Harbour entrance morphology and sediments at a river mouth port,Westport, New Zealand

Entrance morphologies and sediment characteristics were studied at Westport Harbour, a river mouth port located on the Buller River, New Zealand. The most frequent morphology found was that in which two submarine bars were present off the river mouth. When present, these bars were separated by a transverse channel running east from Carters Beach and terminating in the principal inlet channel. Sediment samples were collected and analysed for grain size, reliability (grain shape), and, in a few instances, mineralogy. The data collected suggested that longshore sediment transport is predominantly west to east and that river derived sediment is deflected to the east. The inner bar is predominantly a littoral drift related event whereas the outer bar, which is composed mainly of littoral drifted sediment, forms as a submarine extension of Carters Beach. Both bars can be modified by floods in the river, although modification of the outer bar is much less frequent because of the very high river flows required. Sediment can bypass directly across the river mouth only when the inner bar is present. On other occasions bypassing can only occur by transport through the transverse channel or over the outer bar, into the river channel and then onshore.     

Factors controlling the entrance cross‐sectional areas of four inlets (note)

The frequent occurrence of swell in the entrance to Wellington, Lyttelton, and Akaroa Harbours, coupled with the small littoral drift of sediment on adjacent rocky coastlines, appears to promote development of larger entrances than those associated with tidal control in unconsolidated sediment. In contrast to these three harbours, tidally controlled entrances have either bars or banks that protect them from severe swell and act as bypasses to the littoral drift of sediment.

The entrance to Paterson Inlet lies on a coast with little sediment transport and further protection from sediment influx is provided by islands located at its entrance.     

Morphodynamic behaviour of a mixed sand–gravel ebb-tidal delta: Deben estuary,Suffolk, UK

The morphodynamics of inlets and ebb-tidal deltas reflect the interaction between wave and tidal current-driven sediment transport and significantly influence the behaviour of adjacent shorelines. Studies of inlet morphodynamics have tended to focus on sand-dominated coastlines and reference to gravel-dominated or ‘gravel-rich’ inlets is rare. This work characterises and conceptualises the morphodynamics of a meso-tidal sand–gravel inlet at the mouth of the Deben estuary, southeast England. Behaviour of the inlet and ebb-tidal delta over the last 200 yr is analysed with respect to planform configuration and bathymetry. The estuary inlet is historically dynamic, with ebb-tidal shoals exhibiting broadly cyclic behaviour on a 10 to 30 yr timescale. Quantification of inlet parameters for the most recent cycle (1981–2003) indicate an average ebb delta volume of 1 × 10⁶ m³ and inlet cross-sectional area of 775 m². Bypassing volumes provide a direct indicator of annual longshore sediment transport rate over this most recent cycle of 30–40 × 10³ m³ yr^− 1. Short-term increases in total ebb-tidal delta volume are linked to annual variability in the north to northeasterly wind climate. The sediment bypassing mechanism operating in the Deben inlet is comparable to the ‘ebb delta breaching’ model of FitzGerald [FitzGerald, D.M., 1988. Shoreline erosional–depositional processes associated with tidal inlets, in: Aubrey, D.G., Weishar, L. (Ed.), Hydrodynamics and Sediment Dynamics of Tidal Inlets. Springer-Verlag Inc., New York, pp. 186–225.], although the scales and rates of change exhibited are notably different to sand-dominated systems. A systematic review of empirical models of sand-dominated inlet and ebb-tidal delta morphodynamics (e.g. those of [O'Brien, M.P., 1931. Estuary tidal prisms related to entrance areas. Civil Engineering, 1, 738–739.; Walton, T.L., and Adams, W.D., 1976. Capacity of inlet outer bars to store sand. Proceedings of 15th Coastal Engineering Conference, 1919–1937.; Gaudiano, D.J., Kana, T.W., 2001. Shoal bypassing in mixed energy inlets: geomorphic variables and empirical predictions for nine South Carolina inlets. J. Coast. Res., 17, (2), 280–291.]) shows the Deben system to be significantly smaller yet characterised by a longer bypassing cycle than would be expected for its tidal prism. This is attributed to its coarse-grained sedimentology and the lower efficiency of sediment transporting processes.     

