Small-scale sediment transport patterns and bedform morphodynamics: new insights from high-resolution multibeam bathymetry

New multibeam echosounder and processing technologies yield sub-meter-scale bathymetric resolution, revealing striking details of bedform morphology that are shaped by complex boundary-layer flow dynamics at a range of spatial and temporal scales. An inertially aided post processed kinematic (IAPPK) technique generates a smoothed best estimate trajectory (SBET) solution to tie the vessel motion-related effects of each sounding directly to the ellipsoid, significantly reducing artifacts commonly found in multibeam data, increasing point density, and sharpening seafloor features. The new technique was applied to a large bedform field in 20–30 m water depths in central San Francisco Bay, California (USA), revealing bedforms that suggest boundary-layer flow deflection by the crests where 12-m-wavelength, 0.2-m-amplitude bedforms are superimposed on 60-m-wavelength, 1-m-amplitude bedforms, with crests that often were strongly oblique (approaching 90°) to the larger features on the lee side, and near-parallel on the stoss side. During one survey in April 2008, superimposed bedform crests were continuous between the crests of the larger features, indicating that flow detachment in the lee of the larger bedforms is not always a dominant process. Assessment of bedform crest peakedness, asymmetry, and small-scale bedform evolution between surveys indicates the impact of different flow regimes on the entire bedform field. This paper presents unique fine-scale imagery of compound and superimposed bedforms, which is used to (1) assess the physical forcing and evolution of a bedform field in San Francisco Bay, and (2) in conjunction with numerical modeling, gain a better fundamental understanding of boundary-layer flow dynamics that result in the observed superimposed bedform orientation.     

Implications of bedform dimensions for the prediction of local scour in tidal inlets: a case study from the southern North Sea

The bedforms and the local scour at the base of a cylindrical pile were studied in a tidal inlet in the Wadden Sea, southern North Sea, using high-resolution multibeam bathymetry data from four surveys. The observed changes in scour and bedform dimensions were interpreted in terms of hydraulic forcings varying periodically at different time scales. It appears that bedform orientation reacts to changing flow conditions on a semidiurnal basis, whereas bedform height and steepness reflect the spring-neap cycle as well as seasonal signals. The scour depth carries a strong overprint of the semidiurnal tidal cycle, which is at a maximum during the strongest tidal flow. Subtler variations in scour depth can possibly be attributed to the spring-neap tidal cycle. Based on these data on bedform and scour dimensions, correlation functions were established between scour depth and dune height as well as dune length. In measuring the scour depth under mobile bed conditions, establishing the seabed level based on the trough level of the bedforms nearest to the scour proved useful. These findings suggest that the dimensions of bedforms in dynamic equilibrium with prevailing hydraulic flow conditions can be used to estimate scouring in tidal environments.     

Wave boundary layer over a stone-covered bed

This paper summarizes the results of an experimental investigation on wave boundary layers over a bed with large roughness, simulating stone/rock/armour block cover on the sea bottom. The roughness elements used in the experiments were stones the size of 1.4cm and 3.85cm in one group of experiments and regular ping-pong balls the size 3.6cm in the other. The orbital-motion-amplitude-to-roughness ratio at the bed was rather small, in the range a/k_s = 0.6–3. The mean and turbulence properties of the boundary-layer flow were measured. Various configurations of the roughness elements were used in the ping-pong ball experiments to study the influence of packing pattern, packing density, number of layers and surface roughness of the roughness elements. The results show that the friction factor seems to be not extremely sensitive to these factors. The results also show that the friction factor for small values of the parameter a/k_s does not seem to tend to a constant value as a/k_s → 0 (contrary to the suggestion made by some previous investigators). The present friction-factor data indicates that the friction factor constantly increases with decreasing a/k_s. An empirical expression is given for the friction factor for small values of a/k_s. The results further show that the phase lead of the bed friction velocity over the surface elevation does not seem to change radically with a/k_s, and found to be in the range 12°–23°. Furthermore the results show that the boundary-layer turbulence also is not extremely sensitive to the packing pattern, the packing density, the number of layers and the surface roughness of the roughness elements. There exists a steady streaming near the bed in the direction of wave propagation, in agreement with the existing work. The present data indicate that the steady streaming is markedly smaller in the case where the ping-pong balls are aligned at 45° to the wave direction than in the case with 90° alignment. Likewise, it is found that the steady streaming is relatively smaller in the case of the one-layer ping-pong-ball roughness than in the case of the two-layer situation.     

