Nepheloid layer dynamics in the northern Portuguese shelf

A general hydrographic and nephelometric survey of the NW Portuguese continental shelf and upper slope was undertaken, under winter and spring conditions. The nepheloid layer dynamics along the shelf during three cruises were controlled, principally by the following factors: (a) the hydrography of the shelf-slope waters, i.e. the nepheloid layers followed isopycnals and water masses; (b) prevalence of upwelling or downwelling circulation over the shelf; (c) dispersion of material by river discharge (mainly the Douro river); (d) resuspension of mid-shelf fine deposits induced by swell; (e) peculiar morphology with the presence of Porto Canyon and outer shelf rock outcrops.The general circulation controls the seaward extension of the nepheloid layers. In winter, under dominant downwelling conditions, an intense bottom nepheloid layer (BNL) was observed on the shelf, due to river borne particle supply and remobilization of mid-shelf muddy sediments (depth ≈100 m). In this period the BNL increased in thickness to the top of the slope, following the isopycnals. Near the shelf-break the BNL detached to form intermediate nepheloid layers (INL). Small INLs appear deeper in some areas of the slope. A surface nepheloid layer (SNL) appears in the surface water over the shelf and slope. In spring, biological particles mainly contribute to the SNL, which is separated from the BNL by a zone of clear water. In winter the SNL is restricted to the inner shelf where there are high inputs of fluvial particles.Downwelling circulation probably induces transport of shelf particles to deeper waters in the BNL. In spring, the predominant circulation was southward (upwelling), the water column was highly stratified, and dispersion of particles in the SNL was offshore.     

Field measurements of fairweather bottom boundary layer processes and sediment suspension on the Louisiana inner continental shelf

Field measurements of bottom boundary layer and sediment-transport processes were made on the Louisiana inner continental shelf in spring 1992 at a depth of 15.5 m, and in spring and summer 1993 at a depth of 20.5 m. Two different wave–current boundary layer/sediment-transport models were applied to the measured near-bed flows. In addition, the log-profile method was applied to estimate hydraulic roughness and bed stress. Consistent with the results of others, our measurements show that near-bed flows were very weak under non-storm conditions. Bed stresses were typically too low to resuspend bed sediments. However, the advection of high-turbidity layers or plumes past the instrumentation apparently caused a sustained period of high suspended sediment concentration throughout the log layer in spring 1993. In the absence of wave activity or high suspended sediment concentrations, boundary layer profiles showed the bed to have been hydraulically very smooth with

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cm. However, wave agitation, combined with increased suspended sediment concentration caused hydraulically rough conditions with

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cm.     

Geochemical tracers of northern Portuguese estuarine sediments on the shelf

The northern Portuguese coastal zone is drained by large Iberian rivers, along which there is intensive industrial, agricultural and urban activity. Offshore of the two main river basins of the Douro and Minho, two fine-grained sedimentary formations can be characterised. A geochemical study of this sediment cover has been performed focussing in particular on the fine deposits and the adjacent estuaries. The chemical composition of superficial sediments collected from the northern Portuguese shelf and from the river basins of the Minho and Douro rivers was determined for major, minor and trace elements; the rare earth elements (REE) composition was also determined in selected samples. Statistical analyses of these data for the shelf sediments allow us to identify elements with similar behaviours and the different sediment types along the shelf, and to evaluate of their origins. Downcore profiles of the chemical composition of the fine sediments reveal no evidence for changes induced by recent human activities. To assess the influence of the rivers on the fine sedimentary formations, the elemental distribution patterns of selected sediments have been compared with the estuarine sediments. Lithogenic elements composition normalised to Al and the shale normalised REE distributions showed there are similarities between the Douro River sediments and the sediment composition of the Douro and Galicia mud patches. However, the Galicia mud field showed no relationship in its chemical composition to sediments derived from the Minho River. Nor was any evidence for heavy metal contamination originating from the Douro estuary detected in anthropogenic element/Al ratios in the shelf sediments. This may be because of processes associated with resuspension, complexation and bioturbation that occur during sediment transport and deposition. Nevertheless, the Douro River seems to be the main continental source of fine sediments being deposited on the northern Portuguese shelf.     

Observation of the bottom boundary layer on the continental shelf

Current meter data from various depths near the sea bottom collected for 31 days at time intervals of 10 minutes using a subsurface buoy system at a depth at 38 m on the continental shelf off Akita, Japan have been analyzed. The results show the existence of a stationary Ekman layer. The typical range of the characteristic parameters are estimated as follows; friction velocity: 0.38 cm s^–1; Ekman layer thickness: 16 m; logarithmic layer thickness: 4 m–6 m; constant flux layer thickness: 0.4–0.6 m; Ekman veering: 28.7°; drag coefficient: 0.24×10^–2–0.53×10^–2. Veering was also observed in the logarithmic layer.     

