Investigation of three‐dimensional wind flow behaviour over coastal dune morphology under offshore winds using computational fluid dynamics (CFD) and ultrasonic anemometry

The behaviour of offshore‐directed winds over coastal dune and beach morphology was examined using a combination of modelling (3‐D computational fluid dynamics (CFD)) and field measurement. Both model simulations and field measurements showed reversal of offshore flows at the back beach and creation of an onshore sediment transport potential. The influence of flow reversals on the beach‐dune transport system and foredune growth patterns has previously received little attention. Detailed wind flow measurements were made using an extensive array of mast‐mounted, 3‐D ultrasonic anemometers (50 Hz), arranged parallel to the dominant incident wind direction. Large eddy simulation (LES) of the offshore wind flow over the dune was conducted using the open‐source CFD tool openFOAM. The computational domain included a terrain model obtained by airborne LiDAR and detailed ground DGPS measurements. The computational grid (~22 million cells) included localized mesh refinement near the complex foredune terrain to capture finer details of the dune morphology that might affect wind flows on the adjacent beach. Measured and simulated wind flow are presented and discussed. The CFD simulations offer new insights into the flow mechanics associated with offshore winds and how the terrain steering of wind flow impacts on the geomorphological behaviour of the dune system. Simulation of 3‐D wind flows over complex terrain such as dune systems, presents a valuable new tool for geomorphological research, as it enables new insights into the relationship between the wind field and the underlying topography. The results show that offshore and obliquely offshore winds result in flow reversal and onshore directed winds at distances of up to 20 m from the embryo dune toe. The potential geomorphological significance of the findings are discussed and simple calculations show that incoming offshore and obliquely offshore winds with mean velocities over 13 m s^?1 and 7 m s^?1, respectively, have the potential to create onshore‐directed winds at the back beach with mean velocities above 3.3 m s^?1. These are above the threshold of movement for dry sand and support previous conclusions about the significance of offshore winds in dune and beach budget calculations. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Aeolian transport rates across raked and unraked beaches on a developed coast

Wind characteristics and aeolian transport were measured on a naturally evolving beach and dune and a nearby site where the beach is raked and sand‐trapping fences are deployed. The beaches were composed of moderately well sorted to very well sorted fine to medium sand. The backshore at the raked site was wider and the foredune was more densely vegetated and about 1 m higher than at the unraked site. Wind speeds were monitored using anemometers placed at 1 m elevation and sand transport was monitored using vertical traps during oblique onshore, alongshore and offshore winds occurring in March and April 2009. Inundation of the low backshore through isolated swash channels prevented formation of a continuously decreasing cross‐shore moisture gradient. The surface of the berm crest was dryer than the backshore, making the berm crest the greatest source of offshore losses during offshore winds. The lack of storm wrack on the raked beach reduced the potential for sediment accumulation seaward of the dune crest during onshore winds, and the higher dune crest reduced wind speeds and sediment transport from the dune to the backshore during offshore winds. Accretion at wrack seaward of the dune toe on the unraked beach resulted in a wider dune field and higher, narrower backshore. Although fresh wrack is an effective local trap for aeolian transport, wrack that becomes buried appears to have little effect as a barrier and can supply dry sand for subsequent transport. Aeolian transport rates were greater on the narrower but dryer backshore of the unraked site. Vegetation growth may be necessary to trap sand within zones of buried wrack in order to allow new incipient foredunes to evolve. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Evolution of Heterogeneous Mixed Siliciclastic/Carbonate Aquifers Containing Metastable Sediments

