沉积物捕获器在海岸与陆架沉积动力研究中的应用:以罗源湾和台湾海峡为例

运用时间序列的沉积物捕获器对海岸与陆架海域沉降颗粒物进行采集,估算沉降通量,并运用多学科综合研究手段分析沉降颗粒物的来源、组成、时空变化及控制因素,可以为海岸与陆架沉积动力过程的研究提供新的研究手段。福建罗源湾的实验表明,夏季罗源湾潮下带小潮至中潮期间的沉降通量为133.20~256.18g/(m2·t);由中潮向大潮变化期间单个潮周期的沉降通量明显增大,台风过后的大潮期间的沉降通量为373.99~590.51g/(m2·t);台风显著影响期间的沉降通量为746.34g/(m2·t);粒度分析及水动力观测结果显示,观测期间罗源湾潮下带沉降颗粒物主要来源于海底沉积物的再悬浮。台湾海峡西北部内陆架海域的实验研究表明,该海域近底部悬浮颗粒物沉降通量最大值为13.34g/(m2·d),由小潮向中潮沉降通量逐渐增大,这主要是由于近底部温盐跃层层位上移,近底部垂向混合作用增强,致使底部再悬浮沉积物向上扩散,并最终被沉积物捕获器捕获。沉积物捕获器可以接收到再悬浮沉积物,结合底部边界层过程的观测研究,可以深入认识海底沉积物的侵蚀、沉降及埋藏过程,在研究海岸与陆架区沉积动力学、泥质区沉积记录的形成过程与保存潜力中扮演着十分重要的角色。     

Suspended particulate matter and nepheloid layers over the southern margin of the Cretan Sea (N.E. Mediterranean): seasonal distribution and dynamics

Seawater along the southern margin of the Cretan Sea (May 1994–September 1995) has been found to have light transmission values ranging from 79% to 94%, corresponding to SPM values ranging from 1.5 mg l⁻¹ to 0.2 mg l⁻¹. The highest SPM concentrations (mostly of terrigenous origin) were found close to the sea-bed over the shelf-break and upper slope. The origins of SPM in the surface waters (<150 m) is principally biogenic. The occurrence of nepheloid layers at intermediate depths within the upper water column is mostly a result of density stratification. The dynamics of SPM distributions are governed by the 2-gyre system which induces a general onslope flow; and so inhibits the seaward dispersion of the relatively more turbid coastal/shelf waters. This is in agreement with the virtual absence of suspensates of terrigenous origin offshore of the shelf-break. Near bottom nepheloid layers (BNL) and detached intermediate nepheloid layers occur in the vicinity of the shelf-break and over upper slope region; these may be explained by resuspension induced by near-bed current activity and breaking of internal waves. High concentrations of SPM near the seabed may be caused by anthropogenic (trawling) activity. Occasionally, the formation of BNL may result from local seismic activity resulting in gravity-driven mass movements.     

Resuspension of benthic fluff by tidal currents in deep stratified waters, northern North Sea

Suspended particulate matter (SPM) concentration and properties (particle size and settling velocity), water column and boundary layer dynamics were measured during a 60-d period at a site in 110 m water depth in the northern North Sea. The site was in stratified waters and measurements were made during September–November as the seasonal thermocline was progressively weakening. SPM concentration was low, c. 1 mg dm⁻³ in the surface mixed layer and maximum values of 2 mg dm⁻³ in the bottom mixed layer. The bottom layer was characterised by larger mean particle size. SPM signals in the two layers were decoupled at the start of the period, when the thermocline was strong, but were increasingly coupled as the thermocline progressively weakened. A spring-neap cycle of resuspension and deposition of SPM was observed in the bottom mixed layer. Bed shear stresses were too small to entrain the bottom sediment (a fine sand) but were competent to resuspend benthic fluff: threshold bed shear stress and threshold current velocity at 10 mab were 0.02–0.03 Pa. and 0.18 m s⁻¹, respectively. Maximum SPM concentration in the bottom layer preceded peak spring tide currents by 3 d. Simulation of fluff resupension by the PROWQM model confirms that this was due to a finite supply of benthic fluff: the fluff layer was stripped from the seabed so that fluff supply was zero by the time of peak spring flow. SPM was redeposited over neap tides. Fluff resuspension must have been enhanced by intermittent inertial currents in the bottom layer but unequivocal evidence for this was not seen. There was some resuspension due to wave activity. Settling velocity spectra were unimodal or bimodal with modal values of 2×10⁻⁴–2×10⁻³ mm s⁻¹ (long-term suspension component) and 0.2–5.7 mm s⁻¹ (resuspension component). The slowest settling particles remained in suspension at peak spring tides after the fluff layer had been exhausted. There was evidence of particle disaggregation during springs and aggregation during neaps.     

