A parameterization of the wavelength of tidal dunes

The idealized model of Besio et al. (On the formation of sand waves and sand banks. Journal of Fluid Mechanics 2006; 557: 1–17) is used to predict the wavelength of tidal dunes (sand waves) generated by tidal currents in estuaries and shallow seas. The predictions are then analysed and a formula is proposed to estimate the wavelength of tidal dunes as a function of the parameters of the problem. The wavelength of the dunes is found to increase when the water depth is increased and/or the strength of the tidal current is decreased. On the other hand, the size of the bottom material (if medium sand is considered) and the tidal ellipticity are found to have a relatively small influence on the length of the bottom forms. The formula proposed provides results which are consistent with field observations of different authors. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Numerical prediction on the scour burial of cylinder object freely resting on the sandy seabed in the East China Sea using the DRAMBUIE model

After experiencing 8-day combined tidal current, circulation and wave actions, scour depth surrounding cylinder object freely resting on sandy seabed in the East China Sea （ECS） in January is numerically predicted using the DRAMBUIE model designed for scour burial, which has been widely used and verified by in-situ experiments. During the period of numerical integration, the value of time t is generally variable at every time step via the special time-stepped approach developed by this paper to eliminate the time error. The tidal current velocity, wave orbital velocity and the depth-averaged circulation in the ECS have been obtained by numerical simulations with Estuarine Coastal and Ocean Model （ECOM）, Simulating Waves Nearshore （SWAN） model and Regional Ocean Modeling System （ROMS） model respectively. The control experiment and several idealized test cases on influential factors in scour depth reveal that the dominant hydrodynamic factor is tidal current in the ECS under normal weather conditions, and the impacts of shelf circulation and wave motion on local scour almost can be ignored with an exception of the Kuroshio area where the high-speed mainstream of Kuroshio flows. It is also indicated that in sandy sediments, the distribution of scour depth nearly follows the pattern of tidal currents, while the secondary influencing factor on scour depth appears to be grain size of sandy sediment in the ECS. Numerical tests on sediment grain size further testify that much finer sand is more easily scoured, and an increasing trend for scour depth with reduction of grain size is displayed due to imposed resistance of larger sized particles. Three aspects explored by this paper, including the empirical equations in the Defense Research Agency Mine Burial Environment （DRAMBUIE） model, the accuracy of inputs and infill process can severely affect the prediction of scour depth surrounding cylinder objects freely resting on sandy seabed in the ECS.     

Grain size dependency in the occurrence of sand waves

Sandy shallow seas, like the North Sea, are very dynamic. Several morphological features are present on the bed, from small ripples to sand waves and large tidal sandbanks. The larger patterns induce significant depth variations that have an impact on human activities taking place in this area. Therefore, it is important to know where these large-scale features occur, what their natural behaviour is and how they interact with human activities. Here, we extend earlier research that compares the results of an idealized model of large-scale seabed patterns with data of seabed patterns in the North Sea. The idealized model is extended with a grain size dependency. The adaptations lead to more accurate predictions of the occurrence of large-scale bed forms in the North Sea. Therefore, grain size dependency and, in particular, critical shear stress are important to explain the occurrence of sand waves and sandbanks in the North Sea. Responsible Editor: Alejandro Souza     

High-frequency bottom-pressure and acoustic variations in a sea strait: internal wave turbulence

During a period of 3?days, an accurate bottom-pressure sensor and a four-beam acoustic Doppler current profiler (ADCP) were mounted in a bottom frame at 23?m in a narrow sea strait with dominant near-rectilinear tidal currents exceeding 1?m?s^?1 in magnitude. The pressure record distinguishes small and short surface waves, wind- and ferry-induced near-surface turbulence and waves, large turbulent overturns and high-frequency internal waves. Typical low-frequency turbulent motions have amplitudes of 50?N?m^?2 and periods of about 50?s. Such amplitudes are also found in independent estimates of non-hydrostatic pressure using ADCP data, but phase relationships between these data sets are ambiguous probably due to the averaging over the spread of the slanted acoustic beams. ADCP's echo amplitudes that are observed in individual beams show much better phase correspondence with near-bottom pressure, whether they are generated near the surface (mainly air bubbles) or near the bottom (mainly suspended sediment). These 50-s motions are a mix of turbulence and internal waves, but they are not due to surface wave interactions, and they are not directly related to the main tidal flow. Internal waves are supported by stratification varying between extremely strong thin layer and very weak near-homogeneous stratification. They are driven by the main flow over 2-m amplitude sand-wave topography, with typical wavelengths of 150?m.     

