Sediment and hydrodynamics of the Tauranga entrance to Tauranga harbour

To relate the textural characteristics of the bottom sediments of a tidal inlet to hydrodynamics, 45 sediment samples from the Tauranga Entrance to Tauranga Harbour were analysed for textural parameters, and tidal currents and waves were monitored. Tidal currents dominate sediment transport processes near the Tauranga Entrance although swell waves are significant on the ebb tidal delta, and wind waves may influence intertidal sediments within the harbour. The bulk of the sediment is probably derived from marine sand from the Bay of Plenty continental shelf, but tidal currents and waves have changed its textural character. In areas of swift tidal currents, particularly in the inlet channel itself, sediment is coarser, more poorly sorted, and more coarsely skewed than that in areas of slower currents.     

Net Sand Transport Direction in a Tidal Inlet, using Foraminiferal Tests as Natural Tracers

The relationship between the flux of exotic benthic foraminiferal tests (i.e. tests which are supplied from open-sea sources alone) in a tidal inlet and that of bulk sediment was analysed, which can be expressed as two first-order linear equations. According to this relationship, in order to determine net sediment transport directions in the entrance, the test concentration in surficial sediments of the tidal basin can be compared against a ‘ critical level ’. The critical level is determined for the conditions that no net transport of bulk sediment is present within the entrance. If the observed concentration (averaged over the tidal basin) is higher than the simulated critical level, then the net sediment transport is directed to landward. This method is applied to the analysis of net sand transport at Christchurch Harbour, a tidal inlet system located in southern England. In this investigation, concentrations of exotic foraminiferal tests in the surficial sediments of the tidal basin and ebb tidal delta area were obtained from the analysis of sea-bed sediment samples. A series of probable critical levels were calculated based upon the data sets with regard to: (1) sediment discharge from the rivers; (2) magnitude of sediment discharge within the entrance during the ebb; (3) the test concentration outside the harbour; (4) the thickness of the moving layer; and (5) two parameters associated with dispersive processes. The results show that the concentration in the tidal basin sediment is higher than a number of simulated critical concentrations for representative cases. Consequently, the high level of the concentration of exotic benthic foraminiferal tests within the harbour should be explained as a result of landward net transport of sands within the entrance.     

Sediment dynamic processes of the Yuehu inlet system, Shandong Peninsula, China

In order to investigate the sediment dynamic behavior of the Yuehu, a small inlet system characterized by abundant sediment supply and rapid sediment infilling, measurements and sampling were undertaken to obtain data sets of tidal water levels, current velocities, suspended sediment concentrations, grain size parameters, deposition rates and organic carbon contents. Sediment budget and the time–velocity asymmetry patterns of the inlet system were analyzed. The results show that the deposition rates are relatively high within the tidal basin. The total sediment flux cannot be balanced by the input from the open sea, the aerosol and biological production; rather, the material from land (which has been intensified by agricultural activities over the past several decades) represents a major component for the balance. Thus, the denudation rate must be reduced to protect the Yuehu as a natural reserve. Furthermore, it is found from the present study that the Yuehu inlet system exhibits all of the four time–velocity asymmetry patterns with varied frequencies of occurrence, compared with the two asymmetry patterns identified for larger inlet systems; such phenomena are partly due to the adjustment of entrance channel geometry. This behavior may be representative of the small tidal inlets at their late stage of morphological evolution and, therefore, may be utilized to prolong the lifespan of small inlet systems.     

San Diego trough geotechnical test area

Abstract

The San Diego Trough Geotechnical Test Area, located about 24 km southwest of San Diego in a water depth of about 1.2 km, lies near the base of the Coronado Escarpment directly north of the Coronado Fan. A new bathymetric map delineates a shallow basin in the soft, highly plastic, clayey silts flooring the Test Area. Measurements of shear strength by vane and static cone pene‐trometer, and bulk density by nuclear densitometer, were made in place from the submersible Deep Quest. Sixteen short (< 1.6 m) gravity cores were collected from ships.