桑沟湾夏、秋季悬浮颗粒物的沉降通量及再悬浮的影响

应用锚式悬挂沉积物捕捉器法,研究了我国北方重要海水养殖区域桑沟湾悬浮颗粒物沉降通量的分布特征,并通过金属Al标记法,同步测定了沉降颗粒物再悬浮比率。结果表明,桑沟湾的底层悬浮颗粒物(SPM)、颗粒有机碳(POC)、颗粒态总氮(PTN)和颗粒态总磷(PTP)平均表观沉降通量分别为1 511.4g/(m2·d)、20.01g/(m2·d)、1.497g/(m2·d)和0.474g/(m2·d),显著高于我国其他近岸海域,但底层沉降颗粒物再悬浮比率平均值高达92.8%,认为在养殖内湾,受再悬浮程度的影响,测得的底层表观沉降通量是中层的2.7倍,秋季明显大于夏季,海带和扇贝养殖区大于牡蛎养殖区。经再悬浮比率校正后的净沉降通量,仍存在着显著的空间和季节变化,但受控因素发生了根本转变;这主要表现为净沉降颗粒物质主要源于生物代谢活动强烈中上层水体,贝类的排泄作用使牡蛎和扇贝养殖区的净沉降通量显著大于海带养殖区,养殖贝类个体增大、排泄量增加使秋季净沉降通量高于夏季。在我国近岸海域,再悬浮作用的影响,会对该区域悬浮颗粒物沉降通量的估算带来巨大误差,因此该作用不容忽视。     

Resuspension potential of surficial sediments in Saguenay Fjord (Québec,Canada)

A flash flood that occurred in July 1996 in the Saguenay area (Québec, Canada), deposited a bed of cohesive sediments, average of 10–60 cm thick, over an area of 65 km² of the deep fjord basin of the upper Saguenay Fjord. Because this turbidite covered contaminated sediments, the resuspension potential of surficial sediments is an important parameter in determining the efficiency of the 1996 layer as a natural capping layer. This is because contaminants that may have diffused through the 1996 layer may be resuspended. The resuspension potential of surficial sediments in Saguenay Fjord was investigated in situ over a 3-yr period at fifteen sites in the Baie des Ha! Ha! and the North Arm using a benthic flume, the Miniflume. In addition, geotechnical measurements, photographs of benthic sediments and recordings of benthic current velocities were also carried out. The measured critical velocities of sediment resuspension (u_c) vary between 7 and 15 cm s^− 1. The maximum bottom current speed recorded in the North Arm and in Baie des Ha! Ha! from May to August 2000 was 27 cm s^− 1. Erosion depths were determined from Miniflume data combined with laboratory measurements carried out with an axial tomography scanner, which provided variation of sediment density at an interval of 0.13 mm. A general relationship between depth of erosion (ze, mm) and shear stress applied on the bed (τ_b, Pa) was determined. As Saguenay Fjord sediment characteristics vary greatly from one station to another, the potential for resuspension of surficial sediments shows the same trend.     

