Discontinuous hindcast simulations of estuarine bathymetric change: A case study from Suisun Bay,California

Simulations of estuarine bathymetric change over decadal timescales require methods for idealization and reduction of forcing data and boundary conditions. Continuous simulations are hampered by computational and data limitations and results are rarely evaluated with observed bathymetric change data. Bathymetric change data for Suisun Bay, California span the 1867–1990 period with five bathymetric surveys during that period. The four periods of bathymetric change were modeled using a coupled hydrodynamic-sediment transport model operated at the tidal-timescale. The efficacy of idealization techniques was investigated by discontinuously simulating the four periods. The 1867–1887 period, used for calibration of wave energy and sediment parameters, was modeled with an average error of 37% while the remaining periods were modeled with error ranging from 23% to 121%. Variation in post-calibration performance is attributed to temporally variable sediment parameters and lack of bathymetric and configuration data for portions of Suisun Bay and the Delta. Modifying seaward sediment delivery and bed composition resulted in large performance increases for post-calibration periods suggesting that continuous simulation with constant parameters is unrealistic. Idealization techniques which accelerate morphological change should therefore be used with caution in estuaries where parameters may change on sub-decadal timescales. This study highlights the utility and shortcomings of estuarine geomorphic models for estimating past changes in forcing mechanisms such as sediment supply and bed composition. The results further stress the inherent difficulty of simulating estuarine changes over decadal timescales due to changes in configuration, benthic composition, and anthropogenic forcing such as dredging and channelization.     

Depositional processes across the Sinú Accretionary Prism,offshore Colombia

The Pliocene to Recent of the Sinú Accretionary Prism, offshore Colombia, features gravity current dominated basins characterised primarily by channel- and sheet-like architectures and those with dominantly hemipelagic fills. The prism is fed by rivers that drain from uplifted older basins and volcanic Andean terranes to the south and east which source large volumes of sediment to the Colombian Shelf into the Colombian Basin. Some basin fills show evidence of both localised fold-induced sediment failure and regional-scale shelf collapse, both related to the generation and destruction of oversteepened slopes. Large scale collapses can create new sediment routing pathways and/or local depocentres into which sediment subsequently accumulates. In the Colombian Basin, even relatively distal basins show evidence of channel activity related primarily to the creation of new sediment distribution pathways through breaches in the substrate barriers between basins. These channels are often orientated parallel to the regional drainage trend, suggesting that regional sediment transport trends can assert themselves relatively early in a basin filling history regardless of the local bathymetric grain. While, at a regional scale, sediment dispersal fairways reflect drainage from the continental shelf to the basin floor, intraslope basins form local bathymetric obstructions that can drive local spatial variations in sediment distribution. Thus, both local and regional length scales of bathymetric control are evident within the intraslope basins of the Sinú Accretionary Prism. Although regional dispersal patterns generally become more important in time, individual intraslope basins exhibit more complex filling histories because events such as sill or shelf collapse may serve to disrupt established distribution pathways, initiating repeated episodes of adjustment.     

A high-resolution geophysical investigation of sediment distribution controlled by catchment size and tides in a multi-basin turbid outwash fjord: Simpson Bay,Prince William Sound,Alaska

Surficial sediment distribution within Simpson Bay is a function of antecedent bedrock and recently deposited glacial geology, as well as active physical processes both within Simpson Bay and Prince William Sound (PWS). Simpson Bay is a turbid, outwash fjord located in northeastern PWS, Alaska. Freshwater from heavy precipitation, and the melting of high alpine glaciers enter the bay through bay head rivers and small shoreline creeks. The catchment has a high watershed/basin surface area ratio (∼8:1), and easily erodible bedrock that contribute to high sediment loads. The system can be divided into three discrete basins, each with specific morphologic and circulatory characters. Side scan sonar, swath bathymetry, and seismic profiles reveal that bathymetric highs are areas of outcropping glacial surfaces. High backscatter coupled with surface grab samples reveal these surfaces to be composed of coarse sediment and bedrock outcrops. Bathymetric lows are areas of low backscatter, and grab samples reveal these areas to be ponded deposits of organic-rich estuarine muds. The data provide evidence of terminal morainal bank systems, and glacial grounding line deposits at the mouth of the bay and rocky outcrops were identified as subsurface extensions of aerial rocky promontories. Radioisotope analyses of short cores reveal that the bay has an average accumulation rate of approx. 0.5 cm year⁻¹, but that this varies in function of the watershed/basin surface area ratios of the different basins. The interaction of tidal currents and sediment source drives sediment distribution in Simpson Bay. Hydrographic data reveal high spatial variability in surface and bottom currents throughout the bay. Subsurface currents are tide dominated, but generally weak (5–20 cm s⁻¹), while faster currents are found along shorelines, outcrops, and bathymetric highs. Bathymetric data reveal steep slopes with little to no modern sediment throughout the bay, suggesting lack of deposition due to tidal currents.     