Boundary roughness and bedforms in the surf zone

Hydrodynamical models of the nearshore system frequently assume that a single friction coefficient is sufficient to represent flow conditions at a point in the surf zone. Furthermore, models attempting to relate bed configuration to surf zone flows have relied primarily upon the wave orbital velocity as an indicator of potential bedforms, and thus as the control on boundary roughness. The data presented here point out potential errors arising from either of these approaches. The results of a field experiment conducted at Wendake Beach, Ontario, show that at a single location in an active surf zone, the Darcy-Weisbach friction coefficient, f, varied by approximately 250% (in this case between 0.016 and 0.041).

It is also shown that existing bedform models, based upon primary wave motions alone, do not accurately predict conditions at this study site. For a relatively constant wave orbital velocity and velocity asymmetry, it is found that changes in bed roughness, as a result of bedform development, are reflected mainly in the vertical profile of the long-shore current velocity. A sequence of bedforms, from oscillatory ripples through flat bed, is inferred from the data, and found to be supported by diver observations and preserved primary sedimentary structures.     

Movable bed roughness and current profiles in the presence of irregular waves with an arbitrary angle to currents

The bed roughness k_s and current velocity profiles in the presence of waves with an arbitrary angle θ to currents are studied. It is found that the movable bed roughness is affected by both the wave and the current and only slightly by the angle θ between the wave propagation and the current, and that existing formulae derived in purely oscillatory flows generally fail to predict k_s. In the present study, a new formula which takes account the effect of the wave and the current on the bed roughness is suggested to calculate k_s in combined wave-current flows. With the present formula, the current profiles calculated by the model of You agree satisfactorily with the laboratory data of van Kampen and Nap and Havinga, and the field measurements of Grant and Williams and Drake et al.     

Numerical modeling investigation on turbulent oscillatory flow over a plane rough bed composed by randomly arrayed particles

A three-dimensional numerical model is established to simulate the turbulent oscillatory boundary layer over a fixed and rough bed composed by randomly arrayed solid spheres based on the lattice Boltzmann method and the large eddy simulation model.The equivalent roughness height,the location of the theoretical bed and the time variation of the friction velocity are investigated using the log-fit method.The time series of turbulent intensity and Reynolds stress are also investigated.The equivalent roughness height of cases with Reynolds numbers of 1×10~4–6×10~4 is approximately 2.81 d(grain size).The time variation of the friction velocity in an oscillatory cycle exhibits sinusoidal-like behavior.The friction factor depends on the relative roughness in the rough turbulent regime,and the pattern of solid particles arrayed as the rough bed in the numerical simulations has no obvious effect on the friction factor.     

An energy approach to non-breaking wave-induced motion of bottom sediment particles

A general equation, which applies to incipient motion, general surface motion and disappearance of ripples under non-breaking water waves, is derived using an energy approach. Lower and upper limits of ripple development are derived, showing that existing criteria are not entirely sufficient. An explicit formula for the dissipation factor as a function of D/A (grain diameter near-bed wave amplitude) is also obtained. The formula has been used to evaluate the variation of f_e with increasing flow characteristics for constant grain diameter. Finally, values of the sand grain roughness height, k_s, in relation to grain diameter are given for different types of bottom motion.     

Sediment dynamics on the narrow,canyon-incised and current-swept shelf of the northern KwaZulu-Natal continental shelf,South Africa

Side-scan sonar, multibeam bathymetry, Shipek^TM grab, and high- to moderate-resolution sub-bottom data for the northern KwaZulu-Natal continental shelf reveal further insights into the interactions between sediment dynamics, strong western boundary currents and submarine canyon topography. Unlike previously recognised mechanisms for bedload parting on current-swept shelves, bedload partings here are the result of complex interactions between the western boundary poleward-flowing Agulhas Current and submarine canyon topography. This has resulted in bedforms orientated orthogonally to the canyon axis, with sediments entrained equator-wards into the canyon heads before resuming their dominant southerly migration. It is in these zones of parting where the most prominent bedforms occur; these bedform fields are formed by positive feedback in the boundary layer between an increasingly undulatory Agulhas Current and a seafloor incised by regularly spaced submarine canyons. Bedform morphometrics such as wavelength–height, depth–height and distance from thalweg–height relationships show no distinct patterns, indicating that the bedforms are heavily reworked and appear to be out of equilibrium with the inherent oceanographic conditions.     

