Temporal and spatial behaviour of rip channels in a multiple‐barred coastal system

A 15‐month data set of daily time‐averaged video images (Argus) has been analyzed to describe the spatial and temporal variability of the rip channels on a multiple‐barred coast at Noordwijk aan Zee, The Netherlands. The landward boundary of the intertidal bars and a proxy of the subtidal bar crest, defined as the intertidal and subtidal bar lines respectively, were derived from the Argus images. Local seaward‐directed deviations of the bar lines represent the cross‐shore and alongshore locations of the rip channels. The average intertidal rip spacing ( ) was 243 m, but the rips were not spaced regularly (σ_λ/ = 0.47). Some intertidal rips were observed to fill up during falling tide, but the majority remained open. The filled intertidal rip channels had more landward positions and migrated more slowly (2.4 versus 4.6 m/day) in the alongshore direction than the open intertidal rip channels. The number and the alongshore migration rate of open intertidal rip channels increased with the preceding wave heights (r = 0.26, p < 0.01) and alongshore component of the offshore wave power (r = 0.25, p < 0.01), respectively. The shape of the intertidal bar lines was similar to the subtidal bar line shape, suggesting that the intertidal morphology is coupled to the subtidal alongshore variability. The phase of two bar lines could vary from in phase (0°) to out of phase (180°). The phase changes gradually, due to different alongshore migration rates of the intertidal and subtidal bar lines. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Coupling mechanisms in double sandbar systems. Part 2: impact on alongshore variability of inner‐bar rip channels

Double sandbar systems are common morphological features along sandy, wave‐dominated, micro‐ to meso‐tidal coastlines. In the companion paper, we demonstrated how various alongshore inner‐bar rip‐channel patterns can develop through morphological coupling to an alongshore‐variable outer bar. The simulated coupling patterns are, however, scarcely observed in the field. Instead, inner‐bar rip channels more often possess remarkably smaller and more variable alongshore length scales, suggesting that coupling mechanisms do not play a substantial role in the overall double‐sandbar dynamics. Here we use a numerical model to show that the relative importance of self‐organization and morphological coupling changes in favour of the latter with an increase in waterdepth variability along the outer‐bar crest. Furthermore, we find that the typical alongshore variability in inner‐bar rip‐channel scale is indicative of a mixture of self‐organization and morphological coupling rather than self‐organization alone. Morphological coupling may thus be more important to understanding and predicting the evolution of inner‐bar rip channels than previously envisaged. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley and Sons, Ltd.     

A note on cross‐profile morphology for glacial valleys

We provide an improvement to the Hirano–Aniya catenary model for the cross‐profile morphology of a glacial valley. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Seasonal variation of crescentic dune morphology and morphometry,Strzelecki–Simpson Desert,Australia

The general absence of contemporary dune building in the Australian arid zone finds the occurrence of crescentic dune genesis and evolution at Gurra Gurra waterhole, a somewhat enigmatic event amongst prevalent inactive linear dunescapes. Crescentic dune construction is geographically restricted to areas of dominant unidirectional high windiness and minimal vegetation, parameters that are generally uncommon in arid Australia today. The influence of seasonal multidirectional winds can see dune form undergo continual transition between quasi‐equilibrium and disequilibrium. Such dynamic antithesis is depicted in seasonal mathematical comparisons of the planimetric attributes, length and width. Dimensional equilibrium is a transient feature at Gurra Gurra waterhole and not characteristic of this dunescape. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

In situ characterization of grain‐scale fluvial morphology using Terrestrial Laser Scanning