A model for grain-size sorting over tidal sand ridges

A model was developed and analyzed to quantify the effect of graded sediment on the formation of tidal sand ridges. Field data reveal coarse (fine) sediment at the crests (in the troughs), but often phase shifts between the mean grain-size distribution and the bottom topography occur. Following earlier work, this study is based on a linear stability analysis of a basic state with respect to small bottom perturbations. The basic state describes an alongshore tidal current on a coastal shelf. Sediment is transported as bed load and dynamic hiding effects are accounted for. A one-layer model for the bed evolution is used and two grain size classes (fine and coarse sand) are considered. Results indicate an increase in growth and migration rates of tidal sand ridges for a bimodal mixture, whilst the wavelength of the ridges remains unchanged. A symmetrical externally forced tidal current results in a grain-size distribution which is in phase with the ridges. Incorporation of an additional external M₄ tidal constituent or a steady current results in a phase shift between the grain-size distribution and ridge topography. These results show a general agreement with observations. The physical mechanism responsible for the observed grain-size distribution over the ridges is also discussed.Responsible Editor: Jens Kappenberg     

Modelling sand wave migration in shallow shelf seas

Sand waves form a prominent regular pattern in the offshore seabed of sandy shallow seas. The positions of sand-wave crests and troughs slowly change in time. Sand waves are usually assumed to migrate in the direction of the residual current. This paper considers the physical mechanisms that may cause sand waves to migrate and methods to quantify the associated migration rates. We carried out a theoretical study based on the assumption that sand waves evolve as free instabilities of the system. A linear stability analysis was then performed on a 2DV morphological model describing the interaction between the vertically varying water motion and an erodible bed in a shallow sea. Here, we disrupted the basic tidal symmetry by choosing a combination of a steady current (M₀) and a sinusoidal tidal motion (M₂) as the basic flow. We allowed for two different physical mechanisms to generate the steady current: a sea surface wind stress and a pressure gradient. The results show that similar sand waves develop for both flow conditions and that these sand waves migrate slowly in the direction of the residual flow. The rates of migration and wavelengths found in this work agree with theoretical and empirical values reported in the literature.     

南海北部东沙海域巨型水下沙丘的分布及特征

本文基于多波束测深和高分辨率多道反射地震数据研究了东沙海域深水巨型水下沙丘的特征.巨型水下沙丘发育在230~830m水深的上陆坡范围内,呈斑块状分布.NW-SE向的近海底流体运动不仅冲蚀地层,形成了三条与水下沙丘间隔分布的冲蚀带,为水下沙丘提供了沉积物来源,同时也为水下沙丘的形成提供了动力源.研究区水下沙丘波长(L)范围55~510m,波高(h)范围1.5~20m,二者呈指数关系分布.沙丘的波长随水深增大而增大,波高则在500~700m水深范围内最大.水下沙丘NE—SW向展布的脊线和几何参数关系是与现今水动力条件相平衡的结果.     

Spatial differences in sand wave dynamics between the Amsterdam and the Rotterdam region in the Southern North Sea

The optimization of the bathymetric resurvey policy of the Netherlands Hydrographic Service requires insight into sea floor dynamics in the Southern North Sea. To study the spatial variations in sea floor dynamics, the bathymetric archives of the Netherlands Hydrographic Service are analyzed using deformation analysis, a statistical and innovative approach for bathymetric data. Based on the uncertainty of the data, our implementation of deformation analysis selects the significant spatial and temporal parameters, and provides estimates and their uncertainties for those parameters. We focus on sand wave areas in the regions of Rotterdam and of Amsterdam. In those areas, dredging takes place to guarantee a minimum depth. The results reveal a difference in sand wave migration between the two regions, over the past two decades. The dominant wavelengths of the sand waves vary within the regions, but we find a similar wavelength distribution for the two regions. We compare our results to earlier studies of the same sand wave areas in the Rotterdam region, showing similar migration rates, but different wavelengths. It is concluded, based on sand wave dynamics alone, that the Amsterdam region should be assigned a higher resurvey frequency than the Rotterdam region.     