Effect of bed roughness on turbulent boundary layer and net sediment transport under asymmetric waves

This paper presents an investigation of the roughness effects in the turbulent boundary layer for asymmetric waves by using the baseline (BSL) k–ω model. This model is validated by a set of the experimental data with different wave non-linearity index, N_i (namely, N_i = 0.67, N_i = 0.60 and N_i = 0.58). It is further used to simulate asymmetric wave velocity flows with several values of the roughness parameter (a_m/k_s) which increase gradually, namely from a_m/k_s = 35 to a_m/k_s = 963. The effect of the roughness tends to increase the turbulent kinetic energy and to decrease the mean velocity distribution in the inner boundary layer, whereas in the outer boundary layer, the roughness alters the turbulent kinetic energy and the mean velocity distribution is relatively unaffected. A new simple calculation method of bottom shear stress based on incorporating velocity and acceleration terms is proposed and applied into the calculation of the rate of bed-load transport induced by asymmetric waves. And further, the effect of bed roughness on the bottom shear stress and bed-load sediment transport under asymmetric waves is examined with the turbulent model, the newly proposed method, and the existing calculation method. It is found that the higher roughness elements increase the magnitude of bottom shear stress along a wave cycle and consequently, the potential net sediment transport rate. Moreover, the wave non-linearity also shows a big impact on the bottom shear stress and the net sediment transport.     

Sedimentary geology of the Columbia River Estuary

A multiyear study of the sedimentary geology of the Columbia River Estuary has provided valuable data regarding sediment distribution, bedform distribution, and suspended sediment distribution on spatial and temporal scales that permit delineation of sedimentary environments and insight into the sedimentary processes that have shaped the estuary. In comparison to other more-intensively studied estuaries in North America, the Columbia River estuary has relatively larger tidal range (maximum semidiurnal range of 3.6m) and large riverflow (6,700m³s⁻¹). Variations in riverflow, sediment supply, and tidal flow occur over a range of time scales, making the study of modern processes, as they relate to long-term effects, particularly challenging.Analyses of more than 2000 bottom-sediment grab samples indicate that the bed material of the estuary varies in a relatively narrow range between 0 and 8 phi (1.0 and 0.0039mm) with an overall mean size of 2.5 phi (0.177mm). Sediment size decreases generally in the downstream direction. Sediments from the upriver channels are coarse (1.5–2.0phi; 0.25–0.35mm) and moderately sorted; sediments in the central estuary show wider range and variation in grain size and sorting (1.75–6.0phi; 0.016–0.3mm). Sediment from the entrance region has a mean size of 2.75phi (0.149mm) and is well sorted. Seasonal changes in sediment size distributions occur and are best delineated by those samples containing more than 10% mud (silt plus clay). Sediments containing a significant fine fraction generally occur only in the peripheral bays and in channels isolated from strong currents. Thin deposits of fine sediments are occasionally found in main channels, and the ephemeral nature of these sediments suggest that they may erode and produce the silty rip-up clasts that appear intermittently in the same regions.The distribution of bedforms of various size and shape has been mapped with side-scan sonar during three seasons and at various tidal stages. The presence of bedforms with wavelengths of 6–8m and alternating slip faces about 40cm high indicates that the deeper portion of the entrance region is dominated by tidally reversing lower flow regime sediment transport. Bedforms in the upper reaches of the estuary are much larger, with heights of up to 3m and wavelengths of up to 100m. These bedforms, and the smaller, superimposed bedforms, imply downstream transport under fluvial conditions. In the central estuary, bedforms in the deep portion of the main channels are oriented upriver while those on the shallow flanks of the channels are oriented seaward. The landward limit of upriver bedform transport varies seasonally in response to riverflow fluctuations.A complex array of sedimentary environments exists in the Columbia River estuary. Each environment is influenced by the relative importance of waves, fluvial currents, and tidal currents, as modified by the presence or absence of estuarine circulation, vegetation, or human activity. The importance of these enviroments to the ecosystem of the estuary is discussed in subsequent papers in this volume.     

Influence of the seagrass,Zostera marina L., on current flow

A salt-water flume was used to describe the mechanics of current flow around an articial Zostera marina meadow. Shear velocity and roughness height were positively correlated with seagrass surface area, and were positively/negatively correlated with current velocity. Current velocity intrusion into the meadow before diminution and maximum reduction (both at the 2 cm height line) proceed by factors of 1·25 and 2·07 cm into the meadow per cm s^?1 of current velocity, respectively.Froude number was correlated with mean bending angle of the canopy as a whole. Maximum bending had occurred with Froude = 1, but most bending had taken place by Froude = 0·4, a velocity of 40–50 cm s^?1 in this experiment.The meadow edge is the most dynamic zone of a seagrass meadow in regard to current flow. Bending of the shoot canopy is a mechanism for re-direction of current flow and in-canopy reduction of current velocity. Meadow dimensions may be regulated by scouring processes in different hydraulic regimes. Shoot bending and subsequent in-meadow current velocity reduction are mechanisms that affect self-shading and photosynthetic capabilities as well as providing habitat stability.     