Influence of the wave spectrum form on the bottom sediment dynamics

This paper is dedicated to the investigation of the influence of the irregular wave spectrum form on the regularities of the bottom suspension and formation of the bottom topographic microforms (ripples). It is shown that the vertical profile of the suspended matter concentration and the possible partial deformation of the bottom ripples are related to the peculiarities of the frequency distribution of the energy in the wave spectrum (at the constant energy of the process).     

The effect of a submarine canyon on the river sediment dispersal and inner shelf sediment movements in southern Taiwan

This study examines the influence of a submarine canyon on the dispersal of sediments discharged by a nearby river and on the sediment movement on the inner shelf. The study area includes the head region of the Kao-ping Submarine Canyon whose landward terminus is located approximately 1 km seaward from the mouth of the Kao-ping River in southern Taiwan. Within the study area 143 surficial sediment samples were taken from the seafloor. Six hydrographic surveys along the axis of the submarine canyon were also conducted over the span of 1 yr. Three different approaches were used in the analysis of grain-size distribution pattern. They include (1) a combination of ‘filtering’ and the empirical orthogonal (eigen) function (EOF) analysis technique, (2) the McLaren Model, and (3) the ‘transport vector’ technique. The results of the three methods not only agree with one another, they also complement one another. This study reveals that the Kao-ping Submarine Canyon is relatively a stratified and statically stable environment. The hydrographic characteristics of the canyon display seasonal variability controlled primarily by the temperature field and the effluent of the Kao-ping River. The hydrographic condition and the bottom topography in the canyon suggest the propagation of internal tides during the flood season (summer) of the Kao-ping River. The submarine canyon acts as a trap and conduit for mud exchange between the Kao-ping River and offshore. Near the head of the canyon there is a region of sediment transport convergence. This region is also characterized by high mud abundance on the seafloor that coincides with the presence of high suspended sediment concentration (SSC) spots in the bottom nepheloid layer. Outside the submarine canyon on the shelf where the evidence of wave reworking is strong, the northwestward alongshore transport dominates over the southeastward transport, which is a common theme on the west coast in southern Taiwan.     

Wave boundary layers near the surface and bottom in a stratified fluid

The paper examines so-called wave boundary layers arising in a bounded stratified fluid for large times. Each the layer is a narrow domain in the vicinity of the fluid surface and/or bottom characterized by sharp, growing with increasing time, vertical gradients of the buoyancy and horizontal velocity. The layers arise as a result of free linear wave evolution of the initial fields if the initial buoyancy at the boundaries depends on the horizontal coordinates. An asymptotic solution for the boundary layer for large times is presented, and it is shown that this solution describes exact fields fairly well even for moderate times.     

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.     

Wet season fine sediment dynamics on the inner shelf of the Great Barrier Reef

Fine sediment dynamics were recorded in February 2007 in coastal waters of the Great Barrier Reef during a moderate flood of the Tully River. An estuarine circulation prevailed on the inner continental shelf with a surface seaward velocity peaking at 0.1 m s⁻¹ and a near-bottom landward flow peaking at 0.05 m s⁻¹. Much of the riverine mud originating from eroded soils was exported onto a 10 km wide coastal strip during the rising stage of the river flood in the first flush. In coastal waters, suspended sediment concentration peaked at 0.2 kg m⁻³ near the surface and 0.4 kg m⁻³ at 10 m depth during calm weather, and 0.5 kg m⁻³ near the surface and 2 kg m⁻³ at 10 m depth during strong winds when bottom sediment was resuspended. Diurnal irradiance at 4 m depth was almost zero for 10 days. The sedimentation rate averaged 254 (±33) g m⁻² d⁻¹ over the 28-day study period, and concentrations of dissolved and particulate nutrients originating from the river were high. The observed low irradiance would have prevented coral photosynthesis, while the sedimentation rate would have been lethal to some juvenile corals. The mud may ultimately be minnowed out over long periods, however, flushing of the mud occurs at time scales much longer than the flood event and the mud is likely to affect coral physiology for significant periods after the flood has subsided. The data show the need to better control erosion on farmed land for the conservation of coral reefs on the inner shelf of the Great Barrier Reef.     

