Geomorphological control on boulder transport and coastal erosion before,during and after an extreme extra‐tropical cyclone

Extreme wave events in coastal zones are principal drivers of geomorphic change. Evidence of boulder entrainment and erosional impact during storms is increasing. However, there is currently poor time coupling between pre‐ and post‐storm measurements of coastal boulder deposits. Importantly there are no data reporting shore platform erosion, boulder entrainment and/or boulder transport during storm events – rock coast dynamics during storm events are currently unexplored. Here, we use high‐resolution (daily) field data to measure and characterize coastal boulder transport before, during and after the extreme Northeast Atlantic extra‐tropical cyclone Johanna in March 2008. Forty‐eight limestone fine‐medium boulders (n = 46) and coarse cobbles (n = 2) were tracked daily over a 0.1 km² intertidal area during this multi‐day storm. Boulders were repeatedly entrained, transported and deposited, and in some cases broken down (n = 1) or quarried (n = 3), during the most intense days of the storm. Eighty‐one percent (n = 39) of boulders were located at both the start and end of the storm. Of these, 92% were entrained where entrainment patterns were closely aligned to wave parameters. These data firmly demonstrate rock coasts are dynamic and vulnerable under storm conditions. No statistically significant relationship was found between boulder size (mass) and net transport distance. Graphical analyses suggest that boulder size limits the maximum longshore transport distance but that for the majority of boulders lying under this threshold, other factors influence transport distance. Paired analysis of 20 similar sized and shaped boulders in different morphogenic zones demonstrates that geomorphological control affects entrainment and transport distance – where net transport distances were up to 39 times less where geomorphological control was greatest. These results have important implications for understanding and for accurately measuring and modelling boulder entrainment and transport. Coastal managers require these data for assessing erosion risk. © 2016 The Authors. Earth Surface Processes and Landforms published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.     

Modeling boulder transport by coastal waves on cliff topography: Case study at Hachijo Island,Japan

Clifftop coastal boulders transported by storm waves or tsunamis have been reported around the world. Although numerical calculation of boulder transport is a strong tool for the identification of tsunami or storm boulders, and for estimation of the wave size emplacing boulders, models which can reasonably solve boulder transport from below a cliff or from a cliff-edge onto a cliff-top do not yet exist. In this study, we developed a new numerical formulation for cliff-top deposition of boulders from the cliff edge or below the cliff, with validation from laboratory tests. We then applied the model using storm and tsunami wave forcing to simulate the observed boulder deposits at the northwest coast of Hachijo Island, Japan. Using the model, the actual distribution of boulders was explained well using a reasonable storm wave height without assumption of anomalously high-water level by storm surge. Results show that boulder transport from the cliff edge or under the cliff onto the cliff-top was possible from a tsunami with periods of 5~10 min or storm waves with no storm surge. However, the actual distribution of boulders on the cliff was explained only by storm waves, but not by tsunami. Therefore, the boulders distributed at this site are likely of storm wave origin. Our developed model for the boulder transport calculation can be useful for identifying a boulder's origin and can reasonably calculate cliff-top deposition of boulders by tsunami and storm waves. © 2019 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. © 2019 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Quantification of contemporary storm-induced boulder transport on an intertidal shore platform using radio frequency identification technology