Mixed carbonate and siliciclastic marine sediments commonly become freshwater aquifers in eastern coastal regions of the United States and many other global locations. As these deposits age, the carbonate fraction of the sediment is commonly removed by dissolution and the aquifer can become a solely siliciclastic system or contain zones or beds of pure quartz sand. During aquifer evolution, the sediment grain size characteristics, hydraulic conductivity, and porosity change. An investigation of these changes using mixed carbonate/siliciclastic sediment samples collected from a modern barrier island beach in southern Florida showed that the average mean grain diameter decreased with removal of the carbonate fraction, but the average hydraulic conductivity and porosity increased slightly, but not to statistical significance. This counterintuitive result occurs because of the change in the pore types from a combined shelter and intergranular pore system producing a dual porosity system in the mixed sediments to a single intergranular pore system in the siliciclastic sediment fraction. Within the mixed carbonate/siliciclastic sediment, in the pure carbonate fraction, large shell fractions form grain‐supported large pores, which become filled with sand‐sized quartz as the shell fragments decrease in size or as the sediment becomes compacted. The hydraulic conductivity increases because the shell fragments that were oriented perpendicular to flow caused an increase in the length of the flow path, or a larger scale tortuosity, compared with the flow through pure quartz sand.     

Wind direction and complex sediment transport response across a beach–dune system

Evidence from a field study on wind flow and sediment transport across a beach–dune system under onshore and offshore conditions (including oblique approach angles) indicates that sediment transport response on the back‐beach and stoss slope of the foredune can be exceedingly complex. The upper‐air flow – measured by a sonic anemometer at the top of a 3·5 m tower located on the dune crest – is similar to regional wind records obtained from a nearby meteorological station, but quite different from the near‐surface flow field measured locally across the beach–dune profile by sonic anemometers positioned 20 cm above the sand surface. Flow–form interaction at macro and micro scales leads to strong modulation of the near‐surface wind vectors, including wind speed reductions (due to surface roughness drag and adverse pressure effects induced by the dune) and wind speed increases (due to flow compression toward the top of the dune) as well as pronounced topographic steering during oblique wind approach angles. A conceptual model is proposed, building on the ideas of Sweet and Kocurek (Sedimentology 37 : 1023–1038, 1990), Walker and Nickling (Earth Surface Processes and Landforms 28 : 111–1124, 2002), and Lynch et al. (Earth Surface Processes and Landforms 33 : 991–1005, 2008, Geomorphology 105 : 139–146, 2010), which shows how near‐surface wind vectors are altered for four regional wind conditions: (a) onshore, detached; (b) onshore‐oblique, attached and deflected; (c) offshore, detached; and (d) offshore‐oblique, attached and deflected. High‐frequency measurements of sediment transport intensity during these different events demonstrate that predictions of sediment flux using standard equations driven by regional wind statistics would by unreliable and misleading. It is recommended that field studies routinely implement experimental designs that treat the near‐surface wind field as comprising true vector quantities (with speed and direction) in order that a more robust linkage between the regional (upper air) wind field and the sediment transport response across the beach–dune profile be established. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Sedimentological,modal analysis and geochemical studies of desert and coastal dunes,Altar Desert,NW Mexico