The grain‐scale morphology of fluvial sediments is an important control on the character and dynamics of river systems; however current understanding of its role is limited by the difficulties of robustly quantifying field surface morphology. Terrestrial Laser Scanning (TLS) offers a new methodology for the rapid acquisition of high‐resolution and high‐precision surface elevation data from in situ sediments. To date, most environmental and fluvial applications of TLS have focused on large‐scale systems, capturing macroscale morphologies. Application of this new technology at scales necessary to characterize the complexity of grain‐scale fluvial sediments therefore requires a robust assessment of the quality and sources of errors in close‐range TLS data. This paper describes both laboratory and field experiments designed to evaluate close‐range TLS for sedimentological applications and to develop protocols for data acquisition. In the former, controlled experiments comprising high‐resolution scans of white, grey and black planes and a sphere were used to quantify the magnitude and source of three‐dimensional (3D) point errors resulting from a combination of surface geometry, reflectivity effects and inherent instrument precision. Subsequently, a methodology for the collection and processing of grain‐scale TLS data is described through an application to a coarse grained gravel system, the River Feshie (D₅₀ 32 to 63 mm). This stepwise strategy incorporates averaging repeat scans and filtering scan artefact and non‐surface points using local 3D search algorithms. The sensitivity of the results to the filter parameter values are assessed by careful internal validation of Digital Terrain Models (DTMs) created from the resulting point cloud data. The transferability of this methodology is assessed through application to a second river, Bury Green Brook, dominated by finer gravel (D₅₀ 18 to 33 mm). The factor limiting the resolution of DTMs created from this second dataset was found to be the relative sizes of the laser footprint and smallest grains. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Spatio‐temporal distribution of near‐surface and root zone soil moisture at the catchment scale

Soil moisture is highly variable both spatially and temporally. It is widely recognized that improving the knowledge and understanding of soil moisture and the processes underpinning its spatial and temporal distribution is critical. This paper addresses the relationship between near‐surface and root zone soil moisture, the way in which they vary spatially and temporally, and the effect of sampling design for determining catchment scale soil moisture dynamics. In this study, catchment scale near‐surface (0–50 mm) and root zone (0–300 mm) soil moisture were monitored over a four‐week period. Measurements of near‐surface soil moisture were recorded at various resolutions, and near‐surface and root zone soil moisture data were also monitored continuously within a network of recording sensors. Catchment average near‐surface soil moisture derived from detailed spatial measurements and continuous observations at fixed points were found to be significantly correlated (r² = 0·96; P = 0·0063; n = 4). Root zone soil moisture was also found to be highly correlated with catchment average near‐surface, continuously monitored (r² = 0·81; P < 0·0001; n = 26) and with detailed spatial measurements of near‐surface soil moisture (r² = 0·84). The weaker relationship observed between near‐surface and root zone soil moisture is considered to be caused by the different responses to rainfall and the different factors controlling soil moisture for the soil depths of 0–50 mm and 0–300 mm. Aspect is considered to be the main factor influencing the spatial and temporal distribution of near‐surface soil moisture, while topography and soil type are considered important for root zone soil moisture. The ability of a limited number of monitoring stations to provide accurate estimates of catchment scale average soil moisture for both near‐surface and root zone is thus demonstrated, as opposed to high resolution spatial measurements. Similarly, the use of near‐surface soil moisture measurements to obtain a reliable estimate of deeper soil moisture levels at the small catchment scale was demonstrated. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Mountain ordering: A method for classifying mountains based on their morphometry

A new method for classifying mountain morphology, ‘mountain ordering,’ is proposed, and quantitative expressions for various morphological parameters of two ordered mountains in northern Japan were obtained using this method. Mountain order was defined in terms of the closed contour lines on a topographic map. A set of closed, concentric contour lines defines a first-order mountain. Higher-order mountains can be defined as a set of closed contour lines that contain lower-order mountains and that have only one closed contour line for each elevation; they are identified as m + 1th-order mountains, where m represents the order of the enclosed, lower-order mountains. The geomorphometry for a mountain ordered according to this definition permits the identification of systematic relationships between various morphological parameters. The relationships between mountain order and these morphological parameters follow a form similar to that of Horton's laws, and permit the calculation of the ratios of number, area and height; these parameters are sufficient to express the magnitude of a mountain's dissection. The size–frequency distribution for area and height shows self-similarity for ordered mountains, and determines their fractal dimensions. Furthermore, the relationship between area and height, which has the form of a power function, describes the relief structure of ordered mountains. Copyright © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Wet surface resistance of forest canopy in monsoon Asia: Implications for eddy‐covariance measurement of evapotranspiration