The geotechnical properties show little areal variation and generally change uniformly with depth within the 55 km² Test Area. Silt is the predominant grain size, averaging about 62%. In‐place bulk density shows little change with increasing depth, values range from 1.23 to 1.26 Mg/m³; laboratory density values increase with depth, ranging from 1.30 to 1.52 Mg/m³ between the surface and a depth of about 1.1 m. The difference between the in place and laboratory values may indicate sampling densification of the cored sediment. Water content in the cores decreases uniformly within the range of 249 to 43% dry weight. Shear strength increases linearly with depth. The laboratory shear strength values are lower than the in place values, which range from 4 kPa at the surface to about 29 kPa at a depth of 3.27 m. Predictor equations relate Atterberg limits, bulk density, water content, and laboratory and in place shear strength to depth. Sedimentation‐compression e log p curves have an equivalent compression index of 1.5 to nearly 2. Excluding rurbidite layers and sampling disturbance effects, all cores indicate a uniform depositional environment in the surface to 1.6 m of sediment sampled. The geotechnical properties indicate that the sediments in the west central and southwest parts of the Test Area exhibit vertical heterogeneity due to thin silt‐sand layers, presumably of turbidity current origin, that originated from the Coronado Canyon.     

Sedimentary processes and sediment dispersal in the southern Strait of Georgia,BC, Canada

This paper presents a review of sediment dispersal processes in the Strait of Georgia, based on marine geological studies. Sediment from the Fraser River is dispersed around the Strait through a variety of transport pathways. Most sand and coarser silt fractions settle out and are deposited within a few 100 m of the channel mouths. Both channelled and non-channelled gravity flows probably transport sediment downslope and onto the basin floor. Asymmetric tidal currents force a predominantly northward sediment drift, resulting in a reworked slope off Roberts Bank and a finer-grained depositional slope off Sturgeon Bank. Far-field sediment accumulation is controlled by local morphology and sediment dynamics. Multibeam mapping and seismic profiling reveal that some parts of the basin floor are characterized by bottom sediment reworking and erosion. Given the complexities of sediment dispersal and seafloor reworking, generalizations about sediment dispersal paths and sedimentation rates are difficult. Future understanding will be advanced by the cabled observatory, VENUS, which will enable near real-time monitoring of key processes.     

黄河三角洲孤东近岸冲淤演变及其影响因素

为更好地了解近40年来孤东近岸的演变过程,以研究区剖面水深地形、Landsat影像和利津站水沙数据为数据源,采用遥感技术及数理统计法对研究区域岸线及面积变化进行监测计算,并分析1976—1986年、1986—1996年、1996—2002年、2002—2014年4个不同阶段的冲淤演变及影响因素。结果表明:(1)孤东近岸经历"强淤积-冲淤平衡-侵蚀-强侵蚀"4个阶段。孤东近岸海域由淤积向侵蚀转变始于1996年,且在2002—2014年间侵蚀最为严重,大部分近岸海域蚀深达到6～8 m,侵蚀最大深度超过8 m;(2)等深线变化时空差异明显,蚀退最先出现在北侧,且近岸5 m水深区域内冲淤变化较水深10 m内敏感;(3)研究区近岸侵蚀,离岸淤积,剖面冲淤平衡位置由CS19剖面的11 m水深变化到CS21剖面的5m水深;(4)黄河入海水沙的减少、河口人工改汊、孤东大堤建设和海洋动力作用都对孤东近岸的冲淤演变产生影响,维持研究区冲淤平衡的年均来沙阈值为3.78亿t/a。通过此来进一步探究孤东近岸演变进程,为孤东近岸防护提供科学指导。     

基于解析解的长江口南港悬沙侧向捕集特征分析

为探讨长江口南港的水动力结构及悬沙侧向输运特征,本文从解析解的角度构建了潮汐河口水沙输运数学模型,并将其应用到长江口南港某横断面上。南港水动力主控于半日潮流,余流主要由陆相径流及本地非线性对流项驱动,悬沙分布上北侧副槽远大于南侧主槽,水沙分布的计算结果与实测结果在结构上基本一致。通过输沙函数进一步分析表明,潮流输沙和余流输沙是南港侧向输沙函数的两个主要部分。南港中强劲径流削弱了涨潮流,增强了落潮流,使得向河槽南侧的涨潮流输沙小于向河槽北侧的落潮流输沙,潮流输沙指向河槽北侧。径流驱动的南港侧向余流在涨潮流方向上为一逆时针环流结构,余流输沙指向河槽北侧。扩散输沙指向南侧主槽,因其总是指向悬沙浓度梯度的负方向。在各输沙因子的综合作用下,南港中大量悬沙捕集于河槽北侧,使得河槽北部底层潮平均含沙量值达到最大值。     