Net Sand Transport Direction in a Tidal Inlet, using Foraminiferal Tests as Natural Tracers

The relationship between the flux of exotic benthic foraminiferal tests (i.e. tests which are supplied from open-sea sources alone) in a tidal inlet and that of bulk sediment was analysed, which can be expressed as two first-order linear equations. According to this relationship, in order to determine net sediment transport directions in the entrance, the test concentration in surficial sediments of the tidal basin can be compared against a ‘ critical level ’. The critical level is determined for the conditions that no net transport of bulk sediment is present within the entrance. If the observed concentration (averaged over the tidal basin) is higher than the simulated critical level, then the net sediment transport is directed to landward. This method is applied to the analysis of net sand transport at Christchurch Harbour, a tidal inlet system located in southern England. In this investigation, concentrations of exotic foraminiferal tests in the surficial sediments of the tidal basin and ebb tidal delta area were obtained from the analysis of sea-bed sediment samples. A series of probable critical levels were calculated based upon the data sets with regard to: (1) sediment discharge from the rivers; (2) magnitude of sediment discharge within the entrance during the ebb; (3) the test concentration outside the harbour; (4) the thickness of the moving layer; and (5) two parameters associated with dispersive processes. The results show that the concentration in the tidal basin sediment is higher than a number of simulated critical concentrations for representative cases. Consequently, the high level of the concentration of exotic benthic foraminiferal tests within the harbour should be explained as a result of landward net transport of sands within the entrance.     

海南岛万泉河口海岸动态及其整治对策

通过应用沉积动力学方法计算了万泉河口口门均衡过水断面面积和沿岸输沙率．计算结果表明,波浪对万泉河口沿岸沉积物的输送起着控制作用,南北向输沙作用强烈,同时潮汐汊道目前处于不稳定阶段,口门断面的变化很大。在分析了万泉河口的自然地理条件以及基本演变规律后,还从增加纳潮量、扩大纳潮水域面积、整治沙美内海及其周边生态环境、建设导堤工程改善拦门沙的浅滩航道等方面提出了万泉河口潮汐汉道口门和航道治理的一些工程和生态措施。     

Sediment trapping and bypassing characteristics of a stable tidal inlet at Kaohsiung Harbor, Taiwan

Around the artificially stabilized tidal inlet that connects Kaohsiung Harbor to Taiwan Straight, 203 surficial samples of the sea floor were taken from the nearshore, in the outer harbor, and portions of the inner harbor. The bathymetry of the same area was also surveyed. The sand fraction in each sample was analyzed for the grain-size composition with a custom-built rapid sediment analyzer. A total of twenty-one size-classes were used in the analysis. Three hypothetical sediment sources were assumed to have influenced the spatial grain-size patterns in the study area: the northward and southward littoral drifts, and the sediments exported from the harbor. After reducing the influence of each hypothetical sediment source separately, the data were analyzed using empirical orthogonal (eigen) function (EOF) analysis. The results indicate that the northward long-term littoral drift is the dominant direction of sediment transport in the nearshore of the study area. A conceptual model for four different sediment trapping and bypassing patterns are proposed. (1) Excess bypass (or net outflux): this bypass pattern is characterized by the export of fine-grained sediments (mud and size classes in the very fine sand fraction) from the interior of the harbor. (2) Partial bypass (or partial trapping): this bypass pattern is represented by the size-classes in fine sand fraction. The amount of these grain sizes entering the outer harbor through the inlet is more than the amount exiting at the inlet mouth, resulting in the retention of a portion of these grain sizes. (3) Total bypass (or zero trapping): grain sizes that exhibit this bypass pattern do not come near the mouth of the inlet. These grain sizes include medium and coarse sand fractions. (4) Lag deposits: this group includes the size classes in the very coarse sand fraction, which are largely concentrated in the scour pit immediately seaward of the inlet mouth. In general, surficial sediment grain-size patterns represent a time-averaged response of the substrate to the transport processes over the time scale of at least two seasons. The differential associations of grain-size groups with various topographic features in the study area suggest morpho-textural relationships exist between the sea floor topography and grain size distribution patterns.     