During the Asian monsoon period, intense precipitation commonly occurs for an extended period in accompaniment with a reduction in solar radiation. This suggests that wet surface evapotranspiration is an important contributor to the total evapotranspiration. Therefore, investigating evapotranspiration over a wet canopy surface is critical to achieve a better understanding of water and energy cycles in Asia. In this study, we estimated surface resistances under wet conditions in a mixed forest influenced by the East Asian monsoon system. We showed that the surface resistance had a non‐negligible magnitude of about 30 sm^?1 even under wet conditions. We also found that the ratio between the actual and potential evapotranspiration depended on the friction velocity regardless of the time of day. Our analyses suggest that this dependency is tightly related to the underestimation of turbulent fluxes by the eddy‐covariance system under wet surface conditions. Together, our findings suggest that the wet surface resistance, although small, should be considered in simulating evapotranspiration because the forest ecosystem is strongly coupled to the overlying atmosphere. This could significantly improve the shortcomings of evapotranspiration measurement and modeling in Asian forest canopies influenced by the monsoon system. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Coil response inversion for very early time modelling of helicopter‐borne time‐domain electromagnetic data and mapping of near‐surface geological layers

Very early times in the order of 2–3 μs from the end of the turn‐off ramp for time‐domain electromagnetic systems are crucial for obtaining a detailed resolution of the near‐surface geology in the depth interval 0–20 m. For transient electromagnetic systems working in the off time, an electric current is abruptly turned off in a large transmitter loop causing a secondary electromagnetic field to be generated by the eddy currents induced in the ground. Often, however, there is still a residual primary field generated by remaining slowly decaying currents in the transmitter loop. The decay disturbs or biases the earth response data at the very early times. These biased data must be culled, or some specific processing must be applied in order to compensate or remove the residual primary field. As the bias response can be attributed to decaying currents with its time constantly controlled by the geometry of the transmitter loop, we denote it the ‘Coil Response’. The modelling of a helicopter‐borne time‐domain system by an equivalent electronic circuit shows that the time decay of the coil response remains identical whatever the position of the receiver loop, which is confirmed by field measurements. The modelling also shows that the coil response has a theoretical zero location and positioning the receiver coil at the zero location eliminates the coil response completely. However, spatial variations of the coil response around the zero location are not insignificant and even a few cm deformation of the carrier frame will introduce a small coil response. Here we present an approach for subtracting the coil response from the data by measuring it at high altitudes and then including an extra shift factor into the inversion scheme. The scheme is successfully applied to data from the SkyTEM system and enables the use of very early time gates, as early as 2–3 μs from the end of the ramp, or 5–6 μs from the beginning of the ramp. Applied to a large‐scale airborne electromagnetic survey, the coil response compensation provides airborne electromagnetic methods with a hitherto unseen good resolution of shallow geological layers in the depth interval 0–20 m. This is proved by comparing results from the airborne electromagnetic survey to more than 100 km of Electrical Resistivity Tomography measured with 5 m electrode spacing.     

A macro‐element model for inelastic building analysis

A three‐dimensional model for approximate inelastic analysis of buildings is presented herein. The model is based on a single macro‐element per building storey. The inelastic properties of the model are characterized by the so‐called ultimate storey shear and torque (USST) surfaces. Different algorithms for the construction of these surfaces, as well as their applications in building modelling, are presented and discussed. Two alternative procedures are developed to integrate the force‐deformation constitutive relationship of the macro‐elements. The first one follows the exact trajectory of the load path of the structure on the USST, and the second uses linear programming without ever forming the USST surface. The accuracy of the model and integration procedure is evaluated by means of the earthquake response of single‐storey systems. The model and integration procedure developed is finally used to compute the inelastic response of a seven‐storey R/C building. The results of this investigation show that the model proposed, although approximate, can be effective in estimating the inelastic deformation demand of a building. It also enables the engineer to capture and interpret important features of the three‐dimensional inelastic response of a structure even before performing any inelastic dynamic analysis. Copyright © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Earthquake fault‐induced surface rupture—A hybrid strong ground motion simulation technique and discussion for structural design