Sedimentological, compositional and geochemical determinations were carried out on 54 desert and coastal dune sand samples to study the provenance of desert and coastal dunes of the Altar Desert, Sonora, Mexico. Grain size distributions of the desert dune sands are influenced by the Colorado River Delta sediment supply and wind selectiveness. The desert dune sands are derived mainly from the quartz‐rich Colorado River Delta sediments and sedimentary lithics. The dune height does not exert a control over the grain size distributions of the desert dune sands. The quartz enrichment of the desert dune sands may be due to wind sorting, which concentrates more quartz grains, and to the aeolian activity, which has depleted the feldspar grains through subaerial collisions. The desert dune sands suffer from little chemical weathering and they are chemically homogeneous, with chemical alteration indices similar to those found in other deserts of the world. The desert sands have been more influenced by sedimentary and granitic sources. This is supported by the fact that Ba and Sr concentration values of the desert sands are within the range of the Ba and Sr concentration values of the Colorado River quartz‐rich sediments. The Sr values are also linked to the presence of Ca‐bearing minerals. The Zr values are linked to the sedimentary sources and heavy mineral content in the desert dunes. The Golfo de Santa Clara and Puerto Peñasco coastal dune sands are influenced by long shore drift, tidal and aeolian processes. Coarse grains are found on the flanks whereas fine grains are on the crest of the dunes. High tidal regimens, long shore drift and supply from Colorado Delta River sediments produce quartz‐rich sands on the beach that are subsequently transported into the coastal dunes. Outcrops of Quaternary sedimentary rocks and granitic sources increase the sedimentary and plutonic lithic content of the coastal dune sands. The chemical index of alteration (CIA) values for the desert and coastal dune sands indicate that both dune types are chemically homogeneous. The trace element values for the coastal dune sands are similar to those found for the desert dune sands. However, an increase in Sr content in the coastal dune sands may be due to more CaCO₃ of biogenic origin as compared to the desert dune sands. Correlations between the studied parameters show that the dune sands are controlled by sedimentary sources (e.g. Colorado River Delta sediments), since heavy minerals are present in low percentages in the dune sands, probably due to little heavy mineral content from the source sediment; grain sizes in the dune sands are coarser than those in which heavy minerals are found and/or the wind speed might not exert a potential entrainment effect on the heavy mineral fractions to be transported into the dune. A cluster analysis shows that the El Pinacate group is significantly different from the rest of the dune sands in terms of the grain‐size parameters due to longer transport of the sands and the long distance from the source sediment, whereas the Puerto Peñasco coastal dune sands are different from the rest of the groups in terms of their geochemistry, probably caused by their high CaCO₃ content and slight decrease in the CIA value. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Embryo dune development on a large,actively accreting macrotidal beach: Calais,North Sea coast of France

Sediment budget data from an 18‐month topographic survey were analysed with data from brief experiments on wind parameters, beach moisture contents, bedforms and sand mobilization in order to monitor conditions and patterns of embryo dune development over a flat 150–1000 m wide accreting upper beach. The surface conditions over the upper beach locally affect aeolian transport, but net dune development over time depends on sustained strong winds and their orientation. Incoming marine sand supplied by storms and onshore winds is reorganized by the dominant offshore to longshore winds into elongated embryo dunes over this upper beach, imprinting a regional morphology of long‐term longshore dune ridge development. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Offshore aeolian sediment transport across a human‐modified foredune

Concepts derived from previous studies of offshore winds on natural dunes are evaluated on a dune maintained for shore protection during three offshore wind events. The potential for offshore winds to form a lee‐side eddy on the backshore or transfer sediment from the dune and berm crest to the water are evaluated, as are differences in wind speed and sediment transport on the dune crest, berm crest and a pedestrian access gap. The dune is 18–20 m wide near the base and has a crest 4.5 m above backshore elevation. Two sand‐trapping fences facilitate accretion. Data were obtained from wind vanes on the crest and lee of the dune and anemometers and sand traps placed across the dune, on the beach berm crest and in the access gap. Mean wind direction above the dune crest varied from 11 to 3 deg from shore normal. No persistent recirculation eddy occurred on the 12 deg seaward slope. Wind speed on the berm crest was 85–89% of speed at the dune crest, but rates of sediment transport were 2.27 times greater during the strongest winds, indicating that a wide beach overcomes the transport limitation of a dune barrier. Limited transport on the seaward dune ramp indicates that losses to the water are mostly from the backshore, not the dune. The seaward slope gains sand from the landward slope and dune crest. Sand fences causing accretion on the dune ramp during onshore winds lower the seaward slope and reduce the likelihood of detached flows during offshore winds. Transport rates are higher in access gaps than on the dune crest despite lower wind speeds because of flatter slopes and absence of vegetation. Transport rates across dunes and through gaps can be reduced using vegetation and raised walkover structures. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A Falling-Head Method for Measuring Intertidal Sediment Hydraulic Conductivity