Extreme storm events are known to produce, entrain, transport and deposit sizable boulders along rocky coastlines. However, the extent to which these processes occur under moderate, fetch-limited wave conditions is seldom considered. In this study we quantify boulder transport at a relatively sheltered location subject to high-frequency, low-magnitude storm activity. This was achieved by deploying radio frequency identification (RFID) tags within 104 intertidal limestone boulders ranging in size from fine to very coarse (intermediate axis: 0.27–2.85 m). The study was conducted over 3 years (July 2015–July 2018) and encompassed numerous storm events. Tagged boulders were relocated during 17 field surveys and their positions recorded using a differential global positioning navigation satellite system (DGNSS). On completion, we identified boulder displacement in 69% of the tagged array. The accrued boulder transport distance amounted to 233.0 m from 195 incidents of displacement, including the movement of a boulder weighing an estimated 11.9 t. Transport was not confined to autumn and winter storms alone, as displacement was also recorded during summer months (April–September), despite the seasonally reduced wave magnitude. Boulder production by wave quarrying was documented in three tagged clasts, confirming observations that the shore platform is actively eroding. Incidents of overturning during transport were also recorded, including multiple overturning of clasts weighing up to 5 t. We further identify a statistically significant difference (maximum p-value ≤ 0.03) between the transport distances attributed to constrained and unconstrained boulders, suggesting that the pre-transport morphological setting exerts considerable control over boulder transport potential. The findings establish low to moderate storm waves as a key component in the evolution of the study site. More broadly, we claim that high-frequency, low-magnitude storms regularly modify these overlooked rocky coastal locations, suggesting that the hydrodynamic capability at such sites may previously have been underestimated. © 2020 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Intertidal boulder transport: A proposed methodology adopting Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology to quantify storm induced boulder mobility

Boulder transport is an area of growing interest to coastal scientists as a means of improving our understanding of the complex interactions between extreme wave activity and the evolution of rocky coasts. However, our knowledge of the response of intertidal boulder deposits to contemporary storm events remains limited due to a lack of quantifiable field-based evidence. We address this by presenting a methodology incorporating Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tagging and Differential Global Positioning Navigation Satellite System (DGNSS) technology to monitor and accurately quantify the displacement of RFID tagged boulders resulting from storm wave activity. Based on preliminary findings we highlight the suitability of the technology and methodology to better understand the spatial and temporal response of intertidal boulders to contemporary storm events. We inserted RFID tags in 104 limestone boulders (intermediate axes from 0.27 to 2.85 m) across a range of morphogenic settings at two sites on the intertidal shore platforms at Bembridge, Isle of Wight (UK). Fifteen topographic surveys were conducted between July 2015 and May 2017 to relocate and record tagged boulder locations (tag recovery rate: 91%). The relocated boulder coordinate data from both sites identified 164 individual transport events in 63% of the tagged boulder array amounting to 184.6 m of transport, including the displacement of a boulder weighing more than 10 tonnes. Incidents of boulder quarrying and overturning during transport were also recorded, demonstrating that despite the relatively sheltered location, intertidal boulders are created and regularly transported under moderate storm conditions. This suggests that contemporary storm events have a greater propensity to mobilise boulders in the intertidal range than has previously been realised. Consequently, by documenting our methodology we provide guidance to others and promote further use of RFID technology to enable new hypotheses on boulder transport to be tested in a range of field settings and wave regimes. © 2018 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Controls on large boulder mobility in an ‘auto-naturalized’ constructed step-pool river: San Clemente Reroute and Dam Removal Project,Carmel River,California, USA

A 1200 m-long river segment of Carmel River (California) was constructed to bypass trapped reservoir sediment when San Clemente Dam was removed from the Carmel River in 2015. Hundreds of large boulders were used to construct 53 steps in an 800 m-long reach of the project. Nearly all the boulders were scattered to new locations in high flows of 2017, and have been relatively stable since that time. We analysed the causes of incipient motion and distance travelled for 226 randomly selected large boulders (0.5–1.8 m) impacted by a flood event in winter of 2019. Channel width, water depth, and isolation from neighbouring boulders were the main variables controlling individual large boulder incipient motion during a 10-year peak flow event in the ‘auto-naturalized’ constructed step-pool river in 2019. There is weak statistical evidence that a combination of shear stress and the presence of boulders located laterally downstream of the subject boulder controlled the distance the boulder moved. Frequentist statistics and Akaike information criterion model comparison determined that boulder size, boulder shape, boulder roundness, and local thalweg slope were not good predictors of large boulder incipient motion or distance transported. Average dimensionless critical shear value for the four largest mobilized boulders (1.5–1.6 m) was 0.014. We describe the geomorphic history of the site and use our results to discuss potential causes of unanticipated large boulder transport at the site that occurred in a <2-year peak flow of winter 2016 soon after step construction. © 2020 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The influence of sediment size,relative grain size and channel slope on initiation of sediment motion in boulder bed rivers. A lichenometric study