Marine geology of St. George’s Bay, Newfoundland, as interpreted from multibeam bathymetry and back-scatter data

 Multibeam bathymetric data collected in St. George’s Bay, Newfoundland, show glacial and postglacial landforms in a 100-m-deep basin offshore from a barrier. Back-scatter data provide information on sediment lithology. Features undetected by previous conventional surveys include large bedforms on the surface of a barrier platform and submarine fans on its flanks. The data demonstrate that sediment transport processes are more complex than was previously believed. Multibeam bathymetric images are the sea-floor equivalents of air photographs. They can be used effectively to plan conventional acoustic surveys. Received: 16 February 1996 / Revision received: 4 September 1996     

Geomorphology,acoustic backscatter,and processes in Santa Monica Bay from multibeam mapping

Santa Monica Bay was mapped in 1996 using a high-resolution multibeam system, providing the first substantial update of the submarine geomorphology since the initial compilation by Shepard and Emery [(1941) Geol. Soc. Amer. Spec. Paper 31]. The multibeam mapping generated not only high-resolution bathymetry, but also coregistered, calibrated acoustic backscatter at 95 kHz. The geomorphology has been subdivided into six provinces; shelf, marginal plateau, submarine canyon, basin slope, apron, and basin. The dimensions, gradients, and backscatter characteristics of each province is described and related to a combination of tectonics, climate, sea level, and sediment supply. Fluctuations of eustatic sea level have had a profound effect on the area; by periodically eroding the surface of Santa Monica plateau, extending the mouth of the Los Angeles River to various locations along the shelf break, and by connecting submarine canyons to rivers. A wetter glacial climate undoubtedly generated more sediment to the rivers that then transported the increased sediment load to the low-stand coastline and canyon heads. The trends of Santa Monica Canyon and several bathymetric highs suggest a complex tectonic stress field that has controlled the various segments. There is no geomorphic evidence to suggest Redondo Canyon is fault controlled. The San Pedro fault can be extended more than 30 km to the northwest by the alignment of a series of bathymetric highs and abrupt changes in direction of channel thalwegs.     

Observations on geomorphology,transportation and distribution of sediments in western Lebanon and its continental shelf and slope regions

The geomorphology, drainage systems and predominant lithologies of western Lebanon are briefly described as a background for sediment transportation into the eastern Mediterranean. Fragmentary past and current bathymetric work over offshore Lebanon is reviewed and a simplified compilation bathymetric map correlating and interpreting the different survey results is presented. It reveals a narrow continental shelf about 3 km in width with two wider areas in the north and south; the shelf break occurs generally at about 100 m depth. Submarine valleys are common, most of which are seaward continuations of important land valleys but some prolong land-fault trends. Many continue down the continental slope, dividing into “distributaries”. Hydrological data indicate that over 2,525 × 10⁶ m³ of surface-water runoff annually discharges into the sea through the perennial streams of western Lebanon. A high proportion of the country exposes carbonate rocks but a number of the stream basins drain appreciable areas of soft clastics; preliminary work suggests that these contribute appreciable loads into the Mediterranean. Overall marine net sediment transport is northwards by the longshore current and predominant WSW-ENE directed waves, but investigations in progress indicate that the submarine valleys provide avenues for cross-shelf and down-slope movement for much sediment.     

