Spatio-temporal dynamics of suspended matter properties and bacterial communities in the back-barrier tidal flat system of Spiekeroog Island

Back-barrier tidal flat systems are characterized by basins and inlets through which water is exchanged with the coastal sea by tidal water movements. The hydrographic and morphometric properties at the inlets and in the basins vary considerably, but there is little information available how biogeochemical properties in the water column at these different sites respond to these differences. Therefore, we investigated tidal dynamics of suspended particulate matter (SPM), particulate and dissolved organic carbon (DOC), chlorophyll a, phaeopigments, numbers of particle-associated (PA) and free-living bacteria (FL), bacterial biomass production, and concentrations of dissolved manganese (Mn). Samples were taken at the surface, a mid-depth and 1 m above the bottom at a fixed station at the inlet and in the basin of the Spiekeroog back-barrier tidal flat system in the German Wadden Sea. Five tidal cycles representative for typical seasonal situations, January (winter), April and May (late spring bloom), July (summer), and November (late fall) were studied in 2005 and 2006. In July, processes related to phytoplankton dynamics and bacterial decomposition were much more enhanced in the basin, whereas in April, these processes were enhanced at the inlet but were particularly low within the basin itself. The low values within the basin were a result of the settled phytoplankton spring bloom and represent a rather short period at the decline of this bloom. In November and January, differences were much less pronounced than during the growing season and restricted mainly to SPM and PA bacteria, exhibiting higher values in the basin. FL bacteria, DOC, and dissolved Mn exhibited different patterns and much less differences between the two stations, indicating that biogeochemical processes in the dissolved phase were controlled by different factors than PA biogeochemical processes. These differences reflect the retentive properties of the basin for particles and PA biogeochemical processes, particularly during the growing season, and in general emphasize the high productivity of back-barrier tidal flat systems.     

Residual vorticity induced by the action of tidal currents in combination with bottom topography in the Southern Bight of the North Sea

Abstract

Results are presented of calculations on the generation of residual vorticity by tidal currents over the bottom topography of the Southern Bight of the North Sea. A typical order of magnitude is 10^?6 to 10^?7 s ^?1. This is compared with current measurements on calm days, when similar magnitudes are found. At windspeeds less than about 5 m/s tidal generation of residual vorticity is important; at higher windspeeds wind effects begin to dominate. Our results are relevant in understanding the spatial variability of residual currents, because a non-zero vorticity implies the existence of horizontal gradients in the residual current field.     

OSL dating of mixed coastal sediment (Sylt,German Bight,North Sea)

As part of a study on coastal sedimentary processes this paper presents the OSL dating of mixed coastal sediment samples from the southern North Sea island of Sylt (German Bight). During coring of the swash-bar (beach) sediments, five samples were presumably contaminated by younger overwash and aeolian sediments because of the sampling method employed. To obtain reliable burial ages for these swash-bar sediments, single-grain and small aliquot measurements were used together with the Finite Mixture Model (FMM) proposed by Roberts et al. (2000) to identify the grain population containing the largest doses (from the deepest part of the core). Before the FMM was applied to dating, the parameters and performance of the FMM were first investigated by systematically comparing small aliquot (∼20 grains) and single-grain measurements of an undisturbed aeolian and swash-bar sample and a laboratory mixture of both sediments. This test case demonstrates the advantage of selecting the time interval immediately following the initial luminescence signals for background subtraction because unsuitable quartz grains were removed from the dose distribution. It is concluded that the measurement of small aliquots can be regarded as a reliable proxy for single-grain dose distribution if the sediment contains only a small proportion of quartz grains emitting a luminescence signal and that the FMM results are relatively insensitive to changes of the over-dispersion parameter between 5–40% for small aliquots and 10–40% for single-grains.We show that the burial ages of the contaminated swash-bar samples resulting from the maximum age populations from equivalent dose distributions measured using small aliquots are consistent with the stratigraphy and with ages obtained from uncontaminated samples.     

The effect of tidal asymmetry and temporal settling lag on sediment trapping in tidal estuaries