Sediment transport of four boulder bed rivers is studied using lichenometry. The presence of lichens on boulders in the river channel is used to date the last mobilization of the blocks. Using size frequency diagrams and regional growth curves calibrated with dated reference points it is possible to determine the flood event responsible for the last mobilization of each boulder with lichens present. The specific stream power of flood events over the last 60 years is then calculated, and thresholds of sediment transport based on the sediment size are calculated. The results from the four studied rivers are compared to similar relationships in the literature. Sediment motion thresholds appear to be very variable within the same type of river (mountainous boulder bed rivers). The critical specific stream power necessary to mobilize a particle of a given diameter may vary by up to 10 times from one river to the next. Bed sediment size and river slope may explain this large range of stream powers. Calculation of the relative size of the transported particles (D_i/D₅₀) also shows that both hiding and protrusion effects, as well as channels slope, are important factors in sediment transport. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

An initial evaluation of drone‐based monitoring of boulder beaches in Galicia,north‐western Spain

Low altitude flights by a micro‐drone were made in 2012 and 2013 over two boulder beaches in north‐western Spain. Geographical information system software was used to map the data. Boulder outlines from the first flight were recorded on 4796 clasts at Laxe Brava and 2508 clasts at Oia. Changes in location were identified by overlaying these outlines on the 2013 images. About 17.5% of the boulders (mean surface area 0.32 m²) moved at Laxe Brava and about 53% (mean surface area 0.23 m²) at Oia. Most movement on both beaches was between the mid‐tide to about 2 m above the high tidal level. The location and elevation of the highest points were also recorded on the 2012 images on 4093 boulders at Laxe Brava and 3324 boulders at Oia. These elevations were compared with the elevations at the same locations in 2013. The occurrence and scale of the elevational changes were generally consistent with changes in the boulder outlines. The study confirmed that boulder beaches can be cheaply and effectively monitored using high resolution, micro‐drone technology. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Distribution of boulders at Miyara Bay of Ishigaki Island,Japan: A flow characteristic indicator of tsunami and storm waves

This study investigates the distribution of boulders at Miyara Bay of Ishigaki Island, Japan. These boulders were deposited on a reef flat extending approximately 400–1300 m in width. Most boulders were rectangular to ellipsoidal, without sharp broken edges. They are reef and coral rock fragments estimated as <335 m³ (<633 t). Locally in the bay, the relationship between the boulder weight and position shows that boulders of a given weight have a clear limit on seaward distribution on the reef flat. For example, more than 1, 10, and 100 tons of boulders were deposited, respectively, more than 500, 300, and 100 m from the reef edge. The line is consistent with the possible landward transport limit by maximum storm waves at the Ryukyu Islands, suggesting that the line was formed by the reworking of some boulders by maximally strong storm waves, although we can not exclude the possibility that the line was formed by tsunamis. Furthermore, 68% of boulders at the bay are deposited beyond this line. Therefore, the presence of these boulders at their present positions is difficult to explain solely by storm waves, implying the possible tsunami origin of these boulders. The boulders are characteristically concentrated along the high‐tide line, suggesting the drastic reduction of the tsunami hydraulic force along the line. Previous studies using radiocarbon age dating, as well as our study, imply that at least 69 boulders at Miyara Bay were probably deposited at their present positions by the 1771 Meiwa tsunami, although some of these boulders might have been emplaced and displaced on the reef flat by prior tsunami or storm surges.     