Using a GIS to Examine Changes in the Bathymetry of Borrow Pits and in Lower Bay,New York Harbor,USA

Standard analyses with geographic information systems (GIS) and the publicly available GEODAS database were used to highlight bathymetric changes in the Lower Bay complex of New York Harbor. Dredging operations have deepened much of the Lower Bay complex. Approximately 6,580 hectares, or 20% of the bay bottom surveyed in 1934, was deeper in 1979/1982 than during 1934. Half of this deepening, 3,219 hectares or 10% of the bay bottom surveyed during 1934, was deeper by at least 2 m. Surveys conducted by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers of three borrow pits in the central part of the Lower Bay complex were used to examine sedimentation over a 16-year period from 1979 to 1995. Results were consistent with studies conducted during the 1970s and 1980s that show the pits function as sediment traps. Between 1979 and 1995, sediment accumulated at rates of 6 to 12 cm per year in many portions of the borrow pits.     

Using a GIS to Examine Changes in the Bathymetry of Borrow Pits and in Lower Bay, New York Harbor, USA

Standard analyses with geographic information systems (GIS) and the publicly available GEODAS database were used to highlight bathymetric changes in the Lower Bay complex of New York Harbor. Dredging operations have deepened much of the Lower Bay complex. Approximately 6,580 hectares, or 20% of the bay bottom surveyed in 1934, was deeper in 1979/1982 than during 1934. Half of this deepening, 3,219 hectares or 10% of the bay bottom surveyed during 1934, was deeper by at least 2 m. Surveys conducted by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers of three borrow pits in the central part of the Lower Bay complex were used to examine sedimentation over a 16-year period from 1979 to 1995. Results were consistent with studies conducted during the 1970s and 1980s that show the pits function as sediment traps. Between 1979 and 1995, sediment accumulated at rates of 6 to 12 cm per year in many portions of the borrow pits.     

Sediment characteristics and water circulation of Big Jemsa Bay,Red Sea,Egypt

Big Jemsa Bay is one of the indentations dissecting the continuity of the Red Sea north-western shoreline. The data was collected from bathymetric survey, current meters and sediment samples. Analyses have been undertaken of coastal processes, seabed morphology, grain size characteristics and the effect of current circulation on the distribution of sediment characteristics. The sediment pattern varies from coarse sand in the southern part to silt and fine sand in the northern part. The central part of the study area is mainly composed of terrigenous isometric-medium sand facies. The sorting distribution of sediments varies from moderately well sorted to poorly sort. The significant factors that control the sediment transport process are downslope gravity and wave-induced currents that are affected by the seafloor configuration and the shoreline orientation. According to the circulation effect on the sediment transport of the study area where deposition of fine sand and silt was observed in the northern part. Because sediment transport mitigates the occurrence of pollutant deposition in this part of the bay, we recommend that future constructions along the bay should be in the southern part.     

Evidence for erosion and deposition by the 2011 Tohoku-oki tsunami on the nearshore shelf of Sendai Bay,Japan

Ongoing geological research into processes operating on the nearshore continental shelf and beyond is vital to our understanding of modern tsunami-generated sediment transport and deposition. This paper investigates the southern part of Sendai Bay, Japan, by means of high-resolution seismic surveys, vibracoring, bathymetric data assimilation, and radioisotope analysis of a core. For the first time, it was possible to identify an erosional surface in the shallow subsurface, formed by both seafloor erosion and associated offshore-directed sediment transport caused by the 2011 Tohoku-oki tsunami. The area of erosion and deposition extends at least 1,100 m offshore from the shoreline down to water depths of 16.7 m. The tsunami-generated sedimentological signature reaches up to 1.2 m below the present seafloor, whereas bathymetric changes due to storm-related reworking over a period of 3 years following the tsunami event have been limited to the upper ~0.3 m, despite the fact that the study area is located on an open shelf facing the Pacific Ocean. Tsunami-generated erosion surfaces may thus be preserved for extended periods of time, and may even enter the rock record, because the depth of tsunami erosion can exceed the depth of storm erosion. This finding is also important for interpretation of modern submarine strata, since erosion surfaces in shallow (depths less than ~1 m) seismic records from open coast shelves have generally been interpreted as storm-generated surfaces or transgressive ravinement surfaces.     