Over decades and centuries, the mean depth of estuaries changes due to sea-level rise, land subsidence, infilling, and dredging projects. These processes produce changes in relative roughness (friction) and mixing, resulting in fundamental changes in the characteristics of the horizontal (velocity) and vertical tides (sea surface elevation) and the dynamics of sediment trapping. To investigate such changes, a 2DV model is developed. The model equations consist of the width-averaged shallow water equations and a sediment balance equation. Together with the condition of morphodynamic equilibrium, these equations are solved analytically by making a regular expansion of the various physical variables in a small parameter. Using these analytic solutions, we are able to gain insight into the fundamental physical processes resulting in sediment trapping in an estuary by studying various forcings separately. As a case study, we consider the Ems estuary. Between 1980 and 2005, successive deepening of the Ems estuary has significantly altered the tidal and sediment dynamics. The tidal range and the surface sediment concentration has increased and the position of the turbidity zone has shifted into the freshwater zone. The model is used to determine the causes of these historical changes. It is found that the increase of the tidal amplitude toward the end of the embayment is the combined effect of the deepening of the estuary and a 37% and 50% reduction in the vertical eddy viscosity and stress parameter, respectively. The physical mechanism resulting in the trapping of sediment, the number of trapping regions, and their sensitivity to grain size are explained by careful analysis of the various contributions of the residual sediment transport. It is found that sediment is trapped in the estuary by a delicate balance between the M ₂ transport and the residual transport for fine sediment ( $\emph{w}_s=0.2$  mm s^???1) and the residual, M ₂ and M ₄ transports for coarser sediment ( $\emph{w}_s=2$  mm s^???1). The upstream movement of the estuarine turbidity maximum into the freshwater zone in 2005 is mainly the result of changes in tidal asymmetry. Moreover, the difference between the sediment distribution for different grain sizes in the same year can be attributed to changes in the temporal settling lag.     

Patterns and Rates of Ground-Water Flow on Long Island, New York

Increased ground-water contamination from human activities on Long Island has prompted studies to define the pattern and rate of ground-water movement. A two-dimensional, fine-mesh, finite-element model consisting of 11,969 nodes and 22,880 elements was constructed to represent ground-water flow along a north-south section through central Long Island. The model represents average hydrologic conditions within a corridor approximately 15 miles wide. The model solves discrete approximations of both the potential and stream functions. The resulting flownet depicts flow paths and defines the vertical distribution of flow within the section. Ground-water flow rates decrease with depth. Sixty-two percent of the water flows no deeper than the upper glacial (water-table) aquifer, 38 percent enters the underlying Magothy aquifer, and only 3.1 percent enters the Lloyd aquifer. The limiting streamlines for flow to the Magothy and Lloyd aquifers indicate that aquifer recharge areas are narrow east-west bands through the center of the island. The recharge area of the Magothy aquifer is only 5.4 miles wide; that of the Lloyd aquifer is less than 0.5 miles. The distribution of ground-water traveltime and a flownet are calculated from model results; both are useful in the investigation of contaminant transport or the chemical evolution of ground water within the flow system. A major discontinuity in traveltime occurs across the streamline which separates the flow subsystems of the two confined aquifers. Water that reaches the Lloyd aquifer attains traveltimes as high as 10,000 years, whereas water that has not penetrated deeper than the Magothy aquifer attains traveltimes of only 2,000 years. The finite-element approach used in this study is particularly suited to ground-water systems that have complex hydrostratigraphy and cross-sectional symmetry.     

Effect of the Earth’s surface topography on tidal tilts and strains

A method is proposed for solving the problem of elastic tidal deformations of a homogeneous medium bounded by an arbitrary surface; the method is based on the expansion of solutions in powers of a parameter equal to the tangent of the slope angle of a surface element to the horizon. At small values of this parameter, the sequence of solutions rapidly converges to a finite limit.     

Polychaetes as indicators of environmental disturbance on subarctic tidal flats, Iqaluit, Baffin Island, Nunavut Territory

The polychaetes of the tidal flats near the town of Iqaluit, Baffin Island were analysed along gradients of environmental disturbance resulting from human activity. Sources of environmental disturbance include a sewage lagoon, garbage sites; and an area of the tidal flat that is cleared by bulldozer. Sampling of the tidal flats included 300 biological sediment cores taken from 75 sites along seven transects. Environmental disturbance has resulted in four zones of polychaete communities with increasing distance. The heavily disturbed zone is closest to the disturbances and is devoid of polychaetes. The disturbed zone follows and is characterized by low diversity the result of increased densities of a few opportunistic species such as, Capitella 'capitata' sp. The moderately disturbed zone is characterized by increased species diversity due to organic enrichment from the disturbances. The undisturbed zone, located the furthest from the sources of disturbance, is characterized by moderate levels of diversity compared to the other three zones.     

The effect of asymmetric dune roughness on tidal asymmetry in the Weser estuary

The bed of estuaries is often characterized by ripples and dunes of varying size. Whereas smaller bedforms adapt their morphological shape to the oscillating tidal currents, large compound dunes (here: asymmetric tidal dunes) remain stable for periods longer than a tidal cycle. Bedforms constitute a form roughness, that is, hydraulic flow resistance, which has a large-scale effect on tidal asymmetry and, hence, on hydrodynamics, sediment transport, and morphodynamics of estuaries and coastal seas. Flow separation behind the dune crest and recirculation on the steep downstream side result in turbulence and energy loss. Since the energy dissipation can be related to the dune lee slope angle, asymmetric dune shapes induce variable flow resistance during ebb and flood phases. Here, a noncalibrated numerical model has been applied to analyze the large-scale effect of symmetric and asymmetric dune shapes on estuarine tidal asymmetry evaluated by residual bed load sediment transport at the Weser estuary, Germany. Scenario simulations were performed with parameterized bed roughness of symmetric and asymmetric dune shapes and without dune roughness. The spatiotemporal interaction of distinct dune shapes with the main drivers of estuarine sediment and morphodynamics, that is, river discharge and tidal energy, is shown to be complex but substantial. The contrasting effects of flood- and ebb-oriented asymmetric dunes on residual bed load transport rates and directions are estimated to be of a similar importance as the controls of seasonal changes of discharge on these net sediment fluxes at the Lower Weser estuary. This corroborates the need to consider dune-induced directional bed roughness in numerical models of estuarine and tidal environments.     