长江口北槽一期工程后滩槽沉积物分布特征及其影响因素

根据2000年7月和2001年5—6月份长江口北槽航道及两侧滩地进行的沉积物采样分析结果,对长江口深水航道一期工程实施后的滩槽泥沙交换情况以及在自然与工程双重影响下的沉积物分布情况进行了较为详细的讨论。长江口深水航道工程的实施,影响了长江口尤其是北槽及两侧滩地的水沙条件和沉积物分布。强劲的径流和潮流作用和风浪作用造成航槽及两侧滩地的冲淤转换及沉积物分布的变化;深水航道治理工程的实施使工程段内航槽泥沙粒径粗化,两侧滩地和工程段下游泥沙中值粒径变细,这反映了在工程实施后滩槽泥沙交换的变化。     

Benthic mucilaginous aggregates in the Mediterranean Sea: Origin, chemical composition and polysaccharide characterization

Benthic mucilaginous aggregates are frequently formed in various parts of the Mediterranean basin, as in the Tyrrhenian and Adriatic Seas. Notwithstanding their wide spatial distribution, the role played by these aggregates in the biogeochemical cycling of organic matter is still largely unknown.The characteristics of the benthic aggregates examined in the present study showed that they are different from other mucilaginous aggregates, such as the “pelagic” ones that can form in the same areas in the water column and subsequently sediment to the seafloor. The aggregates are usually formed of structures of the filamentous macroalgae Acinetospora crinita, Chrysonephos lewisii and Nematochrysopsis marina. The elemental composition of the aggregates showed a marine macrophyte origin on the basis of the bulk organic matter content of the aggregates. Carbohydrates and proteins account for 26.6 to 55.9% of the organic carbon in the mucilage, respectively. Monosaccharide composition of exopolysaccharides in the mucilage aggregates revealed a characteristic pattern, with galactose, xylose or mannose and fucose as the major components. The relatively high content of deoxysugars is another distinctive feature. The abundant sulphate and uronic groups present in the polysaccharides in addition to their macromolecular dimensions and elongation contribute to inter-chain aggregation. Electron microscopic observations suggest that the polysaccharide fraction is the main macromolecular component in the formation of the persistent gel network in the aggregates.     

On incipient motion of silt-sand under combined action of waves and currents

Sediment incipient motion is a fundamental issue in sediment transport theory and engineering practice. Silt has transitional behavior between cohesive and non-cohesive sediment and its incipient motion is still poorly understood. This study aims to find an expression for incipient motion from silt to sand from a unified perspective and analysis. From the analysis of forces, using the derivation method for the Shields curve, an expression for sediment incipient motion is proposed for both silt and sand under conditions of combined waves and currents. The differences and similarities in the sediment motion threshold were analyzed under the effects of waves and currents, and fine and coarse sediment. The Shields number was revised by introducing the cohesive force and additional static water pressure, which indicates that this study could be seen as an extension of the Shields curve method for silt. A number of experimental datasets as well as field data were used to verify the formula. The effect of bulk density on fine sediment was discussed and tested using experimental data.     

Identification,characterization, and statistical analysis of mudstone aggregate clasts,Cretaceous Carlile Formation,Central Alberta,Canada

While clastic mudstones and shale were traditionally interpreted to have been deposited in quiet water settings, recent flume experiments and studies have shown that mud can be transported in and deposited by traction currents as migrating ripples of mud aggregates. Despite these recent advances, mud aggregates have rarely been adequately described in the rock record.These mud aggregates and the sedimentary structures they form in mudstone successions are difficult to observe in the rock record due to compaction, which often obliterates the aggregates and flattens bedforms. This paper documents unambiguously identifiable sand sized mudstone aggregates in thin sections and SEM, transported in traction, and deposited in a series of prograding clinothems. These aggregates were sufficiently indurated to locally preserve shelter porosity, significantly improving the hydrocarbon reservoir properties.Grain size analysis of the aggregates was performed on thin sections, as well as disaggregated samples measured by a laser diffraction grain size analyzer for comparison. These analyses showed that sand sized aggregates often comprise more than half of the sediment volume. While the clay-rich composition of the Carlile Formation would suggest that it is a mudstone, statistical analysis of these grain size measurements show that it could alternatively be described as a silty sandstone. These findings potentially change how we think about mudstone classification, fine-grained sedimentation, and mudstone dominated petroleum reservoirs.     