Reynolds number variation in oscillatory boundary layers: Part I. Purely oscillatory motion

A numerical model based upon a low Reynolds number turbulence closure is proposed to study Reynolds number variation in reciprocating oscillatory boundary layers. The model is used to compute the boundary layer for flow regimes ranging from smooth laminar to rough turbulent. Criteria for fully developed turbulence are derived for walls of the smooth and rough types. In particular, a new criterion to identify the rough turbulent regime is determined based on the time-averaged turbulence intensity. The reliability of the present model is assessed through comparisons with detailed experimental data collected by other investigators. The model globally improves upon standard high Reynolds number closures. Variation through the wave cycle of the main flow variables (ensemble-averaged velocity, shear stress, turbulent kinetic energy) is remarkably well-predicted for smooth walls. Predictions are satisfactory for rough walls as well. Yet, the turbulence level in the rough turbulent regime is overpredicted in the vicinity of the bed.     

波浪运动在底边界层的湍流结构数值研究

本文基于$ k $-$ \varepsilon $ 模型研究了波流边界层内湍流结构特征。研究结果表明,时均流速分布数值解与实验结果高度吻合。一个波周期内湍流结构特征（如：涡量、湍动能、湍动能耗散率等）呈周期性变化规律,波浪作用引起涡量、湍动能及湍动能耗散率均在减速阶段减小,在波谷处达到最低值,而后在加速阶段增大,并在波峰处达到最大值。近壁面处湍流结构变化幅值较大（湍动能耗散率变化可达53%）,远离壁面处变化幅值较平均值较小（仅3%）。波流边界层厚度在减速阶段增加,在加速阶段减小。本文所建立的数值模型克服了现有模型因采用“高雷诺数方法”引起的近壁区精度不高问题,可较好地描述波浪作用下湍流结构演变过程的物理机制,为河口海岸地区泥沙运动、岸滩演变及海洋可再生能源的开发利用提供一些指导意义。     

Tidal influence on suspended sediment distribution and dispersal in the northern Andaman Sea and Gulf of Martaban

Surface and water column profiles of suspended matter collected during April-May 2002, and satellite images were used to study factors influencing suspended sediment concentrations (SSCs) and dispersal in the northern Andaman Sea and Gulf of Martaban, one of the largest highly turbid areas of the world's oceans. Perennial high SSC in the Gulf of Martaban is due to a combination of factors including resuspension of sediments by strong tidal currents, shallow bathymetry and seasonal sediment influx from rivers. From satellite images, it was observed that in the central portion of the Gulf of Martaban, the turbidity front oscillates about 150 km in phase with spring-neap tidal cycles and the area covered by the turbid zone (SSC>15 mg l⁻¹) increases from less than 15 000 km² during neap tide to more than 45 000 km² during spring tide. The sediment discharged by the Ayeyarwady River is transported mainly eastward, along the coast, into the Gulf of Martaban. Occasionally, during the winter monsoon period, sediment plumes are seen heading westward into the Bay of Bengal. Turbidity profiles show that bottom nepheloid layers are actively transporting some of the sediments into the deep Andaman Sea via the Martaban canyon.     

粉质土海底边界层动态演化过程波浪水槽实验

The objectives of this study are carried out a series of controlled large wave flume experiments using fine-grained sediment from the Huanghe River Delta, exploring the complete sequence of sediment behavior in the bottom boundary layer(BBL) during wave-induced liquefaction. The results show that:(1) The BBL in silty seabed is exposed to a progressive wave, goes through a number of different stages including compaction before liquefaction, sediment liquefaction, and compaction after liquefaction, which determines the range and thickness of BBL.(2) With the introduction of waves, first, the sediment surface has settled by an amount S(S=1–2 cm) in the course of wave loadings with an insufficient accumulation of pore water pressure. And a thin high concentration layer formed the near-bed bottom.(3) Once the liquefaction sets in, the liquefied sediment with an ‘orbital motion' and the sub-liquefied sediment form a two-layer-sediment region. The range of BBL extends downwards and stopped at a certain depth, subsequently, develops upwards with the compaction process. Meanwhile, resuspended sediments diffuse to the upper water column.(4) During the dynamics process of the BBL beneath progressive waves, the re-suspended sediment increment ranked as sediment liquefaction erosion before liquefaction compaction after liquefaction.     

Hydrodynamic forces on concrete sea wall and breakwater during earthquakes: effects of bottom sediment layers and back-fill soil

The objective of this paper is to present the effect of sediment characteristics on the dynamic response of sea walls and breakwaters during earthquakes. A finite-difference method is used to calculate the earthquake-induced hydrodynamic pressures of seawater and the pore water in seabed sediment. The water-filled soil mixture is used to model sediment and back-fill soil. The dynamic response of a rigid coastal structure induced by constant ground acceleration is studied, using variable sediment depths and porosity. The dynamic characteristics of the water–embankment–sediment system are investigated, applying four earthquake-records as exciting forces. The result of a quay-walled caisson demonstrates the significance of the seismic-induced dynamic force and the seismic effects should be considered for the design of coastal structures in seismic zone. The damaged wharves of Taichung Port during Chi-Chi earthquake, 21 September 1999 is also reported in the paper.     