The effect of tides and storms on the sediment transport across a Dutch barrier island

Under natural conditions, barrier islands might grow vertically and migrate onshore under the influence of long‐term sea level rise. Sediment is transported onshore during storm‐induced overwash and inundation. However, on many Dutch Wadden Islands, dune openings are closed off by artificial sand‐drift dikes that prevent the influx of sediment during storms. It has been argued that creating openings in the dune row to allow regular flooding on barrier islands can have a positive effect on the sediment budget, but the dominant hydrodynamic processes and their influence on sediment transport during overwash and inundation are unknown. Here, we present an XBeach model study to investigate how sediment transport during overwash and inundation across the beach of a typical mesotidal Wadden Sea barrier island is influenced by wave, tide and storm surge conditions. Firstly, we validated the model XBeach with field data on waves and currents during island inundation. In general, the XBeach model performed well. Secondly, we studied the long‐term sediment transport across the barrier island. We distinguished six representative inundation classes, ranging from frequently occurring, low‐energy events to infrequent, high‐energy events, and simulated the hydrodynamics and sediment transport during these events. An analysis of the model simulations shows that larger storm events cause larger cross‐shore sediment transport, but the net sediment exchange during a storm levels off or even becomes smaller for the largest inundation classes because it is counteracted by larger mean water levels in the Wadden Sea that oppose or even reverse sediment transport during inundation. When taking into account the frequency of occurrence of storms we conclude that the cumulative effect of relatively mild storms on long‐term cross‐shore sediment transport is much larger than that of the large storm events. © 2017 The Authors. Earth Surface Processes and Landforms published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.     

Modelling scour and deposition in harbours due to complex tsunami-induced currents

In this paper, a set of models responsible for hydrodynamics, sediment transport, and morphological evolution are introduced with their theoretical backgrounds, and it is explained how they are fully connected through a two-way coupling to yield an integrated sediment transport model applicable to tsunami cases. In particular, a fully nonlinear Boussinesq model with bottom shear-induced rotational terms is chosen for the hydrodynamic model in order to provide a better physical approximation of tsunami-related, near-bed hydrodynamics in the nearshore. A finite-volume scheme, stable and suitable for phase-resolving model runs longer than 10 simulated hours, is adopted in the numerical discretization. The accuracy and applicability of the developed model are investigated through numerical tests on various sediment problems in the shallow region. Calculated results agree well with existing experimental records. Finally, an ocean-wide, field-scale simulation of the 2011 Tohoku-oki tsunami is attempted, with a focus on the localized effects of tsunami-induced morphological changes at Crescent City Harbor and Santa Cruz Harbor (USA). Consistent with the reported observations, strong and vortical velocity fields are generated through the model and result in significant changes in morphological configurations. Depth variations and areas of scouring and deposition are compared between modelled and observed records, and the results are discussed. © 2019 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The Duration-distance Relationship and Average Envelope Shapes of Small Kamchatka Earthquakes

— Average envelope shapes (mean square amplitude time histories) of small earthquakes represent a convenient basis for the construction of semi-empirical stochastic “Green's functions,” needed for prediction of future strong ground motion. At the same time, they provide crucial evidence for verification of the theories of scattering of high-frequency seismic waves in the lithosphere. To determine such shapes in the Kamchatka region we use the records of near (R = 50–200 km) shallow earthquakes located around the broadband station PET. On these records, we select the S-wave group and determine its root-mean-square duration T _rms, separately for each of the five octave frequency bands. We determine the empirical T _rms vs. distance dependence and find it to be very close to a linear one. At the reference distance R = 100 km, average T _rms decreases from 5.4 se c for the 0.75 Hz band to 3.9 sec for the 12 Hz band. To analyze average envelopes, we assume that the functional form of the envelope shape function is independent of distance, and stretch each of the observed envelopes along the time axis so as to reduce it to a fixed distance. Through averaging of these envelopes we obtain characteristic envelope shape functions. We qualitatively analyze these shapes and find that around the peak they are close to the shapes expected for a medium with power-law inhomogeneity spectrum, with the spectral exponent 3.5–4. From onset-to-peak delay times we derive the values of transport mean free path and of scattering Q for a set of distances.     