长江河口水沙分流和输移的探讨

据2002年9月长江口同步实测水文资料,运用标准水文法,对南、北支和南、北港的落潮分水分沙比和净泄分水分沙比进行了计算。结果表明,两者存在差异,后者更能反映分水分沙在长江河口演变中的作用,“涨潮汇沙比”更能揭示北支泥沙的倒灌。水沙平衡分析结果表明,观测期间北支仍趋于淤积,南支有冲刷迹象。经多站水沙综合分析,揭示了长江口水沙运动具有径流“主体南泄”、汊道“副淤主刷”和水沙“输移分异”等特征,并指出水沙“输移分异”是北港泥沙输运大于南港的原因之一。     

Buried paleo-channels on the New Jersey continental margin: channel porosity structures from electromagnetic surveying

We report on a marine electromagnetic (EM) survey across two portions of the New Jersey continental margin that have been previously shown to contain buried paleo-channels. The EM method used provides bulk porosity estimates to depths of around 20 m below the seafloor and is thus able to place porosity constraints on the nature of the channel infill and the contrast in physical properties across the channel boundaries. Our data show that a key condition for the channels to have an electrical signature is that they incise an underlying regional unconformity, R, thought to represent a subaerially eroded surface, exposed during the late Wisconsinan glaciation. Channels that cut R are seen through increases in apparent porosity. Another seismically imaged channel sequence, which lies within the outer-shelf sediment wedge sequence above R, does not have an electrical signature, indicating that the sediments above and below the channel boundaries have similar physical properties.     

Bottom Sediment Transport in the Flood and Ebb Channels of the Changjiang Estuary

Nanxiaohong and Nangang main south channel are chosen as the typical flood and ebb channels. Hydrodynamics analysis based on field hydrological and sediment data is conducted with Gao-Collins model to analyse sediment transport trends. Also, the grain size distribution analysis of the bottom sediment sampled in Sep. 2001 is used as the base of the analysis. The result shows that the sediment in Nanxiaohong is from the rive mouth area. The sediment transports upwards with the flood flow which is stronger than the ebb flow, i.e., in the direction of SE-WN. The sediment in main south channel comes from upward. They transport downwards with the ebb flow. which is stronger than the flood flow, i.e., in the direction of WN-SE. The directions, sources and mechanism of sediment transport are identified according to comprehensive analyses of the observed data on hydrodynamics and sediment.     

渤海海峡沉积物输运的参数化计算

本文以2018年冬季渤海海峡两个站位的定点连续观测数据为基础,使用一维参数化方案,计算了观测站位底边界层内的水平悬浮物输运通量以及推移质输运量。在参数化方案中,简化的一维对流扩散方程被用于计算底边界层内的垂向悬浮物浓度。为了验证参数化方案的可靠性,本文基于观测数据对比了两种底剪切应力计算模型、四种临界起动剪切应力计算方法和两种一维对流扩散方程解法。对比结果表明:(1)不同模型计算的底剪切应力结果相近;(2)临界起动剪切应力受到颗粒间黏性作用的影响;(3)一维对流扩散方程的求解过程需要考虑沉积物浓度的分层效应和不同粒级颗粒临界起动剪切应力的差异。基于上述对比结果确定的最优参数化方案,进一步计算了观测站位的沉积物输运量:(1)在有再悬浮的时段,距底5 m内的水平悬浮物通量占全水深悬浮物通量的比例(T01站约为21%,T02站约为17%)显著高于相同层位水通量的占比;(2)依据参数化方案估算的冬季平均的悬浮物通量比忽略底边界层悬浮物浓度垂向变化的传统方法结果高约16%;(3)推移质输运量比悬移质输运量约低两个数量级。     

莱州湾东部外航道回淤预测及影响因素

为探讨外航道回淤特征,采用二维波浪潮流泥沙数学模型,模拟研究了莱州湾东部航道回淤情况并探讨了其影响因素,以期对航道泥沙输运研究提供借鉴。研究表明,正常天气下,水流跨越航道,流速减小、挟沙能力下降导致的悬沙落淤是航道淤积的主要原因,但淤积量有限。大风浪是造成航道淤积的主要动力因素,其淤积泥沙主要来源于海底侵蚀来沙,河流来沙和沿岸输沙对航道淤积的贡献不大。从水深地形、泥沙来源、底质类型、水文动力条件等方面分析,航道发生骤淤的可能性较小。     

鸭绿江西水道口悬沙动力特征

根据鸭绿江西水道口外两个站位大小潮实测悬沙数据,结合表层沉积物特征及潮流动力分析结果,从悬沙浓度、悬沙输沙量和悬沙粒级3个方面,分析了悬浮泥沙浓度大小潮时空变化特征及其与潮汐、潮流动力因素的关系,净输沙量特征及输沙方向、悬沙各粒级百分含量与涨落潮及泥沙沉积物之间的关系等内容。计算分析表明:影响悬沙动力特征的主要因素为空间位置、动力强弱及泥沙源;1#站位细粒沉积物丰富,潮流及输沙受口门地形控制,2#站位地形平坦,沉积物颗粒粗,泥沙源来自异地;悬沙浓度受潮流、潮汐动力影响呈规律性变化,输沙量受潮流动力、泥沙来源双重影响;两个站位悬沙粒级百分含量随涨落潮的峰值变化及与流速、流向、潮位的对应关系的不同,有效的指示了沉积物空间分布特征,反映了外部环境对悬沙的作用过程。     