Morphodynamic Processes of Tidal Inlet and Ebb-Tidal Delta of Shuidong Bay

Based on the observed data in 1982- 1985 at Shuidong Bay area, west Guangdong Province, the morphodynamic processes of tidal inlet and ebb-tidal delta in the barrier-lagoon system are presented, including the dynamic features of tides and in the tidal inlet, the regional dyanmics and longshore sediment transport in the ebb-tidal delta, the genesis of the entrance bar, the recent erosion and deposition in the ebb-tidal delta and so on. The paper attempts to answer two questions, i. e., the stability of the tidal inlet and the feasibility of dredging on the entrance bar for the course of Shuidong Harbour. The results show that the stability of the tidal inlet is ideal and that dredging action on the entrance bar may be successful if dredging is deep enough and the course position reasonable.     

用活有孔虫分布指示三亚汊道外港潮流格局

由因子分析得知,海南岛三亚湾汊道外港海底分布有四个主因子活有孔虫群,它们分别代表海湾内水体、湖冲出半盐水水体、湾外内陆架水体及内陆架与海湾水相混的过渡水体.这些水体在潮汐作用下的运动、相互混合,可由各水体的有孔虫指示.由每个主因子因子得分最高的三个属种百分含量之和等值线图所指示的外港潮流循环格局,与海洋学研究所得的结果相当一致.利用有孔虫指示潮汐汊道潮流格局尚属首次尝试,这方法对海岸开发分析泥沙运动、污染物排放等有实践意义.     

Long-term morphological modeling of a tidal inlet: the Arcachon Basin,France

The Arcachon Lagoon on the French Atlantic coast is a triangular shaped lagoon of 20 km on a side connected to the ocean by a 3-km wide inlet between the mainland and an elongated sand spit. This tidal inlet exhibits a particularly active morphology due to locally strong tidal currents and rough wave conditions. During the past 300 years, minimum and maximum spatial extents of the Cap Ferret sand spit have varied by 8 km while one or two channels have alternately allowed circulation between the lagoon and the ocean. These impressive morphological changes have never prevented regular flushing of the lagoon, eventhough the spit came as close as 300 m from the coast during the 18th century. According to Bruun's concept of tidal inlet stability [Theory and Engineering (1978), 510 pp.], the balance between longshore littoral transport and the tidal prism ensures the perpetuity of the inlet.Process modeling was believed to give better insight into the respective roles of tides and waves in driving the long-term morphological changes of the inlet. A two-dimensional horizontal morphodynamic model was therefore developed, combining modules for hydrodynamics, waves, sediment transport and bathymetry updates. The use of process models at a scale of decades requires a schematization of the input conditions. We defined representative mean annual wave and tide conditions with respect to sediment transport, i.e. conditions that induce the same annual transport as measured in the field. Driven by these representative conditions, simulations run from the 1993 bathymetry show that the tide is responsible for the opening of a new channel at the extremity of the sand spit (where tidal currents are the strongest), while waves induce a littoral transport responsible for the longshore drift of sand bodies across the inlet. One particular simulation consisted in running the model from a hypothetical initial topography where the channels are filled with sand and the entire inlet is set to a constant depth (3 m). The results show the reproduction of a channel and bar system comparable to historical observations, which supports the idea that the lagoon is unlikely to be disconnected from the ocean, provided tide and wave conditions remain fairly constant in the following decades.     

Hydrology of Okarito Lagoon and the inferred effects of selective logging in Okarito Forest

Okarito Lagoon (43° 11′S, 170° 14′E) is a small (20 km²) shore‐parallel, predominantly subtidal estuary, deepest near the landward end, and linked to the sea by two subtidal channels incised through shallow subtidal and intertidal flats which occupy the southern third of the lagoon. Tides at sea vary from 2.1m (spring) to 1.2 m (neap), but in the lagoon the tidal range is constant through the lunar cycle and varies from 0.80 m at the entrance to 0.17 m in the upper lagoon. Tidal water level and flow asymmetries in the subtidal channels are separated by a 1.7 h phase difference. Variations in the net discharge through the inlet result from changing flow cross‐sections rather than from variations in current velocities. Both the tidal‐averaged volume and the tidal compartment of the lagoon vary through the lunar cycle, from maxima at spring tides to minima at neap tides.

