field data and Argus video images. This allows the determination of the regions dominated by wave processes or by tidal processes and definition of the variability of these regions under different wave, tide and river-discharge conditions. Modelling experiments carried out for one stage of the evolution of the system show that the interaction between tidal motion and waves generates complex circulation patterns that drive the local sediment transport and sandbar dynamics, producing a cyclic morphological behaviour of the sandbars that form the ebb-tidal delta. The relative importance of each physical process on the sediment transport and consequent morphodynamics varies across the region. The main inlet channel is dominated by tidal action that directs the sediment transport as a consequence of the varying tidal flow asymmetry, resulting in net offshore transport. Sediment transport over the shoals and secondary channels at both sides of the main channel is dominated by wave-related processes, displacing sediment in the onshore direction. The interaction between waves and tide-generated currents controls the transport over the submerged sandbar that defines the channels seaward extend. High river discharge events are also proven to be important in this region, as they can change sediment-transport patterns across the area.Responsible Editor: Iris Grabemann     

A synthesis of dominant ecological processes in intensive shrimp ponds and adjacent coastal environments in NE Australia

One of the key environmental concerns about shrimp farming is the discharge of waters with high levels of nutrients and suspended solids into adjacent waterways. In this paper we synthesize the results of our multidisciplinary research linking ecological processes in intensive shrimp ponds with their downstream impacts in tidal, mangrove-lined creeks. The incorporation of process measurements and bioindicators, in addition to water quality measurements, improved our understanding of the effect of shrimp farm discharges on the ecological health of the receiving water bodies. Changes in water quality parameters were an oversimplification of the ecological effects of water discharges, and use of key measures including primary production rates, phytoplankton responses to nutrients, community shifts in zooplankton and delta15N ratios in marine plants have the potential to provide more integrated and robust measures. Ultimately, reduction in nutrient discharges is most likely to ensure the future sustainability of the industry.     

Temporal observations of rip current circulation on a macro-tidal beach

A field experiment was conducted on a high energy macro-tidal beach (Perranporth, UK) to examine rip current dynamics over a low-tide transverse bar/rip system in response to changing tide and wave conditions. Hydrodynamic data were collected using an array of in situ acoustic doppler current meters and pressure transducers, as well as 12 GPS-tracked Lagrangian surf zone drifters. Inter-tidal and sub-tidal morphology were measured through RTK-GPS and echo-sounder surveys. Data were collected for eight consecutive days (15 tides) over a spring-neap tidal cycle with tidal ranges of 4–6.5 m and offshore significant wave heights of 1–2 m and peak periods of 5–12 s.     

Tidal and residual circulation in the St. Andrew Bay system,Florida

Two 24-h surveys were conducted in St. Andrew Bay, Florida, during spring and neap tides to describe the tidal and non-tidal circulation patterns and to determine the factors that affect these patterns. In particular, the effect of tidal forcing in modulating such circulation patterns was explored. Observed velocities were fitted to diurnal and semidiurnal harmonics separating tidal motions from sub-tidal motions. Residual flows were compared with an analytic model that allowed variations in the relative contributions from Coriolis acceleration and friction using the Ekman number. A solution with an Ekman number of 0.04 resembled the observations best and indicated that the hydrodynamics were governed by pressure gradient, Coriolis and friction. Locally, advective accelerations became important around headlands in sub-estuaries in the system. The consistency of the mean pattern from October to March suggests that tides play a minor role in modulating the exchange flow. Deviations from the long-term mean are mainly caused by wind-driven coastal setup and setdown.     

Tidal corrections to gravity measurements

Methods taking into account the effect of tidal forces on gravity measurements are considered. Corrections for the effect of tidal forces can exceed 250 μGal. Only the structure of the Earth and positions of tide-generating celestial bodies are necessary for taking into account earth tides, while cotidal charts are additionally required for the correct incorporation of the effect of ocean tides. The effect can reach a few tens of μGal near shorelines. The modern accuracy of gravity measurements being 1–2 μGal, the ocean tide effect, together with other less significant factors, should be considered for the correct interpretation of gravity data.     

Atoll island hydrogeology: flow and freshwater occurrence in a tidally dominated system

A layered-aquifer model of groundwater occurrence in an atoll island was tested with a solute-transport numerical model. The computer model used, SUTRA, incorporates density-dependent flow. This can be significant in freshwater-saltwater interactions associated with the freshwater lens of an atoll island. Boundary conditions for the model included ocean and lagoon tidal variations. The model was calibrated to field data from Enjebi Island, Enewetak Atoll, and tested for sensitivity to a variety of parameters. This resulted in a hydraulic conductivity of 10 m day⁻¹ for the surficial aquifer and 1000 m day⁻¹ for the deeper aquifer; this combination of values gave an excellent reproduction of the tidal response data from test wells. The average salinity distribution was closely reproduced using a dispersivity of 0.02m. The computer simulation quantitatively supports the layered-aquifer model, including under conditions of density-dependent flow, and shows that tidal variations are the predominant driving force for flow beneath the island. The oscillating, vertical flow produced by the tidal variations creates an extensive mixing zone of brackish water. The layered-aquifer model with tidally driven flow is a significant improvement over the Ghyben-Herzberg-Dupuit model as it is conventionally applied to groundwater studies for many Pacific reef islands.