日本东北M_W9.0地震海啸在港池及邻近区域诱发的涡流危险性计算与评估分析

海啸造成的灾害与损失并非都与淹没有关,特别是港口中海啸诱导的强流会对船只及海事设施产生重要的影响及损害.由于海啸流观测数据稀缺及海啸诱导涡流机制的不确定性,过去60年海啸科学主要集中于对海啸波特征及淹没过程的研究与分析,海啸流模拟及验证工作开展较少,导致对海啸流基本特征及其造成灾害现象的曲解.开展海啸诱导的涡流研究及预警服务显得尤为重要及紧迫.考虑快速海啸预警需要,综合对比海啸诱导涡流的物理框架及模型方法,探索兼顾效率与计算精度的海啸流模拟方法是本文的核心工作及出发点.通过分析浅层湍流相干结构(TCS)产生的主要物理耗散机制,确定了考虑2D水平耗散机制的非线性浅水方程可用于海啸涡流的模拟分析.基于高精、高分辨率有限体积模型Geoclaw建立了三个精细化的港口海啸流模型,模型分辨率为5m.利用基于海啸浮标反演的海啸源模型作为初始条件,模拟分析了日本东北地震海啸在远场的海啸波流特征.海啸波流特征模拟结果与观测吻合较好,结果可信.对比发现:波驱动的自由表面流,小的位相或波幅误差就会导致大的流速误差,流的模拟和预报相对波幅来说更具挑战性.研究了海啸波流能量在港池中的分布特征,得到:港池入口及防波堤两端常被强流控制,具有极高的危险性;相对于波幅的空间变化,海啸流具有更强的空间敏感性;所建立的高分辨率海啸模型模拟再现了日本海啸在近场的涡旋结构,给出了与观测基本一致的涡流特征.最后,引入海啸流危险等级标准,分析了港口海啸流危险性等级分布、船只疏散的安全深度及回港的时间周期.针对港口、海湾同时考虑海啸波流特征的海啸预警与评估对于港口应急管理者科学决策具有重要意义.     

港湾中海啸流的模拟及其时空演变特征对输入条件不确定性的响应分析

一直以来,海啸波特征作为表征海啸潜在破坏性的参数指标得到了广泛应用,特别是针对近场极端海啸事件造成的灾害来说,这种表征具有较好的适用性.然而总结分析历史海啸事件造成的损失发现：在远场近岸及港湾系统中,海啸诱导的强流却是造成损失的主要原因.陆架或港湾振荡导致海啸波幅快速升降诱发强流,可能促使港工设施受到威胁及损害,进而对海啸预警服务及海事应急管理提出了新的挑战.因此,全面理解与评估海啸在港湾中诱发的灾害特征,探索港湾中海啸流的数值模拟方法,发展针对港湾尺度的海啸预警服务指导产品尤为迫切.受限于海啸流验证数据的缺乏及准确模拟海啸流技术方法的诸多不确定性,大部分海啸数值模拟研究工作主要是针对水位特征的研究及验证,可能导致对港湾中海啸灾害危险性认识的曲解与低估.本研究基于非线性浅水方程,针对夏威夷群岛三个典型港湾建立了精细化海啸数值模型（空间分辨率达到10 m）,并联合有限断层破裂模型计算分析了日本东北地震海啸在三个港湾及其邻近区域的海啸特征,波、流计算结果与实测结果吻合较好,精细化的海啸港湾模型模拟结果可信.模拟发现港湾中较小的波幅,同样可以产生强流.综合分析日本东北地震海啸波、流特征对输入条件不确定性的响应结果发现：港湾中海啸波-流能量的空间分布特征差异较大,这与港湾系统中海啸波的驻波特性相关;相比海啸波幅空间特征,海啸流特征具有更强的空间敏感性;海啸流时空分布特征对输入条件的不确定性响应比海啸波幅对这些不确定性的响应更强,海啸流的模拟与预报更有挑战性;不确定性对海啸流计算精度的影响会进一步传导放大港湾海啸流危险性的评估及对港工设施产生的应力作用的误差,合理的输入条件对海啸流的精确模拟至关重要.最后,希望通过本文的研究可以从海啸波-流特征角度更加全面认识近岸海啸灾害特征,拓展海啸预警服务的广度与深度,从而为灾害应急管理部门提供更加科学合理的辅助决策产品.     