Unique to the near‐source region of a large earthquake is the occurrence of strong impulsive ground motion and surface faulting referred to as ‘fling‐step’ motion. The objective of this study is to synthesize broad‐band time histories over a wide range of frequencies by characterizing rupture directivity and fling effects from the comprehensive strong motion database of the near‐fault Chi‐Chi event. To aid in the generation of these special types of ground motions, a hybrid modeling technique is introduced based on the stochastic finite‐fault radiation method and an efficient analytical approach to incorporate the observed low‐frequency features in the records close to the ruptured fault. The results show that the overall agreement among the developed hybrid methodology and recorded waveforms and response spectra is quite satisfying. A brief discussion on the design of infrastructures near seismic fault is also included. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Estimation and application of near‐surface full waveform redatuming operators

Land seismic data quality can be severely affected by near‐surface anomalies. The imprint of a complex near‐surface can be removed by redatuming the data to a level below the surface, from where the subsurface structures are assumed to be relatively smooth. However, to derive a velocity‐depth model that explains the propagation effects of the near‐surface is a non‐trivial task. Therefore, an alternative approach has been proposed, where the redatuming operators are obtained in a data‐driven manner from the reflection event related to the datum. In the current implementation, the estimation of these redatuming operators is done in terms of traveltimes only, based on a high‐frequency approximation. The accompanying amplitudes are usually derived from a local homogeneous medium, which is obviously a simplification of reality. Such parametrization has produced encouraging results in the past but cannot completely remove the near‐surface complexities, leaving artefacts in the redatumed results. In this paper we propose a method that estimates the redatuming operators directly from the data, i.e., without using a velocity model, in a full waveform manner, such that detailed amplitude and phase variations are included. The method directly outputs the inverse propagation operators that are needed for true‐amplitude redatuming. Based on 2D synthetic data it is demonstrated that the resulting redatuming quality is improved and artefacts are reduced.     

Rainfall–runoff trends in the south‐eastern USA: 1938–2005

An extensive dataset (230 precipitation gauges and 79 stream gauges) was used to analyse rainfall–runoff relationships in 10 subregions of a 482000 km² area in the south‐eastern USA (Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia). The average annual rainfall and runoff for this study area between 1938 and 2005 were 1201 and 439 mm, respectively. Average runoff/rainfall ratios during this period varied between 0·24 in the southernmost Coastal Plain subregion to 0·64 in the Blue Ridge Province. Watershed elevation and relief are the principal determinants governing the conversion of rainfall to runoff. Temporal rainfall variation throughout the south‐eastern USA ranges from ～40% above and below normal while the variation for runoff is higher, from ? 75% to + 100%. In any given year there can exist a ± 25–50% error in predicted runoff deviation using the annual rainfall–runoff regression. Fast Fourier Transform and autoregressive spectral analysis revealed dominant cyclicities for rainfall and runoff between 14 and 17 years. Secondary periodicities were typically between 6–7 and 10–12 years. The inferred cyclicity may be related to ENSO and/or Central North Pacific atmospheric phenomena. Mann–Kendall analyses indicate that there were no consistent statistically significant temporal trends with respect to south‐eastern US rainfall and runoff during the study period. The results of U‐tests similarly indicated that rainfall between 1996 and 2005 was not statistically higher or lower than during earlier in the study period. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

First‐order exchange coefficient coupling for simulating surface water–groundwater interactions: parameter sensitivity and consistency with a physics‐based approach