This paper presents an in situ falling-head method for measuring hydraulic conductivity of beach sediments in tidal environment. A polyvinyl chloride (PVC) standpipe was vertically pushed into the submerged beach sediments so that its lower part was filled by a sediment column. During the experiment, the sediments were submerged by sea water and the standpipe top was higher than the sea level. The pipe was fully filled with sea water at the beginning of the experiment. Then the water level time series inside and outside the standpipe were recorded. Analytical solutions were derived to describe the relation among the sediment's hydraulic conductivity and the water levels inside and outside the standpipe and used to analyze the experiment data obtained from the intertidal zone of Puqian Bay, Haikou, Hainan Province, China. The water levels predicted by the analytical solution agreed very well with all the experiment data. Experiments for horizontal hydraulic conductivity estimation were also conducted using L-shaped standpipe which bends from vertical to horizontal in the beach sediments. The averaged hydraulic conductivity anisotropy ratio at the study area is about 2.9. After each in situ experiment, the sediments in the standpipe were stored in a plastic box and transported to university laboratory to measure the hydraulic conductivity using falling-head method. It is found that the in situ hydraulic conductivity averages one order of magnitude greater than the laboratory one, indicating that the original beach surface sediments were loose due to tidal and wave actions and that the samples were significantly compacted during the transportation to laboratory.     

An Integrated Laboratory Method to Measure and Verify Directional Hydraulic Conductivity in Fine‐to‐Medium Sandy Sediments

The constant‐head permeameter test (CHPT) is widely used in sandy samples as a standard method in the laboratory to investigate hydraulic conductivity (K). However, it neither can be used to consistently determine directional hydraulic conductivity (DHC) nor guarantee the comparability of measured K values of samples with different sizes. Therefore, this paper proposes an integrated laboratory method, called modified CHPT (MCHPT), for the efficient determination and verification of consistent DHC values in fine‐to‐medium sandy sediments, based on a new methodological framework. A precise and standardized procedure for preparing the experimental setup of MCHPT was conducted, based on the integrated experimental setup of CHPT and tracer tests. Moreover, a formula was yielded for the time‐optimized sample saturation control. In comparison with grain size‐based methods, the validity of consistent K_h and K_v values determined by MCHPT was convincing.     

Variations in texture of beach sediments in the vicinity of the Tirumalairajanar river mouth of India

The distribution of grain size parameters along 11 km stretch of the beach sediments between Karikal and Nagore,reveals that the mean grain size exhibits a marked decreasing trend on either side of the mouth of the Tirumalairajanar River which flow from west to east.The sediments are mainly of medium to coarse grained,moderately sorted,near-symmetrical skewed to fine skewed and leptokurtic to mesokurtic in nature.Interrelationship of various parameters shows bimodal nature of sediments having dominance of medium to coarse sand.The major part of the sediment fall in a coarse to fine grained category(sand and silt).Based on the CM(Coarser one percentile value in micron) pattern,the sediment fall in rolling and suspension field.These factors includes the sediments discharged from the river mixes with offshore sediments and with the sediments eroded from a source rock.The effect of wave sorting, and the northward drifting of sediments by littoral current are understandable.Results indicate that the Tirumalairajanar River is the most important source for modern sediments in the study area.The agitation by waves is an important sorting mechanism in the study area,and the net sediment transport in the study area is northward.The findings are based on the grain sizes and also corroborated by shortterm observations of the beach sediment dynamics and transport during the monsoon and summer seasons between Karaikal and Nagore region.     

Backshore coarsening processes triggered by wave‐induced sand transport: the critical role of storm events

Spatial backshore processes were investigated through field observations of topography and median sand grain size at a sandy beach facing the Pacific Ocean in Japan. A comparison of the backshore profile and cross‐shore distribution of the median sand grain size in 1999 and 2004 revealed an unusual sedimentary process in which sand was coarsened in a depositional area in the 5‐year period, although sediment is generally coarsened in erosional areas. In support of these observations, monthly spatial field analyses carried out in 2004 demonstrated a remarkable backshore coarsening process triggered by sedimentation in the seaward part of the backshore during a storm event. In order to elucidate mechanisms involved in the backshore coarsening process, thresholds of movable sand grain size under wave and wind actions (a uniform parameter for both these cases) in the onshore and offshore directions were estimated using wave, tide, and wind data. The cross‐shore distributions of the estimated thresholds provided reasonable values and demonstrated a coarsening mechanism involving the intermediate zone around the shoreline under alternating wave and wind actions as a result of which coarse sand was transported toward the seaward part of the backshore by large waves during storms and then toward the landward part by strong onshore winds. The 5‐year backshore coarsening is most certainly explained by repetition of short‐term coarsening mechanisms caused by wave‐induced sand transport occurring from the nearshore to the intermediate zone. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd     