Identification of 1771 Meiwa Tsunami deposits using a combination of radiocarbon dating and oxygen isotope microprofiling of emerged massive Porites boulders

The Meiwa Tsunami, one of the largest tsunamis recorded in historical documents in Japan struck Ishigaki Island and neighboring islands of the Ryukyu Arc in April 1771 AD, killing more than 12 000 people. An enormous number of massive Porites coral boulders are scattered on the shore and in the reef moat of eastern Ishigaki Island. Although these boulders likely were cast ashore by the Meiwa Tsunami, a detailed examination has not yet been conducted. When the marine reservoir effect is taken into account, one of mode values of calibrated radiocarbon dates possibly corresponds to the time of the 1771 event. However, the range of calibrated radiocarbon ages indicates that the transport of the boulders cannot be ascribed solely to the tsunami. Oxygen isotope microprofiling, which indicates sea-surface temperature variation, was therefore conducted to further investigate the mechanism of transport. The results suggest that the skeletal growth of most coral colonies was interrupted in summer or autumn; hence, tropical storms and typhoons are also very likely to be agents of transport. Thus, by combining radiocarbon dating with oxygen isotope microprofiling to investigate Porites coral boulders, it is possible to separate paleotsunami boulders from those transported by storm events as far as tsunamis occurred during the non-storm season.     

Tsunamis Generated by Subaquatic Volcanic Explosions: Unique Data from 1996 Eruption in Karymskoye Lake, Kamchatka, Russia

—The 1996 subaquatic explosive eruption near the northern shore of Karymskoye Lake in Kamchatka, Russia, generated multiple tsunamis. We document the explosive process that produced the tsunamis, and describe the tsunami effects and runup around the 4-km diameter lake. These data enable the determination of an attenuation relation of runup (wave) height for these “explosive” tsunamis, which is compared with theoretical models of wave height distributions. For the proximal zone, involving radial distances (r) up to 1.3 km from the source, the runup height (R) shows rapid attenuation (from > 30 m to 8 m) with distance as log R = ?1.98 log[r] + 2.6. For the distal zone, r > 1.3 km, involving mainly wave travel southeastwards along the body of the lake away from the explosion source, R decays more slowly (from 8 m to 3 m) as log R = ?0.56 log[r] + 1.9. Rapid decay in the proximal zone suggests that near the source of the explosion, the tsunami propagated radially as a collapsing wave (bore) with discontinuous change in height. The break-in-slope of the runup plot at 1.3 km suggests that beyond this distance the tsunami propagated approximately as a decaying one-dimensional wave in a channel of approximately constant width.     

Effects of non-submerged boulder on flow characteristics – A field investigation

The effect of fully submerged boulders on the flow structure in channels has been studied by some researchers. However, many natural streams have bed material with boulders that are not fully submerged under water. In many natural streams, boulders cover between 1% and 10% of the area of the stream reach. The effect of non-submerged boulders on the velocity profile and flow characteristics is very important for assessing riverbed deformation. The objectives of this paper are to find the pattern of velocity distribution around a non-submerged boulder and to compare it with the classical studies on flow resistance and Reynolds stress distribution in open channels. Also, by considering the variation in the Reynolds stress distribution at different locations around a non-submerged boulder, the effect of a non-submerged boulder on the estimation of shear velocity and resistance to flow has been investigated. Results indicates that inside the scour hole caused by a non-submerged boulder in a river velocity distributions are irregular. However, velocity distributions are regular outside the scour hole. The presence of the boulder causes a considerable deviation of the Reynolds shear stress from the classic distribution, showing a non-specific distribution with negative values. The classical methods for calculating shear velocity are not suitable because these methods do not give detailed velocity and Reynolds stress distributions in natural rivers with a lot of boulders. Thus, the effect of a non-submerged boulder on the estimation of the resistance to flow by considering the variations in velocity and Reynolds stress distributions at different locations around a non-submerged boulder is important and needs to be studied in a natural river instead of just in laboratory flumes. The negative values in Reynolds stress distribution around a boulder indicate that the classical methods are unable to predict resistance to flow, and also show strong turbulence inside the scour hole where the complex flow conditions present ambiguous Reynolds stress distributions. In the current study, to obtain a reasonable estimation of parameters in natural rivers, the classical method has been modified by considering velocity and Reynolds stress distributions through the boundary layer method.     