Freshwater inflows vary from less than 11 m³.s^‐1 to more than 750 m³.s^‐1. During storms, water level in the lagoon rises rapidly by 2–3 m, then declines to normal over several days. Three water masses, two with salinity and turbidity largely controlled by antecedent rainfall, normally occur in the lagoon. Suspended sediment concentrations in both freshwater inflows and lagoon waters are normally low but increase during floods. Most sediment is supplied by the Waitangi‐taona River or by erosion of tidal channel margins. The lagoon is floored with organic‐rich mud and sandy mud, deposited predominantly from suspension. Surface sediment is consistently muddier than subsurface sediment, probably reflecting an increase in the mud supply since diversion of the Waitangi‐taona River in 1967.

Comparisons of the estimated sediment yield and water inflow effects of the 1967 river diversion with short‐term observations during selective logging suggest that the effects of logging on sediment yield, water balance of the lagoon, and dissolved solids inputs will be small compared with changes caused by diversion of the Waitangi‐taona River.     

海南岛洋浦港潮汐汊道口门的均衡过水面积

将汊道均衡与潮汐特征，纳潮量，淡水径流量及沉积物搬运格局相联系，确定了洋浦港的均衡条件，根据纳潮盆地的水面面积－水面高程曲线以及相关的特征潮位估算平均纳潮量，利用１９７７－１９７９年波浪观测资料和ＣＥＲＣ公式计算沿岸输沙率；此外，还用改进的Ｇａｄｄ公式确定口门涨、落潮流输沙率，计算中引入汊道口门流速频率分布函数的定义。由此而得洋浦港均衡过水面积为５８００ｍ＾２，与Ｏ＇Ｂｒｉｅｎ方法所得结果相比，本     

Artificial beach growth for breakwater protection at the Port of Timaru, east coast, South Island, New Zealand

The paper concerns beach growth by trapping longshore drift to form a protective beach seaward of the principal “weather” breakwater at the Port of Timaru, east coast, South Island. This “spending beach” concept was aproached by evaluating downdrift extension and considerable progradation of an existing accumulation at South Beach which is a product of harbour development since 1879 and which was held in quasi-stability by ongoing extractions of the net surplus littoral drift of coarse sands and gravels (averaging 60,000 m³ yr⁻¹).A one-line model was adapted from sand beach conditions and scaled to the morphology and processes of the mixed sand and gravel beaches at Timaru. Calibration of the model was performed from related research into the rates and temporal pattern of longshore drift on South Beach. A hundred year history of shoreline progradation against the harbour structures was utilised to verify the model.The concept offered a high benefit: cost ratio for a small engineering intervention provided shoreline forms and behaviour could be specified sufficiently for planning, statutory consent, engineering, economic and environmental impact assessment purposes. A 150 m long spur groin near the harbour entrance would trap about 12 ha of sand and gravel in about 8 years. The new shore would be better aligned to the dominant swell and storm waves than the present shore, so reducing long term net drift rates.Construction of the scheme commenced in May 1987 and progress to date is detailed.     

Seston transport and deposition in Pelorus sound,south Island,New Zealand

Transport of seston (suspended sediment) in Pelorus Sound is controlled by tides and freshwater inflow. During high freshwater inflow, a moderately stratified estuarine circulation may be superimposed on the tidal circulation, but the latter dominates and transports seston seawards and landwards with the ebb and flood phases respectively. With extreme freshwater inflow, the estuarine circulation gains impetus and most seston is rapidly transported seaward in the low saline surface layer.

Irrespective of circulation there is a persistent trend in seston concentrations. Highest values occur at the sound's head because of the influence of nearby Pelorus and Kaituna Rivers and because of resuspension of bottom sediment by strong tidal currents. Seston concentrations wane along the sound until near the entrance, where values increase as a result of greater production of biogenic seston and because additional seston is brought in from Cook Strait with the flood tide. This trend parallels variability in the thicknesses of muddy bottom sediments. Muds are thick at the head where an extensive delta extends from the river mouths; muds gradually thin seaward and then thicken markedly in the vicinity of the sound entrance.