The effect of bidirectional flow on tidal channel planforms

Salt marsh tidal channels are highly sinuous. For this project, ?eld surveys and aerial photographs were used to characterize the planform of tidal channels at China Camp Marsh in the San Francisco Bay, California. To model the planform evolution, we assume that the topographic curvature of the channel centreline is a key element driving meander migration. Extraction of curvature data from a planimetric survey, however, presents certain problems because simple calculations based on equally distanced points on the channel axis produce numerical noise that pollutes the ?nal curvature data. We found that a spline interpolation and a polynomial ?t to the survey data provided us with a robust means of calculating channel curvature. The curvature calculations, combined with data from numerous cross‐sections along the tidal channel, were used to parameterize a computer model. With this model, based on recent theoretical work, the relationship between planform shape and meander migration as well as the consequences of bidirectional ?ow on planform evolution have been investigated. Bank failure in vegetated salt marsh channels is characterized by slump blocks that persist in the channel for several years. It is therefore possible to identify reaches of active bank erosion and test model predictions. Our results suggest that the geometry and evolution of meanders at China Camp Marsh, California, re?ect the ebb‐dominated regime. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Terrestrial heat flow at Hirabayashi on Awaji Island, south-west Japan

Abstract Terrestrial heat flow at Hirabayashi in Awaji Island, south-west Japan, was investigated using the deep borehole penetrating through the Nojima Fault, which was activated during the 1995 Hyogo-ken Nanbu earthquake, by measuring the thermal conductivity of basement rocks. Using the temperature logging data, the value of terrestrial heat flow in Hirabayashi was found to be 56.6 ± 5.2 mW/m². The relationship between cut-off depth of aftershocks of the Hyogo-ken Nanbu earthquake in Hirabayashi and terrestrial heat flow are discussed. The cut-off depth roughly corresponds to isotherms of 300°C.     

The influence of changes in tidal asymmetry on residual sediment transport in the Western Scheldt

This study fits into a wider research program from RWS RIKZ concerning the exchange of sediment between the coast and the tidal basins, Western Scheldt and Wadden Sea, which are the largest basins along the Dutch Coast, over different time-scales. For both basins, questions about the evolution of the import/export at the mouth recently arose. In case of the Western Scheldt, which is the subject of this study, mainly the uncertainty about the future developments after the change from import to export at the mouth was noticed in the 1990s, which necessitated a more detailed study of this area.     

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.     

Sonar Studies of Submarine Mass Wasting and Volcanic structures off Savaii Island, Samoa

—Sidescan sonar observations show that mass wasting plays an important role in the geologic development of the Savaii Island edifice. Observations on the south and west flanks indicate that debris movement on the submarine slopes between rift zones is characterized by large sheets of unchannelized debris. Farther downslope these sheets have slumped into folded although still relatively coherent slump sheets. Closer to the rift zones, more chaotic slumps are found. The presence of large detached landslide blocks, without obvious upslope headwall scarps, suggests that earlier slumps are covered by subsequent veneers of debris moving downslope.¶In contrast, on Stearns Bank west of the island of Savaii most of the features are of constructional origin, formed during the building of this volcanic edifice of unknown age. Two prominentsubmarine platforms are evident, the shallower one with a summit cone. Sea cliffs and subdued terraces record platforms cut by sea-level oscillations late in the history of the volcanic edifice. Fractures and fissures are present on the bank, however there is little evidence of landslides in this area. The absence of landslides may reflect differing ages of the bank and the island or the edifice could have remained submarine during its construction with few or no subaerially derived ashes and clays present to facilitate mass wasting.¶We conclude that mass wasting is an important influence on the evolution of the Savaii volcanic edifice. It appears that sediment and debris cover most of the slope outside the submarine rift zones. The sonar images indicate that mass wasting is a common process in the submarine environment. Unlike the giant landslides documented by GLORIA imagery around the Hawaiian Islands, the southern margin of Samoa is characterized by numerous small slumps and slides. Although we have little information at present regarding the recurrence interval for submarine landslides, their ubiquitous presence in these sidescan sonar records indicates that they are an important component of the geologic record of the Samoan Islands.