杭州湾北岸金汇潮滩冲淤分析

杭州湾北岸在南汇嘴和金山嘴人工控制节点作用下,形成微弯内凹的弧形海岸廓线,金汇岸段位于弧形岸线凹段。由于海岸凹段内水流相对较弱,尤其是涨落潮转流过程中低流速(<20cm/s)历时长,有利于泥沙下沉淤泥。11世纪中叶,杭州湾北岸自修筑了第一条海塘进入人工控制后,金汇潮滩处于淤涨中。近年来,受长江来沙量减少和南汇边滩促淤圈围工程的影响,进入杭州湾北岸水域的泥沙也有所减少,出现冲刷现象,金汇潮滩由淤涨型转换为冲刷型。     

New Insights in Shallow Gas Generation from Very High Resolution Seismic and Bathymetric Surveys in the Marennes-Oléron Bay, France

Very high resolution seismic profiles, ground-truthed by vibrocores, have revealed the occurrence of kilometre-scale acoustic turbidity in the Marennes-Oléron Bay, France. Such acoustic turbidity is commonly interpreted as gas-charged sediments. Comparison between accurate historical bathymetric data and the present day bathymetry has shown high sediment accretion zones in the study area (locally up to 8 m since 1824). The superimposition of seismic and bathymetric datasets displays a striking correlation between the high sedimentation rate area and the boundaries of the acoustic turbidity, i.e. gas-charged sediments. The key role of sedimentation rates in shallow gas generation in the study area is pointed out. It is also concluded that shallow gas is probably generated at short (decadal to secular) time scales.     

Modern sediment characteristics and accumulation rates from the delta front to prodelta of the Yellow River (Huanghe)

Since 1976, the main channel of the Yellow River (Huanghe) has been on the east side of the delta complex, and the river has prograded a broad new delta lobe in Laizhou Bay of the Bohai Sea. In 2012, extensive bathymetric and high-resolution seismic profiles were conducted and sediment cores were collected off the new delta lobe. This study examined delta sedimentation and morphology along a profile across the modern subaqueous Yellow River delta and into Laizhou Bay, by analyzing sediment radionuclides (¹³⁷Cs, ²¹⁰Pb and ⁷Be), sedimentary structure, grain-size composition, organic carbon content, and morphological changes between 1976 and 2012. The change in the bathymetric profile, longitudinal to the river’s course, reveals subaqueous delta progradation during this period. The subbottom boundary between the new delta lobe sediment and the older seafloor sediment (before the 1976 course shift) was identified in terms of lithology and radionuclide distributions, and recognized as a downlap surface in the seismic record. The accumulation rate of the new delta lobe sediment is estimated to be 5–18.6 cm year^–1 on the delta front slope, 2 cm year^–1 at the toe of the slope, and 1–2 cm year^–1 in the shelf areas of Laizhou Bay. Sediment facies also change offshore, from alternations of gray and brown sediment in the proximal area to gray bioturbated fine sediment in the distal area. Based on ⁷Be distribution, the shorter-term deposition rate was at least 20 cm year^–1 in the delta front.     

Non-Energy Resources,Connecticut Coastal Waters,Year 9 and 10 Activities

The Connecticut effort in year 9 of the Continental Margins Program concentrated on a 13.6-mi2 area south of the Housatonic River. This area was chosen for a side-scan sonar survey because it lies on and adjacent to the bathymetric expressions of two fairly large, subcropping, potential sources of coarse material. Previous seismic work in the area indicated that outcrops or subcrops of these potential source deposits could be delineated using their bathymetric expression. Owing to the limited resolution of the seismic data, a correlation between bottom type and underlying source deposits could not be made with the seismics alone. Results from the November 1993 side-scan survey show that although the source deposits have discernible bathymetric expressions, they are not cropping out as much as expected. As a result, bottom type is not necessarily determined by subcropping deposits in this particular area. Year 10 work was concentrated in Fishers Island Sound, where three areas of potential interest for near-shore gravel resources had previously been identified. These areas were surveyed, during the spring of 1996, using the RoxAnn Seabed Classification System. A small video camera and a Van Veen grab sampler were used to calibrate and verify the RoxAnn data. Although previous sampling had indicated the presence of gravel or gravelly sediment in all of the survey areas, the RoxAnn results showed less gravel than anticipated. Vibrant eelgrass beds and other habitat indicators were detected in all of the survey areas. Given the variable sediment results, and the high habitat potential of the areas surveyed, the likelihood of developing a sand and gravel supply from the near shore of Fishers Island Sound appears quite low.     