More than a century of bathymetric observations and present-day shallow sediment characterization in Belfast Bay, Maine, USA: implications for pockmark field longevity

Mechanisms and timescales responsible for pockmark formation and maintenance remain uncertain, especially in areas lacking extensive thermogenic fluid deposits (e.g., previously glaciated estuaries). This study characterizes seafloor activity in the Belfast Bay, Maine nearshore pockmark field using (1) three swath bathymetry datasets collected between 1999 and 2008, complemented by analyses of shallow box-core samples for radionuclide activity and undrained shear strength, and (2) historical bathymetric data (report and smooth sheets from 1872, 1947, 1948). In addition, because repeat swath bathymetry surveys are an emerging data source, we present a selected literature review of recent studies using such datasets for seafloor change analysis. This study is the first to apply the method to a pockmark field, and characterizes macro-scale (>5 m) evolution of tens of square kilometers of highly irregular seafloor. Presence/absence analysis yielded no change in pockmark frequency or distribution over a 9-year period (1999–2008). In that time pockmarks did not detectably enlarge, truncate, elongate, or combine. Historical data indicate that pockmark chains already existed in the 19th century. Despite the lack of macroscopic changes in the field, near-bed undrained shear-strength values of less than 7 kPa and scattered downcore ¹³⁷Cs signatures indicate a highly disturbed setting. Integrating these findings with independent geophysical and geochemical observations made in the pockmark field, it can be concluded that (1) large-scale sediment resuspension and dispersion related to pockmark formation and failure do not occur frequently within this field, and (2) pockmarks can persevere in a dynamic estuarine setting that exhibits minimal modern fluid venting. Although pockmarks are conventionally thought to be long-lived features maintained by a combination of fluid venting and minimal sediment accumulation, this suggests that other mechanisms may be equally active in maintaining such irregular seafloor morphology. One such mechanism could be upwelling within pockmarks induced by near-bed currents.     

The contribution of near-bed currents to modern sedimentation processes in the deep waters of the Hellenic Arc-Trench system, eastern Mediterranean

The effects of near-bed current activity on modern sedimentation were examined in various deepwater environments (>500 m) of the Hellenic Arc-Trench system. Near-bed currents were able to resuspend essentially flat beds covered by very fine sediments (>8.5 J) only when current speeds exceeded 11 cm s^-1. At lower speeds, the initiation of resuspension of the muddy sediments was related to increased hydraulic bed roughness resulting from biogenic benthic activity. As such, observed near-bed currents make different contributions to the regional sedimentation processes, i.e., at levels which are low in the Gulf of Corinth, moderate in the NW Aegean Sea and Zakynthos Channel, and high in the NE Ionian Sea.     

Ripples in intertidal mud—a conceptual explanation

On protected mudflats and along sheltered tidal channel margins, wave- and current-generated ripples are frequently observed on surficial and subsurface mud beds, although such bedforms are generally not thought to occur in cohesive sediments. In this paper, examples of such ripple marks in the German Wadden Sea (back-barrier tidal flats of Spiekeroog island) and also along the west coast of Korea (Baeksu tidal flats) are documented and analyzed. The mud ripples are 5–8 cm in spacing and 0.3–0.8 cm in height, and are composed of slightly sandy to virtually pure mud (80–98% mud content). For the Spiekeroog study area, a comparison of in situ particle-size measurements of suspended matter and of dispersed mud collected from the ripples shows that the former consists of low-density flocs which are considerably larger than the constituent grains of the latter. To assess local wave effects, near-bed orbital velocities and orbital diameters were calculated on the basis of standard wave theory using estimated wave parameters at the time of the study (June 2004) as well as wave data recorded nearby within the back-barrier tidal basin. The relationships between grain size, morphometric ripple parameters, and the near-bed orbital diameter show the wave-generated mud ripples to be of the orbital post-vortex type. It is demonstrated that only short-period shoaling (intermediate water depth) waves with periods of 1.5–2.5 s and heights of 0.1–0.5 m are able to generate and maintain such ripples. Corresponding near-bed orbital velocities range from 8–32 cm s^–1 and near-bed orbital diameters from 6.25–10 cm. It can be anticipated that increased current shear and turbulence associated with higher and longer waves prevent ripple formation due to the resuspension of settled mud, and the breakdown of suspended flocs and aggregates into smaller particles which then tend to remain in suspension. The most plausible explanation for the formation of the mud ripples is that mud flocs and aggregates deposited from suspension around high-water slack tide under moderate weather conditions initially respond as single (non-cohesive) particles which are hydraulically equivalent to ambient very fine sands. During exposure at low tide, gradual loss of water transforms the rippled mud into increasingly more cohesive mud drapes which are more resistant to erosion. Unless destroyed during high-energy events, the mud ripples may remain intact long enough to become buried and thereby preserved. Indeed, occasional but persistent observations of ripples in sub-Recent to ancient mudrocks document their preservation potential.     