Sand wave migration near the southeastern corner of Martha's Vineyard,Massachusetts, USA

Sand waves of approximately 2 m in height were observed to migrate nearly 40 m with counterclockwise rotation between two bathymetric surveys performed three months apart near the southeastern corner of Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts. The region is characterized by strong tidal currents, intermittent energetic surface wave events, and shallow water with local depth ranging from 2 to 7 m. This study uses the process-based model, Delft3D, with a three-dimensional approach to examine the sand wave dynamics by incorporating surface waves, winds, currents, and bathymetric observations. The model successfully simulates sand wave migration in comparisons to observations. Model sensitivity analyses show that the sand wave migration reduces by 65% with the absence of the surface waves. The modeled sand wave migration speed is correlated with the tidal current Shields parameter, and sharp increases in migration speed occur when the wave-driven Shields parameter increases in response to energetic surface wave events. The combined effect of tides, surface waves, and bathymetry is the origin of the rotational aspect of the sand wave, using the Shields parameter as an indicator of tidal currents and surface wave influence on sand wave dynamics.     

远震前的地电场潮汐波异常

分析了5次远强震前河北省昌黎台、兴济台记录到的电场异常,发现该异常主要集中在震前2个月左右的时段内, 具有很好的短临预报意义. 震前电场呈现不同的异常特征,但与固体地球潮汐波变化关系密切,如半日、半月等潮汐波周期信号增强,引起电场变化幅度增大;或本该正常记录到的潮汐变化幅度突然减小或消失;以及高频信号增多并伴有跃变现象. 分析异常产生机理认为,强震前的这种异常现象是震源区临震孕育过程中岩石弱化产生的电场异常,经自由空间或地壳传播到达地电台站后,与台站记录的电场潮汐波相叠加产生潮汐波增强或减弱现象. 高频异常可能与台站下方岩石孔隙度、渗透率等介质性质的改变有关,反映了强震的远场动态效应.      

Modeling the formation of undulations of the coastline: The role of tides

An idealized model is developed and analyzed to investigate the relevance of tidal motion for the emergence of undulations of a sandy coastline. The model describes feedbacks between tidal and steady flow on the inner shelf, sand transport in the nearshore zone and an irregular coastline. It is demonstrated that an initially straight coastline can become unstable with respect to perturbations with a rhythmic structure in the alongshore direction. The mechanism causing the growth of these perturbations is explained in terms of vorticity concepts. The relative importance of tide-related and wave-driven sediment fluxes in generating undulations of the coastline is investigated for the Dutch coast. Using parameter values that are appropriate for the Dutch coast it is found that tides can render a straight coastline unstable. The model predicts a fastest growing mode (FGM) with a wavelength that is in the order of the observed length of barrier islands. The mode grows on a time scale of 50 yr and it migrates 200 m per year. The wavelength of the FGM decreases with increasing amplitude of the tidal currents. This result is consistent with data of tides, waves and the lengths of barrier islands that are located along the Dutch and German Wadden coast.     

Spatial variability in community structure of Dictyoceratida sponges across Torres Strait,Australia

Spatial variability in community structure of dictyoceratid sponges (class Demospongiae; order Dictyoceratida) was examined on coral reefs in Torres Strait, an archipelago of islands and reefs between northern Queensland, Australia, and Papua New Guinea. Dictyoceratid sponge abundances and environmental factors were recorded at four locations, separated by 50–220 km. Each location was subdivided into 5–7 sites, each ?2 km apart. At each site, four 50×2 m belt transects were quantitatively surveyed, recording the dictyoceratid numbers, substrate type (rock, rubble and sand), water clarity, degree of reef slope and depth. Dictyoceratid abundance was similar among locations over large spatial scales, averaging 15.5 individuals per 100 m², but varied significantly among sites within particular locations (i.e. small scale heterogeneity). Twenty-three dictyoceratid species were recorded in Torres Strait, with approximately half (12/23) found in only one location. The canonical correspondence analysis determined that the measured environmental factors explained only 26% of the spatial variation. Cluster analysis revealed a complex dictyoceratid community structure with similarities among neighbouring sites and among sites separated by hundreds of kilometres. Conversely the abundance and composition of dictyoceratids could vary greatly between neighbouring sites 2 km apart and on the same reef complex. The results of this study suggest that spatial variability of dictyoceratid sponges in Torres Strait is influenced by a combination of environmental, biological and stochastic processes.     