Seston weight and composition patterns and 3.5 kHz seismic profiles indicate Pelorus Sound acts as a double‐ended sediment trap. The upper reaches receive and retain river‐derived seston, whereas the sound entrance traps seston derived from Cook Strait. This situation appears to hold for both high and extremely high influxes of sediment.     

Effects of shoreline and bedrock irregularities on the morphodynamics of the Alexandria coast littoral cell,Egypt

Beach-nearshore profiles combined with beach and surficial sediment samples were analyzed in conjunction with wave, current, littoral drift and sea-level data to determine the effect of bedrock on morphodynamic processes within the littoral zone of Alexandria on the Mediterranean coast of Egypt. This 14.5-km-long littoral cell is bounded by pronounced embayments and pocket beaches separated by headlands which prevent bypassing of beach sands, in effect making this cell a large, semi-closed basin. The compartmented nature of this cell acts together with the rough irregularity of the rocky seafloor to trap a thin veneer of sediment (<3 m thick), showing proportional mixing between two sedimentary provinces. A modern fine-grained sediment facies consisting of mixed carbonate/siliciclastic sand flanks most of the nearshore zone down to a depth of 8–10 m. Beyond this depth, considered to be the depth of closure, a relict late Pleistocene to mid-Holocene coarse-grained facies composed of biogenic carbonate sand is found. Along a short section of the coastline (km 3–6), the coarser sediment also occupies the nearshore zone. Over most of the study area the two sediment types are mixed in various proportions, largest mixing coinciding with poorest sorting. Profile analyses revealed seasonal changes in sediment volume along the coast which closely follow the cyclicity of seasonal changes in wave climate. The present shoreline orientation, headlands and rough, irregular rocky seabed are reflected in the erosion/accretion pattern, sediment characteristics, and the reversibility of longshore currents and littoral drift. Although there is a marked deficiency in the sediment balance, the sand budget for this cell, including artificial material (2.339*10⁶ m³) has increased slightly by 0.041*10⁶ m³ year^–1 as a result of engineering works carried out to widen the coastal road (Corniche). In addition to the physical properties of the bedrock (degree of induration), the accelerating sea-level rise during the Holocene and human influences, the modern morphology of the coast, the erosional seabed features in the nearshore zone, and the texture of seabed sediments are all controlled by the original geometry of the coast which consisted of an elevated subaerial ridge.     

Modeling regional sediment transport and shoreline response in the vicinity of tidal inlets on the Long Island coast,United States

A new numerical model was developed to simulate regional sediment transport and shoreline response in the vicinity of tidal inlets based on the one-line theory combined with the reservoir analogy approach for volumetric evolution of inlet shoals. Sand bypassing onshore and sheltering effects on wave action from the inlet bar and shoals were taken into account. The model was applied to unique field data from the south coast of Long Island, United States, including inlet opening and closure. The simulation area extended from Montauk Point to Fire Island Inlet, including Shinnecock and Moriches Inlets. A 20-year long time series of hindcast wave data at three stations along the coast were used as input data to the model. The capacity of the inlet shoals and bars to store sand was estimated based on measured cross-sectional areas of the inlets as well as on comprehensive bathymetric surveys of the areas around the inlet. Several types of sediment sources and sinks were represented, including beach fills, groin systems, jetty blocking, inlet bypassing, and flood shoal and ebb shoal feeding. The model simulations were validated against annual net longshore transport rates reported in the literature, measured shorelines, and recorded sediment volumes in the flood and ebb shoal complexes. Overall, the model simulations were in good agreement with the measured data.     