桐花树红树林潮滩近底层悬沙浓度垂向剖面变化特征分析*

观测红树林潮滩在波浪和潮流作用下的近底层垂向剖面悬沙浓度变化过程, 对理解海岸带植被的消能促淤机制和滨海湿地生态修复工程有着重要作用。本文以北部湾七星岛岛尾桐花树红树林潮滩为例, 基于剖面流速仪HR、声学多普勒单点流速仪ADV、浪潮仪T-wave及剖面浊度仪ASM, 获取了研究区域2019年夏季大潮连续3天的水文数据, 同时结合桐花树典型植株实测参数, 分析了潮周期内红树林潮滩近底层垂向剖面悬沙响应波浪、潮流作用及桐花树空间结构的运动过程。结果表明: 1) 桐花树潮滩近底层悬沙浓度和悬沙通量具有涨潮明显大于落潮的潮汐不对称现象, 剖面垂向高悬沙浓度区域在涨潮初期—涨急由距底部0.1~0.37m转变为距底部0.5~0.67m, 落急—落潮末期则由上部转变为下部; 2) 潮周期内悬沙起动和再悬浮阶段发生在以波浪作用主导的涨潮初期和落潮末期, 平流和沉降发生在以潮流作用为主的涨急至落急整个阶段; 3) 涨潮阶段桐花树冠层的茂密枝叶通过减缓流速拦截多于冠层上部40%以上的悬沙, 落潮水体则挟沙自陆向海经过桐花树群落, 使得悬沙浓度下降超过71%。该不对称涨、落潮动力沉积机制有利于悬沙向岸输运, 促进潮滩扩张过程。     

Fluid mud accumulation processes in an estuary

Fluid mud accumulates as pools and blanket deposits greater than 20 cm thick in channels of the James Estuary. It forms mainly in the turbidity maximum zone, a site of high near-bed concentrations (0.5 to 2 g/liter), intensive resuspension, and fast sedimentation (1 to 8 g/cm²/yr). Accumulation is promoted by stratification of interfacial fluid and pore water, by the pseudoplastic behavior of the mud with relatively high viscosity at low shear rates, by the high suspended sediment concentrations, and by resultant rapid-settling flux relative to the consolidation rate in the hindered state.This is Contribution 1211 from the Virginia Institute of Marine Science, Gloucester Point, VA 23062.     

Turbidity and sediment transport in a muddy sub-estuary

Sub-estuaries, i.e. tidal creeks and also larger estuaries that branch off the stem of their main estuary, are commonplace in many estuarine systems. Their physical behaviour is affected not only by tributary inflows, winds and tides, but also by the properties and behaviour of their main estuary. Measurements extending over more than an annual cycle are presented for the Tavy Estuary, a sub-estuary of the Tamar Estuary, UK. Generally, waves are small in the Tavy because of the short wind fetch. A several-hour period of up-estuary winds, blowing at speeds of between 7 and 10 m s⁻¹, generates waves with significant wave heights of 0.25 m and a wave periodicity of 1.7 s that are capable of eroding the bed over the shallow, ca. 1.5 m-deep mudflats. Waves also influence sedimentation within and near salt marsh areas. An estuarine turbidity maximum (ETM) occurs in the Tavy's main channel, close to the limit of salt intrusion at HW. Suspended particulate matter (SPM) concentrations typically are less than 40 mg l⁻¹ at HW, although concentrations can exceed 80 mg l⁻¹ when tides and winds are strong. Flood-tide SPM inputs to the Tavy from the Tamar are greater during high runoff events in the River Tamar and also at spring tides, when the Tamar has a high-concentration ETM. Higher SPM concentrations are experienced on the mudflats following initial inundation. Without wave resuspension, this is followed by a rapid decrease in SPM for most of the tide, indicating that the mudflats are depositional at those times. SPM concentrations on the mudflats again increase sharply prior to uncovering. Peak ebb tidal speeds at 0.15 m above the mudflat bed can exceed 0.26 m s⁻¹ at spring tides and 0.4 m s⁻¹ following high runoff events, which are sufficient to cause resuspension. Time-series measurements of sediment bed levels show strong seasonal variability. Higher and lower freshwater flows are associated with estimated, monthly-mean sediment transport that is directed out of, or into, the upper sub-estuary, respectively. Seasonal sediment transfers between the estuary and its sub-estuary are discussed.     