Numerical assessment of bathymetric changes caused by the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami at Kirinda Fishery Harbor,Sri Lanka

Thus far various numerical models have been developed and improved to aid understanding of the sediment transport process due to tsunamis. However, the applicability of these models for the field-scale bathymetric change remains a major issue due to the scarcity of measured bathymetric data immediately before and after tsunamis. This study focuses on assessing the applicability of the sediment transport model by comparing the model results with measured bathymetry data obtained one month before and two months after the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami at Kirinda Fishery Harbor, Sri Lanka. Obtained model results were compared with measured data along four different transects. In particular, similar to the measured data, the model reproduced the bed level change at the harbor mouth well, although it shows some discrepancy on bathymetric change along the shoreline, which is directly affected by littoral drift. Therefore, it is noted that the divergence of reproducing the local bathymetry change is due to the normal wind wave effect on measured data and the model limitations. Hence we included the wind wave effect in modeled data and the discrepancy between measured and modeled data was reduced. Furthermore, the modeled bed level change indicates a dynamic behavior in terms of the net variation during the tsunami flow, such that deposition dominates in the inflow and erosion dominates in the backflow. Both bed level variation and the suspended load concentration reveal that the large amount of eroded sediment attributable to tsunami waves was in suspended form and was deposited in the nearshore area after the water fluctuation had abated. The model results further indicate that eroded sediment at the initial depth deeper than 11 m might be brought by the incoming tsunami waves and deposited in the nearshore area where the depth is shallower than 7 m.     

水动力对越南巴达棱湾表层沉积物和岸滩的影响

基于越南巴达棱湾2007年4月采集的42个表层沉积物样品及实测水文资料,分析越南巴达棱湾表层沉积物特征,并结合GSTA模型分析表层沉积物的运移趋势。结果表明:越南巴达棱湾表层沉积物以粗颗粒为主,在潮流和波浪的作用下呈中西部粗、东部细的分布特征;其西侧表层沉积物沿岸线自西南向湾内运移,中西近岸区沉积物垂直于岸线做离岸输移,在湾的东侧存在自东北向西南的运移趋势,并与从湾西运移过来的底沙相遇,形成运移辐聚区,并在余流的作用下,向西运移;"波浪掀沙,潮流输沙"是该地区表层沉积物输运的主要作用机制;在波浪的作用下,研究海域的海岸线处于侵蚀状态,有后退的趋势。     

Recent bottom-current activity in the deep western Bay of Bengal

We present several types of data which show that strong geostrophic bottom currents are present in a broad valley in the deep western Bay of Bengal adjacent to the Indian margin. Sea-floor photographs show well-developed current lineations with scour marks on the northern sides and sediment deposition tails on the southern sides of some objects (such as fecal pellets) suggesting strong southward-flowing bottom currents. A direct current measurement made in the region confirms this inferred flow direction. The nepheloid layer is much stronger in the western Bay of Bengal than in any other region of the northern Indian Ocean and indicates strong turbulence and a high concentration of suspended sediment at or near the sea floor. Additional data which do not provide unequivocal evidence for, but may also be indicative of, the existence of the bottom currents are as follows: the dispersal of the peninsular Indian rivers-derived smectite-rich sediments all along the valley to as far as south of Sri Lanka; a zone of sediment waves (as recorded on 3.5-kHz echograms) parallel to the regional trend of bathymetric contours along the Indian margin; and the frequent occurrence of thin, sharp and uniform layers of fine sand and silt beds rather than thick graded turbidite beds in the cores from the broad valley in the deep western Bay of Bengal.     