Distributed hydrologic models capable of simulating fully‐coupled surface water and groundwater flow are increasingly used to examine problems in the hydrologic sciences. Several techniques are currently available to couple the surface and subsurface; the two most frequently employed approaches are first‐order exchange coefficients (a.k.a., the surface conductance method) and enforced continuity of pressure and flux at the surface‐subsurface boundary condition. The effort reported here examines the parameter sensitivity of simulated hydrologic response for the first‐order exchange coefficients at a well‐characterized field site using the fully coupled Integrated Hydrology Model (InHM). This investigation demonstrates that the first‐order exchange coefficients can be selected such that the simulated hydrologic response is insensitive to the parameter choice, while simulation time is considerably reduced. Alternatively, the ability to choose a first‐order exchange coefficient that intentionally decouples the surface and subsurface facilitates concept‐development simulations to examine real‐world situations where the surface‐subsurface exchange is impaired. While the parameters comprising the first‐order exchange coefficient cannot be directly estimated or measured, the insensitivity of the simulated flow system to these parameters (when chosen appropriately) combined with the ability to mimic actual physical processes suggests that the first‐order exchange coefficient approach can be consistent with a physics‐based framework. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Assessing the effect of vegetation‐related bank strength on channel morphology and stability in gravel‐bed streams using numerical models

Bank strength due to vegetation dominates the geometry of small stream channels, but has virtually no effect on the geometry of larger ones. The dependence of bank strength on channel scale affects the form of downstream hydraulic geometry relations and the meandering‐braiding threshold. It is also associated with a lateral migration threshold discharge, below which channels do not migrate appreciably across their floodplains. A rational regime model is used to explore these scale effects: it parameterizes vegetation‐related bank strength using a dimensionless effective cohesion, C_r*. The scale effects are explored primarily using an alluvial state space defined by the dimensionless formative discharge, Q*, and channel slope, S, which is analogous to the Q–S diagrams originally used to explore meandering‐braiding thresholds. The analyses show that the effect of vegetation on both downstream hydraulic geometry and the meandering‐braiding threshold is strongest for the smallest streams in a watershed, but that the effect disappears for Q* > 10⁶. The analysis of the migration threshold suggests that the critical discharge ranges from about 5 m³/s to 50 m³/s, depending on the characteristic rooting depth for the vegetation. The analysis also suggests that, where fires frequently affect riparian forests, channels may alternate between laterally stable gravel plane‐bed channels and laterally active riffle‐pool channels. These channels likely do not exhibit the classic dynamic equilibrium associated with alluvial streams, but instead exhibit a cyclical morphologic evolution, oscillating between laterally stable and laterally unstable end‐members with a frequency determined by the forest fire recurrence interval. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Influence of river channel morphology and bank characteristics on water surface boundary delineation using high‐resolution passive remote sensing and template matching

Accurate mapping of water surface boundaries in rivers is an important step for monitoring water stages, estimating discharge, flood extent, and geomorphic response to changing hydrologic conditions, and assessing riverine habitat. Nonetheless, it is a challenging task in spatially and spectrally heterogeneous river environments, commonly characterized by high spatiotemporal variations in morphology, bed material, and bank cover. In this study, we investigate the influence of channel morphology and bank characteristics on the delineation of water surface boundaries in rivers using high spatial resolution passive remote sensing and a template‐matching (object‐based) algorithm, and compare its efficacy with that of Support Vector Machine (SVM) (pixel‐based) algorithm. We perform a detailed quantitative evaluation of boundary‐delineation accuracy using spatially explicit error maps in tandem with the spatial maps of geomorphic and bank classes. Results show that template matching is more successful than SVM in delineating water surface boundaries in river sections with spatially challenging geomorphic landforms (e.g. sediment bar structures, partially submerged sediment deposits) and shallow water conditions. However, overall delineation accuracy by SVM is higher than that of template matching (without iterative hierarchical learning). Vegetation and water indices, especially when combined with texture information, improve the accuracy of template matching, for example, in river sections with overhanging trees and shadows – the two most problematic conditions in water surface boundary delineation. By identifying the influence of channel morphology and bank characteristics on water surface boundary mapping, this study helps determine river sections with higher uncertainty in delineation. In turn, the most suitable methods and data sets can be selectively utilized to improve geomorphic/hydraulic characterization. The methodology developed here can also be applied to similar studies on other geomorphic landforms including floodplains, wetlands, lakes, and coastlines. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A practical method for estimating dynamic soil stiffness on surface of multi‐layered soil