Experimental study of cohesive sediment consolidation and resuspension identifies approaches for coastal restoration: Lake Lery,Louisiana

The purpose of this study was to evaluate related processes of sediment consolidation and resuspension in a coastal basin and how these processes influence retention of fine sediment delivered by a river diversion. Sediment samples were collected from Lake Lery, a coastal receiving basin of the Caernarvon Diversion from the Mississippi River, Louisiana. Consolidation was tested for six initial sediment concentrations (14.0–105 kg m^–3) in a settling column over 15-day periods. Mud erodibility was tested at seven shear stress regimes (0.01–0.60 Pa) using a dual-core Gust erosion microcosm system, on cores containing suspensions that consolidated for 1, 2, and 4 weeks. Consolidation rates were found to be inversely and exponentially related to initial suspension concentration, over concentrations ranging from fluid mud (10–200 kg m^–3) to hydraulic dredge effluent. Consolidation is best predicted by a function consisting of two exponential terms and one asymptotic constant, describing rates of rapid initial and slower subsequent settling. Coupled resuspension and consolidation tests (concentrations of 20–21 kg m^–3) show that shear stresses generating the highest turbidity peaks increase from ≤0.30 Pa after 2 weeks of consolidation to ≥0.45 Pa after 4 weeks, and this strengthening cannot be attributed solely to increasing sediment concentration over time. Comparison of measured erosion shear stresses with bed shear stresses typical of coastal lakes and bays suggests that this degree of strengthening, if given time to occur, could increase the overall retention of fine sediments deposited on lake and bay floors.     

Biogeochemical evidence of large diapycnal diffusivity associated with the subtropical mode water of the North Pacific

A profiling float equipped with a fluorimeter, a dissolved oxygen (DO) sensor, and temperature and salinity sensors was deployed in the subtropical mode water (STMW) formation region of the North Pacific. It acquired quasi-Lagrangian, 5-day-interval time-series records from March to July 2006. The time-series distribution of chlorophyll showed a sustained and sizable subsurface maximum at 50–100 m, just above the upper boundary of the STMW, throughout early summer (May–July). The DO concentration in this lower euphotic zone (50–100 m) was almost constant and supersaturated in the same period, becoming more supersaturated with time. On the other hand, the DO concentration at 100–150 m near the upper boundary of the STMW decreased much more slowly compared with the main layer of STMW below 150 m, even though oxygen consumption by organisms was expected to be larger in the former depth range. The small temporal variations of DO in the lower euphotic zone and near the upper boundary of the STMW were reasonably explained by downward oxygen transport because of large diapycnal diffusion near the top of the STMW. Assuming that the oxygen consumption rate at 100–150 m was the same as that in the main layer of STMW and compensated by the downward oxygen flux, the diapycnal diffusivity was estimated to be 1.7 × 10⁻⁴ m² s⁻¹. Nitrate transport into the euphotic zone by the same large diffusion was estimated to be 0.8 mmol N m⁻² day⁻¹. All of the transported nitrate could have been used for photosynthesis by the phytoplankton; net community production was estimated to be 5.3 mmol C m⁻² day⁻¹.     