Late Holocene tsunami traces on the western and southern coastlines of the Peloponnesus (Greece)

Greece, in particular the western and southern parts close to the subduction zone of the Hellenic Trench, experiences strong earthquakes and subsequent tsunamis. Nevertheless, field evidence of tsunamis from the late Holocene is extremely rare. Our research along the coastlines of the western and southern Peloponnesus resulted in new findings of tsunami impacts in the form of clusters and ridges of large boulders and thick tsunamigenic sand layers encountered in vibracores. Many boulders contained attached marine organisms, which prove that they were transported from the foreshore environment against gravity by extreme wave events. The attached organisms, which have been dated by ¹⁴C-AMS, suggest that historical tsunami events of great energy occurred around 1300 cal AD. A wood fragment found at the base of tsunami deposits in a vibracore from Cape Punta was dated to ~ 250 cal AD.     

Coastal profile response to sea level rise: a process‐based approach

Prevailing ideas and calculations of coastal response to sea level rise (SLR) are often based on the Bruun model (Bruun P., Sea‐level rise as a cause of shore erosion, Journal Waterways Harbors Division, ASCE 88 : 117–130, 1962) that predicts upward and landward transfer of an equilibrium profile during SLR through offshore sediment transport on the shoreface. The model is based on a number of assumptions of questionable validity as well as outdated concepts on how sediment is transported across the shoreface. This contribution takes a numerical modelling approach that is based on first‐order processes contributing to the movement of sediment across the shoreface. Using a wave transformation model that predicts hydrodynamic processes driving cross‐shore sediment transport and an energetics‐based model for the coupling between hydrodynamics and sediment transport, we show that cross‐shore sediment transport is mainly onshore directed at the boundary between the lower and the upper shoreface, in agreement with the model proposed by Davidson‐Arnott (Conceptual model of the effects of sea level rise on sandy coasts, Journal of Coastal Research 21 : 1166–1172, 2005). The transition from onshore to offshore directed transport is located well within the surf zone and with a rising sea level this transition point becomes displaced landward and upward. Tests also show that substrate slope is of fundamental importance to the manner in which beaches react to rising sea level. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Geological and Hydrodynamical Examination of the Bathyal Tsunamigenic Origin of Miocene Conglomerates in Chita Peninsula, Central Japan

A conglomerate appears on a rocky coast called ??Tsubutega-ura Coast??, located on the southwestern coast near the southern tip of the Chita Peninsula, Aichi Prefecture, central Japan. The conglomerate belongs to Miocene sedimentary rocks termed the Morozaki Group. The conglomerate includes meter-scale boulders, indicating that it was formed by an extraordinary event. In the geological investigation, we observed that the conglomerate shows alternate changes of paleocurrent directions between seaward and landward. This feature is supposed to be formed by tsunami currents. In the hydrodynamical investigation, we obtained following results: (1) the lowest limit of a current velocity to move a boulder of about 3?m in diameter would be about 2?C3?m/s, (2) the speed of tsunami currents reproduced by tsunami simulation exceeds 3?m/s at 300?m in depth when the tsunami is generated by a gigantic earthquake with magnitude 9.0 or more, (3) the transport distance of the boulder would be several hundred?meters to several kilometers by one tsunami event caused by a gigantic earthquake. We conclude that tsunamis best explain the formation of the conglomerate deposited in upper bathyal environments about 200?C400?m depth, both from geological and hydrodynamical viewpoints.