Extraction of morphometric bedform characteristics from profiling sonar datasets recorded in shallow coastal waters of China

The morphological characteristics of small-scale bedforms were measured by means of an acoustic profiling sonar on the Dafeng tidal flat,Jiangsu,in 2009,and in the Jiulong Estuary,Xiamen,in 2010,respectively.The "multi-threshold value" method was utilized to reveal the morphological undulations along which bedforms were present.Analyses of the datasets obtained show that:(1) sand ripples can have irregular shapes,and(2) changes in bedform morphology are small within a single tidal cycle but may be significant over several tidal cycles.Fractal and variogram analyses of the seabed roughness revealed the existence of a significant relationship between current speed and the fractal dimension of the seabed roughness.As current speed increases,seabed roughness increases with a trend of smaller-scale bottom structures being replaced by larger-scale structures.Furthermore,the surface of the larger-scale bottom structures can either become smooth due to the absence of smaller-scale features or become rougher due to the presence of superimposed smaller-scale structures.     

Hydraulic roughness over simple subaqueous dunes

Detailed studies of flow over subaqueous dunes in laboratory flumes were used to suggest a virtual near-bed layer of twice the dune height in which the mean velocity is accelerated towards the crest by contraction. The mean flow velocity in this layer above the crest, transformed into friction velocity by means of the surface skin roughness, is shown to give values consistent with measured values. The resulting dimensionless shear stress due to skin friction is depth-independent, in contrast to that derived by means of often cited traditional methods. As a result of the relationship between dune height and the thickness of the near-bed layer, an expression for the expansion loss behind dunes was formulated and used to relate form resistance directly to dune height.     

Sand waves and other bedforms in lower Cook Inlet,Alaska

Abstract

Lower Cook Inlet in Alaska has high‐ tidal currents that average 3–4 knots and normally reach a peak of 6–8 knots. The bottom has an average depth of about 60–70 m in the central part of the inlet that deepens toward the south. Several types of bedforms, such as sand waves, dunes, ripples, sand ribbons, and lag deposits form a microtopography on the otherwise smooth seafloor. Each bedform type covers a small field, normally a few hundred to a few thousand meters wide, and usually several kilometers long parallel to the tidal flow. High‐resolution seismic systems, side‐scan sonar and bottom television were used to study these bedforms. Large sand waves with wavelengths over 300 m and wave heights up to 10 m were observed. Fields of ebb‐oriented or flood‐oriented asymmetric bedforms commonly grade into more symmetric shapes. Several orders of smaller sand waves and dunes cover the flanks of the very large bedforms. The crest directions of both size groups are normally parallel, but deviations of up to 90° have been observed; local deviations may occur where smaller forms approach the crests of the larger sand waves. Bottom television observations demonstrated active bedload transport in a northerly direction on crests and midflanks of southward asymmetric large sand waves, but not in their troughs. Movement of bedload occurs in the form of small ripples. Although the asymmetry of the large bedforms suggests that migration has taken place in the ebb or flood directions, the very low surface angles (2.5°‐8°) of these bedforms do not indicate regular movements. The large bedforms are probably relict features, or they migrate only under severe conditions, whereas active sand transport by ripples and smaller sand waves and dunes moves bedload back and forth with the tides. An understanding of such movements is essential for determining design criteria for offshore installations and in benthic‐faunal studies.     

Ocean current generated sedimentary facies in the Osumi Strait, South of Kyushu, Japan

An investigation of the surface sediments and bedforms in the Osumi Strait, located between Kyushu and Tanegashima, south of Kyushu, Japan, was carried out. The distribution of some characteristics of the surface sediments and bedforms is clarified.In the Osumi Strait, the surface sediments tend to become finer in size, better sorted and lower in specific gravity from southwest to northeast. The bedform distribution shows a systematic change in the same direction. This direction is the same as the direction of sediment transportation and of the current flowing through the Strait. It is considered that these changes in bedforms and sediment properties are formed by the decrease in the energy of the current. The current generating bedforms and sediment distribution is the Osumi Branch Current, one of the branches of the Kuroshio. The sediment transportation is active under the present hydraulic conditions.The sedimentary facies developed in the Osumi Strait is controlled by a unidirectional ocean current. The ocean current is one of the important factors for sedimentary processes where strong ocean current prevails along or near the continental shelf such as around the Japanese Islands.     