Structure of the phytoplankton communities and primary production in the Ob River estuary and over the adjacent Kara Sea shelf

The material was collected in the Ob River estuary and over the adjacent shallow Kara Sea shelf between 71°14′0 and 75°33′0N at the end of September 2007. Latitudinal zoning in the phytoplankton distribution was demonstrated; this zoning was determined by the changes in the salinity and concentration of nutrients. Characteristic of the phytocenosis in the southern desalinated zone composed of freshwater species of diatom and green algae were the high population density (1.5 × 10⁶ cells/l), biomass (210 μgC/l), chlorophyll concentration (4.5 μg/l), and uniform distribution in the water column. High primary production (∼40 μgC/l/day) was recorded in the upper 1.5-m layer. The estuarine frontal zone located to the north contained a halocline at a depth of 3–5 m. Freshwater species with low population density (2.5 × 10⁵ cells/l), biomass (24 μgC/l), and chlorophyll concentration (1.5 μg/l) dominated above the halocline. Marine diatom algae, dinoflagellates, and autotrophic flagellates formed a considerable part of the phytocenosis below the halocline; the community characteristics were twofold lower as compared with the upper layer. The maximal values of the primary production (∼10 μgC/l per day) were recorded in the upper 1.5-m layer. The phytocenosis in the seaward zone was formed by marine alga species and was considerably poorer as compared with the frontal zone. The assimilation numbers at the end of the vegetation season in the overall studied area were low, amounting to 0.4–1.0 μgC/μgChl/h in the upper layer and 0.03–0.1 μgC/μgChl/h under the pycnocline.     

Modeling wave-mud interaction on the central chenier-plain coast,western Louisiana Shelf,USA

The strong coupling between hydrodynamics and seafloors on shallow muddy shelves, and resulting bed reworking, have been extensively documented. On these shelves, spectral wave transformation is driven by a complex combination of forcing mechanisms that include nonlinear wave interactions and wave energy dissipation induced by fluid-mud at a range of frequencies. Wave-mud interaction is investigated herein by using a previously validated nonlinear spectral wave model and observations of waves and near-bed conditions on a mildly-sloping seafloor off the muddy central chenier-plain coast, western Louisiana Shelf, United States. Measurements were made along a cross-shelf transect spanning 1 km between 4 and 3 m water depths. The high-resolution observations of waves and near-bed conditions suggest presence of a fluid mud layer with thickness sometimes exceeding 10 cm under strong long wave action (1 meter wave height with 7 s peak period at 4 meter depth). Spectral wave transformation is modeled using the stochastic formulation of the nonlinear Mild Slope Equation, modified to account for wave-breaking and mud-induced dissipation. The model is used in an inverse manner in order to estimate the viscosity of the fluid mud layer, which is a key parameter controlling mud-induced wave dissipation but complicated to measure in the field during major wave events. Estimated kinematic viscosities vary between 10⁻⁴-10⁻³ m²/s. Combining these results of the wave model simulations with in-depth analysis of near-bed conditions and boundary layer modeling allows for a detailed investigation of the interaction of nonlinear wave propagation and mud characteristics. The results indicate that mud-induced dissipation is most efficient when the wave-induced resuspensions of concentrations  > 10 g/L settle due to relatively small bottom stresses to form a fluid mud layer that is not as thin and viscous as a consolidated seafloor in absence of wave action but also not as thick and soft as a near-bed high concentration layer that forms during strong wave action.     

On the origin and flow behavior of submarine slides on deep-sea fans along the Norwegian–Barents Sea continental margin

 Debris lobes with characteristic lengths, widths, and thickness of 30–200 km, 2–10 km, and 10–50 m, respectively, represent the main building blocks of deep-sea fans along the Norwegian–Barents Sea continental margin. Their formation is closely related to the input of clay-rich sediments to the upper continental slope by glaciers during periods of maximum ice advance. It is likely that slide release was a consequence of an instability arising from high sedimentation rates on the upper continental slope. The flow behavior of the debris lobes can be described by a Bingham flow model. Received: 17 November 1995 / Revision received: 24 June 1996     

Rheological boundaries of mud: Where are the limits?

“Mud” includes a rheological criterion that implies it exhibits a particular consistency state, the lower boundary of which can be specified through the use of the Atterberg plastic limit, but the upper boundary remains undefined. A relationship between the water content of a hindered settling suspension when its structure changes from fluid-supported to body-supported and its Atterberg liquid limit appears capable of predicting the physical conditions at the moment when the suspension acquires a rheological character sufficient to define the upper surface of mud. This relationship appears consistent and predictable within various marine and estuarine environments.     