Patterns and variability in sediment accumulation rates,Fraser River delta foreslope,British Columbia,Canada

Minimum sediment accumulation rates on the Fraser River delta foreslope exhibit a high degree of spatial variation, with accumulation rates ranging from 0.50 to 3.0 cm/yr. Accumulation rates generally increase towards Sand Heads channel, the active foreslope depocenter. Sedimentation rates and patterns and micropaleontological assemblages are interpreted to reflect reintroduction of older sediment from upslope via slumping and sedimentgravity flow processes. Such processes account for the bulk of sedimentation in much of the subaqueous delta. These processes provide a mechanism for sand bypassing of the delta plain and foreslope and for delivery of coarse-grained sediment directly to prodelta and basinal environments.     

The influence of bend amplitude and planform morphology on flow and sedimentation in submarine channels

We present a series of experiments that investigate the morphology of sediment deposits within sinuous submarine channels of different sinuosity (S = 1.14–1.94) and planform (symmetric and asymmetric bends), generated by bedload-dominated turbidity current flows. Flows were generated by releasing dense saline gravity currents over a mobile sediment bed through pre-formed sinuous channels. Flows had a basal-outwards helicity and produced a characteristic bed morphology with point bars downstream of the bend apex at the inside of bends and scour at the outside of bends. An increasing loss of fluid through overspill with increasing channel sinuosity results in a decreasing magnitude of cross-stream velocity downstream, a decreasing amount of erosion and deposition, and decreasing transverse slopes of in-channel deposits. Basal fluid from within the channel is transported over the outer-levee at bends, implying that proximal outer-bend levee deposits will have similar sediment composition to that within the channel. More deposition of coarse material might be expected on levees and in overbank regions close to higher amplitude bends. No simple relationship was observed between superelevation and sinuosity, probably due to changes in the relative influences of downstream velocity and bend curvature on centrifugal force and inertial run-up. In the channel with the tightest initial bend curvature, overspill fluid from Bend 1 re-entered the channel at Bend 2, dominating flow characteristics and disrupting the basal-outwards helicity observed in the other channels. Higher sinuosity channels and those with shallow regional and levee slopes are thus more likely to have a higher proportion of anomalous flow and sedimentation patterns due to the influence of overspill fluid re-entry into the channel. The results of this investigation are combined with published observations to enable the synthesis of a new model for sedimentation in sinuous submarine channels.     

Impacts of maintenance channel dredging in a northern Adriatic coastal lagoon. II: Effects on macrobenthic assemblages in channels and ponds

Coastal lagoons are ephemeral habitats whose conservation requires human intervention, such as maintenance dredging of inner channels. Dredging can reduce the abundance of benthic species due to the removal of individuals with the sediment, modify sediment properties, and resuspend fine sediment, nutrients and pollutants, which can lead to eutrophication, hypoxic events and increasing toxicity. Both direct effects in the dredged channel and possible indirect effects in surrounding shallow areas could be expected. This study assesses the effects of the channel maintenance dredging, performed between October 2004 and August 2005, on the invertebrate assemblages both in channels and adjacent ponds in the northern Adriatic coastal lagoon of Pialassa Baiona. The lagoon is affected by eutrophication, chemical and thermal pollution from wastewater treatment and power plants. Three impacted sites were located in the dredged channel and three in the adjacent interconnected shallow water ponds, while three non-impacted sites were located in a channel and in a pond far from the dredged area. Replicate samples were collected from each site one time before and one time after the dredging operations. Despite the extent of the intervention, effects of the dredging on macrobenthic assemblages were detected only within the dredged channel, while in the surrounding ponds no clear and unequivocal effects were found. In particular the dredging could have promoted the increase of the abundance of the polychaete Streblospio shrubsolii in the southern and central parts of the dredged channel and the increase in abundance of the amphipod Corophium insidiosum in the northern side, compared to the controls. Instead, species diversity was reduced in the central and northern parts of the dredged channel. These effects on the macrobenthic invertebrate assemblages could be related to the observed changes of sediment characteristics, contamination and toxicity. Overall, direct effects on benthic assemblages in the dredged channels were more detectable than the possible secondary effects in the surrounding shallow ponds, where the higher spatial heterogeneity can mask any relevant effects.