Origin of hydrocarbons in the particulate matter and bottom sediments of the northern shelf of the Caspian Sea

Data are presented on the content and composition of hydrocarbons (HC) (aliphatic, AHC and polyaromatic, PAH) in the filtered particulate matter and in the surface layer of the bottom sediments on the northern shelf of the Caspian Sea and related to the data on their content in the Volga River estuary. Because of the transformation and precipitation of anthropogenic and natural compounds, the HC composition in the particulate matter and bottom sediments undergoes transformations caused by the mixing of fresh and saline waters (in the bottom sediments, within the concentration ranges 70.4–4557.9 μ g/g for AHC and 3.8–4800 ng/g for PAH). It was found that the greatest concentrating of HC proceeds in the region of the avalanche sedimentation, and their content is independent of the grain-size type of the sediments. The anthropogenic HC (oil and pyrogenous) do not get over the marginal filter of the Volga River and do not pass to the open part of the sea.     

Role of mean circulation,tides, and waves in the transport of bottom sediment on the New Zealand continental shelf

Evaluation of velocity data on water movements over the New Zealand continental shelf has revealed that the mean circulation by itself is too slow to induce transport of bottom sediments. Tides generally have higher velocities, but are still not the main transporting agent except in the tide‐dominated Cook and Foveaux. Straits. Waves have the potential to stir sediments on the inner and middle shelf (less than about 70 m deep) during annual storms, and probably down to 130 m depth during the maximum 25‐y storm.

For sediment transport to take place, energies of at least two of the major water movements would have to complement one another. Optimum conditions for transport probably occur during storm periods when wave‐suspended sediment is readily moved by tides and the mean circulation.

The direction of transport is mainly along the continental shelf and is largely in response to prevailing weather patterns coincident with the direction of the mean circulation and strongly reinforced by the appropriate phase of the tide.     

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。     

三沙湾夏季底边界层动力过程及悬沙输运特征

基于2018年8月福建三沙湾湾内外共两个定点站位的船基和座底三脚架观测数据,研究了三沙湾底边界动力过程及悬沙输运特征。结果表明,三沙湾湾内湾外两个站位均表现出涨落潮历时相近但涨落潮流速明显不对称的现象,即湾内涨潮流速大于落潮流速,湾外则相反。湾内水体受淡水输入影响较大,表现出落潮期间显著的温盐层化,而涨潮期间水体混合良好;湾外水体受淡水影响不明显,表现为水体温度主导的层化。通过对底边界层动力过程的分析表明,湾内(距底0.75m)、湾外(距底0.50m)站位底边界层的平均摩阻流速分别是0.016m/s、0.013m/s,且两个站位拖曳系数基本相等(2.03×10^–3),表明在相同流速下湾内站位的底部切应力更大,近底沉积物再悬浮和搬运相对湾外站位更为显著。因此观测期间悬沙浓度最大值出现在湾内站位,为109mg/L,且悬沙在垂向上的分布可达上层水体;湾外站位悬沙浓度更低,并且底部悬浮泥沙仅能影响至距底5m的水体。悬沙通量机制分解结果表明,三沙湾夏季的潮周期单宽悬沙从湾外向湾内方向净输运,湾内站位向湾内方向净输运74.88 g/(m·s),平流输沙占主导作用,贡献率41....     

北部湾南部海域近底悬沙输运及地貌演变

利用1个海洋沉积动力过程原位监测系统在北部湾南部浅海陆架海域采集了18个潮周期的波浪、潮流、悬浮沉积物浓度、底床变化数据,分析了悬沙浓度变化特征,计算了近底悬沙通量并分析了潮流和波浪对底床演变的影响,结果表明:观测期间近底悬沙浓度的变化主要受水位波动、潮流的共同影响,波浪作用较弱;悬沙浓度的异常高值可能是上游沙波表面的泥沙滑落沉降所致;观测期间悬沙通量的波动规律与近底潮流速度变化一致,潮周期和涨落潮之间的悬沙通量有显著差别;在潮流作用下观测期间悬沙向西的净输运量约为15 158 kg/m,向北净悬沙通量为2 934 kg/m,东西向净通量远大于南北向净通量;近东西向波谷地形对南北向悬沙输运的限制作用可能导致了输运通量的显著差异;底床高程的变化在潮周期之间有差异,变化值在0.8~16.7 cm之间波动,厘米级底床高程的快速变化主要是由潮流流速的大小及往复潮流的不对称性造成的。这种变化可能与沙纹的运移有关,沉积物向下游方向的运移以及沙纹剖面形态的改变可以较合理地解释底床高程的变化特点。