Textural and compositional controls on modern beach and dune sands,New Zealand

Textural, compositional, physical and geophysical determinations were carried out on 111 beach and dune sand samples from two areas in New Zealand: the Kapiti–Foxton coast sourced by terranes of andesite and greywackes and the Farewell Spit–Wharariki coast sourced by a wide variety of Paleozoic terranes. Our aim is to understand how long‐shore drift, beach width and source rock control the sedimentological and petrographic characteristics of beach and dune sands. Furthermore, this study shows the usefulness of specific minerals (quartz, plagioclase with magnetite inclusions, monomineralic opaque grains) to interpret the physical processes (fluvial discharges, long‐shore currents, winds) that distribute beach and dune sands in narrow and wide coastal plains. This was done by means of direct (grain size and modal analyses) and indirect (specific gravity, magnetic/non‐magnetic separations M/NM, magnetic susceptibility measurements, hysteresis loops) methods. Results are compared with beach sands from Hawaii, Oregon, the Spanish Mediterranean, Elba Island and Southern California. Compositionally, the Kapiti–Foxton sands are similar to first‐order immature sands, which retain their fluvial signature. This results from the high discharge of rivers and the narrow beaches that control the composition of the Kapiti–Foxton sands. The abundance of feldspar with magnetite inclusions controls the specific gravity of the Kapiti–Foxton sands due to their low content of opaque minerals and coarse grain size. Magnetic susceptibility of the sands is related mainly to the abundance of feldspars with Fe oxides, volcanic lithics and free‐opaque minerals. The Farewell Spit–Wharariki sands are slightly more mature than the Kapiti–Foxton sands. The composition of the Farewell Spit–Wharariki sands does not reflect accurately their provenance due to the prevalence of long‐shore drift, waves, little river input and a wide beach. Low abundance of feldspar with magnetite inclusions and free opaque grains produces poor correlations between specific gravity (Sg) and Fe oxide bearing minerals. The small correlation between opaque grains and M/NM may be related to grain size. The magnetic susceptibility of Farewell Spit–Wharariki sands is low due to the low content of grains with magnetite inclusions. Hysteresis and isothermal remnant magnetization (IRM) agree with the magnetic susceptibility values. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Beach erosion and recovery during consecutive storms at a steep‐sloping,meso‐tidal beach

This study analyses beach morphological change during six consecutive storms acting on the meso‐tidal Faro Beach (south Portugal) between 15 December 2009 and 7 January 2010. Morphological change of the sub‐aerial beach profile was monitored through frequent topographic surveys across 11 transects. Measurements of the surf/swash zone dimensions, nearshore bar dynamics, and wave run‐up were extracted from time averaged and timestack coastal images, and wave and tidal data were obtained from offshore stations. All the information combined suggests that during consecutive storm events, the antecedent morphological state can initially be the dominant controlling factor of beach response; while the hydrodynamic forcing, and especially the tide and surge levels, become more important during the later stages of a storm period. The dataset also reveals the dynamic nature of steep‐sloping beaches, since sub‐aerial beach volume reductions up to 30 m³/m were followed by intertidal area recovery (–2 < z < 3 m) with rates reaching ~10 m³/m. However, the observed cumulative dune erosion and profile pivoting imply that storms, even of regular intensity, can have a dramatic impact when they occur in groups. Nearshore bars seemed to respond to temporal scales more related to storm sequences than to individual events. The formation of a prominent crescentic offshore bar at ~200 m from the shoreline appeared to reverse the previous offshore migration trend of the inner bar, which was gradually shifted close to the seaward swash zone boundary. The partially understood nearshore bar processes appeared to be critical for storm wave attenuation in the surf zone; and were considered mainly responsible for the poor interpretation of the observed beach behaviour on the grounds of standard, non‐dimensional, morphological parameters. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A numerical model for shore-normal sediment size variation on a macrotidal beach