Tracer studies on the updrift margin of a complex inlet system

Three sediment transport studies using tracers were performed at Ancão Inlet (southern Portugal). The objectives of the experiments were to understand the sediment transport pathways and to determine their magnitudes on the updrift margin of an inlet. In order to apply the traditionally used Space Integration Methodology to the tracer experiments, adaptations were required. The study area was divided into four morphologically defined sectors and this was found to be a key factor for the applicability of tracers in a complex area. The four sectors are as follows: sector A is the straight part of the updrift beach; sector B is the upper area of the swash platform; sector C is the lower area of the swash platform; and sector D represents the inner parts of the inlet margin. The integrated analysis of all collected data (forcing mechanisms, tracer distribution and topographic evolution) led to the determination of the sediment pathways. A semi-quantitative conceptual model was developed in order to explain the sediment transport pathways and magnitudes that a known mass of sediment would follow after arriving at the swash platform. It was found that the areas with the largest sediment accumulation were sectors B and C, while almost no sediment was retained in sector D, which experienced significant erosion. According to the model, 53% of the initial mass of sediments remain in the system after two tidal cycles. It is hypothesised that sediment losses are caused by sediment transport towards the ebb delta and by sediment bypassing occurring from the ebb delta to the downdrift beach through swash bar processes. The herein defined conceptual model represents a useful tool that could be applied to other tidal inlets under similar conditions, facilitating sediment budget studies around tidal inlets.     

ADCP measurements of suspended sediment flux at the entrance to Jiaozhou Bay, western Yellow Sea

The purpose of the present contribution is to explore the technique to use Acoustic Doppler Current Pro- filers （ADCPs） for suspended sediment flux measurements, which may be applied to coastal embayment environments such as estuaries and tidal inlets for sediment exchange and budget studies. Based on tidal cycle measurements from the entrance of ]iaozhou Bay, Shandong Peninsula, eastern China, statistical rela- tionships between the suspended sediment concentration （SSC） and ADCP echo intensity output are estab- lished. Echo intensity data obtained during an ADCP survey along two cross-sections during a spring tidal phase were transformed into SSC data. The ADCP current velocity and SSC data were then used to calculate the flux of fine-grained sediment. The results show that net sediment transport at the entrance is directed towards the open sea, with an order of magnitude of 103 t per spring tidal cycle; hence, although Jiaozhou Bay is a low SSC environment, the tidally induced suspended sediment transport can be intense.     

海南岛三亚港现代沉积速率的研究

对１９８８年所采集的海南岛三亚港６个沉积柱样作了沉积结构及＾２１０Ｐｂ放射性分析。结果表明，三亚港潮汐通道及航道上，沉积物主要为细颗粒的粉砂、粘土，沉积速率为０．９１－１．２４ｃｍ／ａ，近年来砂质物的输入，反映了疏浚等人类活动对该区的影响；外港浅滩砂洲区的沉积速率小于０．４ｃｍ／ａ；潮汐通道中过剩＾２１０Ｐｂ总量亦明显大于港口的其它区域。     

Sediment transport near the Tauranga entrance to Tauranga Harbour

Abstract

Sediment transport at the Tauranga Entrance was studied in relation to tidal currents and waves. Bedforms resulting from tidal flow were investigated with scuba divers and echo‐soundings. The alignment and scale of bedforms indicated the direction and approximate rate of sediment transport. Sediment transport was measured directly using sediment traps, and results were compared with rates calculated by another method. Maximum sediment transport rates of 20 000–30 000 g.m^?1 per half tidal cycle occur near the inlet gorge, but rates vary considerably in time and space, depending mainly upon power of tidal currents. A model of sediment transport for this inlet has been evolved based on tidal flow streamlines, bedform features, and the measured and calculated rates of sediment transport.     

Dynamics of a wave-dominated tidal inlet and influence on adjacent beaches,Currumbin Creek,Gold Coast,Australia

Currumbin Creek on the Australian Gold Coast is a wave-dominated tidal inlet which exhibits a particularly active morphology. The recent history of Currumbin Creek entrance has seen rapid growth of the entrance for access to the ocean by fishermen, as a world class surfing site, and as a recreational area. Before the construction of two groynes in the 70's, Currumbin Creek entrance was highly variable in terms of inlet location and sand bar characteristics due to a cyclical behaviour of spit migration. Nowadays, the entrance is stabilised. However, natural processes continue with the entrance infilling causing flood and navigation issues, resulting in a regular dredging program to maintain an open entrance and for regular beach nourishment plans.