Sediment distribution and transport along a rocky, embayed coast: Monterey Peninsula and Carmel Bay, California

Field measurements of beach morphology and sedimentology were made along the Monterey Peninsula and Carmel Bay, California, in the spring and summer of 1997. These data were combined with low-altitude aerial imagery, high-resolution bathymetry, and local geology to understand how coastal geomorphology, lithology, and tectonics influence the distribution and transport of littoral sediment in the nearshore and inner shelf along a rocky shoreline over the course of decades. Three primary modes of sediment distribution in the nearshore and on the inner shelf off the Monterey Peninsula and in Carmel Bay were observed. Along stretches of the study area that were exposed to the dominant wave direction, sediment has accumulated in shore-normal bathymetric lows interpreted to be paleo-stream channels. Where the coastline is oriented parallel to the dominant wave direction and streams channels trend perpendicular to the coast, sediment-filled paleo-stream channels occur in the nearshore as well, but here they are connected to one another by shore-parallel ribbons of sediment at depths between 2 and 6 m. Where the coastline is oriented parallel to the dominant wave direction and onshore stream channels are not present, only shore-parallel patches of sediment at depths greater than 15 m are present. We interpret the distribution and interaction or transport of littoral sediment between pocket beaches along this coastline to be primarily controlled by the northwest-trending structure of the region and the dominant oceanographic regime. Because of the structural barriers to littoral transport, peaks in wave energy appear to be the dominant factor controlling the timing and magnitude of sediment transport between pocket beaches, more so than along long linear coasts. Accordingly, the magnitude and timing of sediment transport is dictated by the episodic nature of storm activity.     

Glacial morphology and post-glacial contourites in northern Prince Gustav Channel (NW Weddell Sea,Antarctica)

We present the results of a marine geophysical investigation of the northern Prince Gustav Channel. By comparative analysis of multibeam bathymetric data, single channel seismic reflection profiles, underway chirp sonar data, ADCP current data and sediment coring, we define the main morphological elements of the area. In particular we define the glacial morphogenesis in relation to the excavation of inner shelf basins and troughs along structural discontinuities and lithologic boundaries. We identify streamlined surfaces that testify to the grounding of ice and past ice flow directions. These glacial forms are found only on glacial tills preserved in the deepest part of the basins, while net erosion to bedrock has occurred elsewhere. Since the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM), the relict glacial morphology has been draped by hemipelagic and diatomaceous mud, and bottom currents have played a major role in focusing sedimentation within small depocentres, that we define as contouritic drifts. Based on shallow sediment architecture and supported by direct measurements, we propose that the direction of bottom water flow is from the outer shelf into the Prince Gustav channel as a result of a combination of tidal currents and ice shelf-related thermohaline circulation.     

Anthropogenic influences on shoreline and nearshore evolution in the San Francisco Bay coastal system

Analysis of four historical bathymetric surveys over a 132-year period has revealed significant changes to the morphology of the San Francisco Bar, an ebb-tidal delta at the mouth of San Francisco Bay estuary. From 1873 to 2005 the San Francisco Bar vertically-eroded an average of 80 cm over a 125 km² area, which equates to a total volume loss of 100 ± 52 million m³ of fine- to coarse-grained sand. Comparison of the surveys indicates the entire ebb-tidal delta contracted radially, with the crest moving landward an average of 1 km. Long-term erosion of the ebb-tidal delta is hypothesized to be due to a reduction in the tidal prism of San Francisco Bay and a decrease in coastal sediment supply, both as a result of anthropogenic activities. Prior research indicates that the tidal prism of the estuary was reduced by 9% from filling, diking, and sedimentation. Compilation of historical records dating back to 1900 reveals that a minimum of 200 million m³ of sediment has been permanently removed from the San Francisco Bay coastal system through dredging, aggregate mining, and borrow pit mining. Of this total, ∼54 million m³ of sand-sized or coarser sediment was removed from central San Francisco Bay. With grain sizes comparable to the ebb-tidal delta, and its direct connection to the bay mouth, removal of sediments from central San Francisco Bay may limit the sand supply to the delta and open coast beaches.