This paper describes a computer simulation model which is designed to predict the selective shore-normal sorting of grain sizes in the nearshore environment. The model simulates wave shoaling, wave height attenuation due to frictional losses and breaking, using linear theory up to the break point and a breaker decay model in the surf zone. Peak horizontal orbital velocities at the bed are calculated from Stokes second-order wave theory. The peak onshore and offshore velocities are used with the threshold expression of Komar and Miller (1975) to generate a spatial pattern of size variation of threshold grain diameter along a profile normal to the shore from deep water to the swash zone. The predicted grain size is used in an hydraulic interpretation of grain size distribution on the intertidal profile, based on the hydrodynamic variations over a tidal cycle on a macrotidal beach. The model is successful in predicting the broad pattern of increasing grain size in the onshore direction which has been observed in nature. Comparisons between measured and predicted grain size distributions indicate that the predictions of the model are better than those of previous models, but the model is more successful at predicting sediment size distributions than at predicting mean sizes on a beach profile.     

Downdrift coarsening of beach foreshore sediments at tidal inlets: An example from the coast of New Jersey

Analysis of grain size statistics of upper foreshore sediments on sand beaches at two tidal inlets in New Jersey, U.S.A. reveals that sediments are coarser at beaches flanking the inlets than updrift, although sediments become finer downdrift at the broad, regional scale. The local reversal of the regional trend in size grading is attributed to: (1) the offshore diversion of the finer sands along the surf zone on the ebb tidal delta, and (2) the removal of the finer sands from the inlet flank beach caused by low wave energy conditions at low stages of the tide and by deflation. Sediments thus become coarser at inlet beaches as a result of alterations in the interaction of waves with the beach and as a result of aeolian processes, not solely as a result of increased tidal current velocities as previously reported. The distance along the New Jersey barrier islands over which inlet processes are likely to affect changes in sediment size updrift averages less than 1100 m, but the impacts of inlets on the sedimentary record can be extended greater distances as a result of inlet migration.     

The role of wind direction in eolian transport on a narrow sandy beach

Comparison of eolian transport during five high-velocity wind events over a 29 day period on a narrow estuarine beach in Delaware Bay, New Jersey, USA, reveals the temporal variability of transport, due to changes in direction of wind approach. Mean wind speed measured 6 m above the dune crest for the five events ranged from 8·5 to 15·9 ms^?1. Mean wind direction was oblique to the shoreline (63° from shore-normal) during one event but was within 14° of shore-normal during the other events. Eolian transport is greatest during low tide and rising tide, when the beach source area is widest and when drying of surface sediments occurs. The quantity of sediment caught in a vertical trap for the five events varied from a total of 0·07 to 113·73 kgm^?1. Differences in temperature, relative humidity and moisture and salt content of surficial sediments were slight. Mean grain sizes ranged from 0·33 to 0·58 mm, causing slight differences in threshold shear velocity, but shear velocities exceeded the threshold required for transport during all events. Beach width, measured normal to the shoreline, varied from 15·5 to 18·0 m; beach slope differed by 0·5°. The oblique wind during one event created a source width nearly double the width during other days. Beach slope, measured in the direction of the wind, was less than half as steep as the slope measured normal to the shoreline. The amount of sand trapped during the oblique wind was over 20 times greater than any other event, even those with higher shear velocities. The ability of the beach surface to supply grains to the air stream is limited on narrow beaches, but increased source width, due to oblique wind approach, can partially overcome limitations of surface conditions on the beach.     