It is important to estimate the influence of layered soil in soil–structure interaction analyses. Although a great number of investigations have been carried out on this subject, there are very few practical methods that do not require complex calculations. In this paper, a simple and practical method for estimating the horizontal dynamic stiffness of a rigid foundation on the surface of multi‐layered soil is proposed. In this method, waves propagating in the soil are traced using the conception of the cone model, and the impulse response function can be calculated directly and easily in the time domain with a good degree of accuracy. The characteristics of the impedance, that is the transformed value to the frequency domain of the obtained impulse response, are studied using two‐ to four‐layered soil models. The cause of the fluctuation of impedance is expressed clearly from its relation to reflected waves from the lower layer boundary in the model. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A simplified model for estimating field‐scale surface runoff hydrographs

The problem of obtaining field‐scale surface response to rainfall events is complicated by the spatial variability of infiltration characteristics of the soil and rainfall. In this paper, we develop and test a simplified model for generating surface runoff over fields with spatial variation in both rainfall rate and saturated hydraulic conductivities. The model is able to represent the effects of local variation in infiltration, as well as the run‐on effect that controls infiltration of excess water from saturated upstream areas. The effective rainfall excess is routed to the slope outlet using a simplified solution of the kinematic wave approximation. Model results are compared to averaged hydrographs from numerically‐intensive Monte–Carlo simulations for observed and design rainfall events and soil patterns that are typical of Central Italy. The simplified model is found to yield satisfactory results at a relatively small computational expense. A proposal to include a simple channel routing scheme is also presented as a prelude to extend this conceptualization to watershed scales. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Lumped surface and sub‐surface runoff for erosion modeling within a small hilly watershed in northern Vietnam

Developing models to predict on‐site soil erosion and off‐site sediment transport at the agricultural watershed scale represent an on‐going challenge in research today. This study attempts to simulate the daily discharge and sediment loss using a distributed model that combines surface and sub‐surface runoffs in a small hilly watershed (< 1 km²). The semi‐quantitative model, Predict and Localize Erosion and Runoff (PLER), integrates the Manning–Strickler equation to simulate runoff and the Griffith University Erosion System Template equation to simulate soil detachment, sediment storage and soil loss based on a map resolution of 30 m × 30 m and over a daily time interval. By using a basic input data set and only two calibration coefficients based, respectively, on water velocity and soil detachment, the PLER model is easily applicable to different agricultural scenarios. The results indicate appropriate model performance and a high correlation between measured and predicted data with both Nash–Sutcliffe efficiency (Ef) and correlation coefficient (r²) having values > 0.9. With the simple input data needs, PLER model is a useful tool for daily runoff and soil erosion modeling in small hilly watersheds in humid tropical areas. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

High resolution mapping of supra‐glacial drainage pathways reveals link between micro‐channel drainage density,surface roughness and surface reflectance

This paper reports on the use of a small unmanned aerial vehicle (sUAV) carrying a standard compact camera, to construct a high resolution orthomosaic (OM) and digital elevation model (DEM) over the lower reaches of the glacier Midtre Lovénbreen, Svalbard. Structure from Motion (SfM) techniques were used to build the OM and DEM, and together these reveal insights into the nature of supra‐glacial drainage. Major meandering supra‐glacial drainage pathways show clear dynamism, via meander cutoffs and abandoned channels. In addition, the imagery reveals a very extensive network of smaller channels that may well carry substantial amounts of water. This network of channels is in part controlled by the structure of the glacier, but in turn, these channels have a significant impact on the ice surface. Roughness of the ice surface is higher where channels are most extensive. In addition, we find a relationship between channel density and surface reflectance, such that greater channel density is associated with lower reflectance values. Given the role of surface reflectance and roughness in the energy balance of glaciers, it is therefore apparent that extensive networks of small supra‐glacial channels across such glaciers have the potential to have an important impact on energy exchanges between the atmosphere and the ice surface. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.