Sediment transport near the Tauranga entrance to Tauranga Harbour

Abstract

Sediment transport at the Tauranga Entrance was studied in relation to tidal currents and waves. Bedforms resulting from tidal flow were investigated with scuba divers and echo‐soundings. The alignment and scale of bedforms indicated the direction and approximate rate of sediment transport. Sediment transport was measured directly using sediment traps, and results were compared with rates calculated by another method. Maximum sediment transport rates of 20 000–30 000 g.m^?1 per half tidal cycle occur near the inlet gorge, but rates vary considerably in time and space, depending mainly upon power of tidal currents. A model of sediment transport for this inlet has been evolved based on tidal flow streamlines, bedform features, and the measured and calculated rates of sediment transport.     

Characterization of bedform morphology generated under combined flows and currents using wavelet analysis

The wavelet transform (WT) has been successfully implemented in many fields such as signal and image processing, communication theory, optics, numerical analysis, and fluid mechanics. However, the application of WT to describe bedform morphology in coastal areas, oceans, and rivers is rare. The present study demonstrates the capability of WT analysis to fully represent the space–frequency characteristics of signals describing bed topography generated in marine and river environments. In this study WT is used to examine the morphological characteristics of bedforms generated in two separate laboratory facilities: a wave tank and a meandering channel. In the wave tank a set of ripples superimposed upon large wave ripples were generated; while in the meandering channel, 2D and 3D migrating ripples and dunes were observed. The WT proved to be a useful tool in detecting the complex variability of the generated bedform structures. The size distribution of the bottom features such as ripples, large wave ripples and sandbars were first examined along a 2D bed profile. Later analysis studied the variability of features in the transverse direction by using the power Hovmöller. Experiments in the wave tank were conducted for a mobility number of ψ=(10, 28), and a Reynolds wave number of R_ew=(17,500, 83,500) which correspond to waves alone (WA) and to combined flow (CF) scenarios, respectively. Experiments in the meandering channel were conducted under a morphological regime that produced mainly migrating sandbars.     

Depth inversion in shallow water based on nonlinear properties of shoaling periodic waves

Two depth inversion algorithms (DIA) applicable to coastal waters are developed, calibrated, and validated based on results of computations of periodic waves shoaling over mild slopes, in a two-dimensional numerical wave tank based on fully nonlinear potential flow (FNPF) theory. In actual field situations, these algorithms would be used to predict the cross-shore depth variation h based on sets of values of wave celerity c and length L, and either wave height H or left–right asymmetry s₂/s₁, simultaneously measured at a number of locations in the direction of wave propagation, e.g., using video or radar remote sensing techniques. In these DIAs, an empirical relationship, calibrated for a series of computations in the numerical wave tank, is used to express c as a function of relative depth k_oh and deep water steepness k_oH_o. To carry out depth inversion, wave period is first predicted as the mean of observed L/c values, and H_o is then predicted, either based on observed H or s₂/s₁ values. The celerity relationship is finally inverted to predict depth h. The algorithms are validated by applying them to results of computations for cases with more complex bottom topography and different incident waves than in the original calibration computations. In all cases, root-mean-square (rms)-errors for the depth predictions are found to be less than a few percent, whereas depth predictions based on the linear dispersion relationship—which is still the basis for many state-of-the-art DIAs—have rms-errors 5 to 10 times larger.     

Drag and Sediment Dispersion Over Sand Waves

Estimates of the drag coefficient over sand waves during calm weather in the southern North Sea have been obtained from measurements of the water slope and currents at different heights (z) above the sea-bed using the log profile and momentum balance methods. An observed phase difference between principal terms in the momentum balance equation is examined theoretically. Drag coefficient estimates are found to agree broadly with previous studies. Owing to bedform asymmetry, average drag coefficient values obtained atz=1 m (C₁₀₀) are found to be 0·0021 and 0·0029 for flood and ebb tides, respectively. Systematic changes in bed roughness are not detected. Using a momentum balance approach, the average drag coefficient value (C_d) atz=10 m is found to be 0·0056. Changes in 10-min averageC_dvalues over sand waves during the tidal cycle are found to be small with bedform asymmetry having no detectable effect. Correlation betweenC_dandC₁₀₀is found to be poor and separation of skin friction and form drag terms is not possible with existing measurements. The inclusion of form drag inC₁₀₀values at the present site leads to over-estimation of the bed shear stress ({q) available to mobilize and transport sediment. Mobile sediment, detected through the use of tracers and a transmissometer, was not found to have any measurable effect on eitherC_dorC₁₀₀in calm weather conditions.