Helium and oxygen isotope analyses of hydrothermal fluids from the East Pacific Rise between 17°S and 19°S

 Hydrothermal vent fields south of the Garret Fracture zone were sampled for the isotope composition of helium and oxygen ([¹⁸O]H₂O/[¹⁶OH₂O). The helium isotopes end-member (³He / ⁴He=8.3×R _a and [⁴He]≈1.2–2.4×10^-5 cm³ STP g^-1) is quite similar to other known hydrothermal sites pointing to the homogeneous helium composition of the upper mantle. The δ¹⁸O end-member value (δ¹⁸O≈0.5–0.6‰) confirms previous suggestions from other sites and from isotope modeling, that hydrothermal fluids are slightly enriched in ¹⁸O relative to the ocean as a result of water–rock interactions at high temperature. Received: 11 December 1995/Revision received: 20 December 1996     

Very small waves and associated sediment resuspension on an estuarine intertidal flat

Field data from a microtidal estuarine intertidal flat (Tamaki estuary, New Zealand) are used to analyse very small waves (height <10 cm; period 1.0–1.8 s) and associated sediment resuspension under light winds. Mean spectral period at the bed varied over the tidal cycle, driven by changes in surface-wave spectrum and depth-attenuation of orbital motions. Wave-orbital currents exceeded 30 cm/s, disturbing the fine-sand (100–200 μm) matrix of the seabed and resulting in the release of fine silt (particle size <20 μm) at concentrations >120 mg/L. Resuspension was initiated when ∼40% of the maximum zero-downcrossing orbital speeds in a burst exceeded the critical speed for initiation of sediment motion. Sediment concentrations were highest around low tide, when waves were smaller compared to high tide because of a reduced fetch but depth-attenuation of orbital motions was less because the water was shallower. Wave period exerted a control on sediment resuspension through the wave friction factor. There was a hysteresis in the wave Reynolds number such that it was greater on the ebbing tide compared to on the flooding tide: since it did not exceed 3 × 10⁵ the bed was hydraulically smooth, and the wave friction factor therefore is inversely proportional to wave period. Hence, the tidal-cycle hysteresis in wave Reynolds number translated into a smaller wave friction factor on the ebbing tide, and accounting for this caused the ebb and flood sediment concentration data to collapse onto one curve when plotted against wave-induced skin friction. A simple model is presented to evaluate the relative contribution to sediment resuspension of waves associated with weak and strong winds. At the base of the flat (waves competent to resuspend sediment for 5% of the inundation time), waves associated with stronger, infrequent winds dominate resuspension. At the top of the flat (waves competent to resuspend sediment for 30% of the inundation time), waves associated with lighter, frequent winds dominate resuspension. Moderate winds – neither the strongest nor most frequently occurring – dominate resuspension integrated across the profile. The mass of sediment resuspended by waves is greatest towards the top of the flat: shoreward of this, resuspension is smaller because of wave dissipation; seaward of this, resuspension is smaller because of greater depth-attenuation of orbital motions. The location of maximum sediment mass resuspended by waves and the location of maximum duration of resuspension are not necessarily the same.     

Comparison of turbulence schemes for prediction of wave-induced near-bed sediment suspension above a plane bed

Based on a wave bottom boundary layer model and a sediment advection-diffusion model, seven turbulence schemes are compared regarding their performances in prediction of near-bed sediment suspension beneath waves above a plane bed. These turbulence algorithms include six empirical eddy viscosity schemes and one standard two-equation k-ε model. In particular, different combinations of typical empirical formulas for the eddy viscosity profile and for the wave friction factor are examined. Numerical results are compared with four laboratory data sets, consisting of one wave boundary layer hydrodynamics experiment and three sediment suspension experiments under linear waves and the Stokes second-order waves. It is shown that predictions of near-bed sediment suspension are very sensitive to the choices of the empirical formulas in turbulence schemes. Simple empirical turbulence schemes are possible to perform equally well as the two-equation k-ε model. Among the empirical schemes, the turbulence scheme, combining the exponential formula for eddy viscosity and Swart formula for wave friction factor, is the most accurate. It maintains the simplicity and yields identically good predictions as the k-ε model does in terms of the wave-averaged sediment concentration.