Horizontal hydraulic conductivity of shallow streambed sediments and comparison with the grain‐size analysis results

Streambed horizontal hydraulic conductivity (K_h) has a substantial role in controlling exchanges between stream water and groundwater. We propose a new approach for determining K_h of the shallow streambed sediments. Undisturbed sediment samples were collected using tubes that were horizontally driven into streambeds. The sediment columns were analysed using a permeameter test (PT) on site. This new test approach minimizes uncertainties due to vertical flow in the vicinity of test tube and stream stage fluctuations in the computation of the K_h values. Ninety‐eight PTs using the new approach were conducted at eight sites in four tributaries of the Platte River, east‐central Nebraska, USA. The K_h values were compared with the nondirectional hydraulic conductivity values (K_g) determined from 12 empirical grain‐size analysis methods. The grain‐size analysis methods used the same sediment samples as K_h tests. Only two methods, the Terzaghi and Shepherd methods, yielded K_g values close to the K_h values. Although the Sauerbrei method produced a value relatively closer to K_h than other nine grain‐size analysis methods, the values from this method were not as reliable as the methods of Terzaghi and Shepherd due to the inconsistent fluctuation of the average estimates at each of the test sites. The Zunker, Zamarin, Hazen, Beyer, and Kozeny methods overestimated K_h, while the Slichter, US Bureau of Reclamation (USBR), Harleman, and Alyamani and Sen methods underestimated K_h. Any of these specific grain‐size methods might yield good estimates of streambed K_h at some sites, but give poor estimates at other sites, indicating that the relationship between K_g and K_h is significantly site dependent in our study. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Transport process of sand grains from fluvial to deep marine regions estimated by luminescence of feldspar: example from the Kumano area,central Japan

Using the concept of bleaching in optical dating, a new index of sediment sample bleaching percentage (BLP‐2) was developed and applied to evaluate sand grain transport from riverine to deep‐marine environments. As bleached grains in modern sediments have no optically stimulated luminescence (OSL)/infrared stimulated luminescence (IRSL) signal, bleached and unbleached feldspar grains are distinguished by IRSL intensity. The BLP‐2 distribution of present deposits around the Kumano area, on the Pacific coast of central Japan, suggests that sand grains in surface turbidites obtained from the bottom of the Kumano Trough are of flood/storm origin rather than seismogenic origin. The distribution of BLP‐2 tentatively suggests sand grain erosion–transport–depositional processes; for example, origin and transport agencies of shelf sand, and influence of coastal erosion on the beach deposit. Although the present BLP analysis is not yet supported by a rigorous statistical test, it is useful to distinguish recent deposition and remobilization of sand grains. Furthermore, if the depositional age and the luminescence age of sand grains are accurately estimated, sand grain transport processes of old (late Quaternary) sediments may be estimated by the methodology similar to that of the present study.     

Morphological records of storm floods exemplified by the impact of the 1872 Baltic storm on a sandy spit system in south‐eastern Denmark

Beach‐ridge systems are important geo‐archives providing evidence for past wave climate including catastrophic storm flood events. This study investigates the morphological impacts of the 1872 Baltic storm flood on a beach‐ridge system (sandy spit) in south‐eastern Denmark and evaluates the frequency of extreme storm flood events in the area over a longer time perspective. This paper combines field studies of morphology and sedimentary deposits, studies of historical maps, digital terrain model, ground‐penetrating radar profiles, and luminescence dating. Sea water reached 2.8 m above mean sea level (amsl) during peak inundation and, based on studies of the morphological impacts of the 1872 storm flood, the event can be divided into four phases. Phase 1: increasing mean water levels and wave activity at the beach brought sediments from the beach (intertidal bars and normal berm) higher up in the profile and led to the formation of a storm‐berm. Phase 2: water levels further increased and sediment in the upper part of the profile continued to build up the storm‐berm. Phase 3: water levels now reached the top of the dune ridge and were well above the storm‐berm level. Sea water was breaching the dune ridge at several sites and wash‐over fans were generated until a level where the mean water level had dropped too much. Phase 4: the non‐vegetated wash‐over fans functioned as pathways for aeolian sand transport and relatively high dunes were formed in particular along the margins of the fan where aeolian sand was trapped by existing vegetation. The studied beach‐ridge system records about 4500 years of accumulation; the storm flood sediments described are unique suggesting that the 1872 Baltic storm flood event was an extreme event. Thus studies of beach‐ridge systems form a new source for understanding storm surge risk. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.