云南曲靖井水位潮汐动态特征分析

以井-含水层系统潮汐理论为基础, 结合云南曲靖井水位观测资料实际情况, 利用Baytap-G提供的潮汐分析方法, 分别计算了曲靖井水位M2、 S2、 O1、 S1K1和M3共5个潮汐分波的振幅比、 相位和计算误差, 分析了井水位观测资料不同潮汐波振幅比和相位的动态变化特征, 认为能反映含水层参数的井水位潮汐振幅比和相位变化与附近的抽水和远距离大震引起的同震响应有关, 具体表现为, 2001年11月和2003年8月的振幅比和相位下降变化可能与抽水有关, 而几次大震后的井水位潮汐振幅比和相位小幅度上升和缓慢恢复过程, 则可能与中远场大震的地震波动力引起的含水层渗透系数增加有关．      

潮汐地电场谐波和各向波形的影响要素

潮汐地电场表现出近正弦形态,形态持续全天属TGF-A型,只在午前午后出现属TGF-B型,两类潮汐地电场前5阶谐波周期分别是23～24、12、7.9、6、4.8h.不同场地的潮汐地电场振幅谱可能有差异,周期变化的径向、切向月球潮汐力的振幅谱也存在差异.岩石裂隙面分布不同,则各向潮汐力对裂隙的作用效果不同,这可能是导致潮汐...     

Post-glacial sediment dynamics in the Irish Sea and sediment wave morphology: Data–model comparisons

The irregular seafloor of the narrow Irish Sea on the NW European Shelf has been documented over several decades. From recently collected swath bathymetry data, very large trochoidal, nearly symmetrical sediment waves are observed in many parts of the Irish Sea and appear similar to those described from other continental shelf seas in North America that were covered by glacigenic sediments during the Last Glacial Maximum. Swath multibeam and single beam bathymetry data, backscatter intensity, shallow seismic imagery, video footage and sediment cores from the Irish Sea high sediment waves have been integrated to identify their genesis with reference to present and past hydrodynamic variability. From cross-sectional profiles over asymmetrical sediment waves in the Irish Sea the direction of asymmetry is used to map residual bed stress directions and associated bedload transport paths. Irish Sea peak bed stress vectors were generated using a two-dimensional palaeo-tidal model for the NW European shelf seas and compare well with the observations. Tidally induced bed stresses are modelled to have increased between 7–10 ka BP, to be nearly symmetrical in magnitude and to have reversed in dominant direction on a millennial scale. These environmental conditions during the post-glacial marine transgression are suggested here to help comprehend the construction of the very large sediment waves, with local variations due to differences in sediment grain size, sediment supply, water depth and intensified currents due to seafloor slopes. Model parameterisation using an open ocean boundary with time-dependent tidal changes and the implementation of high-resolution bathymetric information will improve future models of small-scale bed shear stress patterns and improve the predictive value of such modelling efforts.     

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.     

Effects of Contact Geometry of Faults on Transmission Waves

—?In order to clarify the effects of contact geometry of faults on transmission waves, we have performed a series of experiments in which P and S waves with known wavelength were transmitted through an artificial fault. A pair of piezo-electric transducers (PZT) with various resonant frequency were used for the transmitter and the receiver. Parallel grooves were cut on disk surfaces and two disks were placed face to face with the grooves on one disk being perpendicular to those on the other disk. This yields evenly spaced square contacts on the fault. We regard the square contacts as asperity contacts, the size and the height of which were controlled by changing the width and the depth of the grooves. We found that the transmissivity of the waves is solely determined by the ratio of the groove depth/width to wavelength. The shallower and the narrower the groove depth and width are, the larger the amplitude of first arrival is for both P and S waves. When the groove depth is shallower than a quarter of wavelength, the effect of groove depth is negligible; deeper grooves significantly reduce the amplitude. We have made a mathematical model based on the stiffness of fault. By comparing the model calculations with the observation we found that the model has a limit at which the prediction by the model deviates from the data. The deviation occurs when the ratio of the groove depth/width to wavelength becomes 0.25. We refer to the wavelength as the critical wavelength. When the wavelength is larger than the critical wavelength, the observed data can be well explained by the model. Above this threshold, the model no longer fits the data. In this range, the amplitude of transmitted waves is found to be proportional to the real contact area. Although it is a kind of paradox that the amplitude, not the energy, is proportional to the real contact area, it is possibly explained by taking a non-uniform distribution of stress on the surface of the receiver PZT into account.     

Study of effects of focal depth on the characteristics of Rayleigh waves using finite difference method

This paper presents a relationship between the focal depth in terms of Rayleigh-wave wavelength and the dominant frequency of Rayleigh waves generated in a homogeneous half-space. Rayleigh waves were simulated using a (2, 4) staggered grid P-SV wave finite difference algorithm with VGR-stress imaging technique as a free surface boundary condition. VGR is an acronym for vertical grid-size reduction. The simulated seismic responses using P-wave and SV-wave sources at different focal depths revealed Rayleigh-wave generation up to certain focal depth only for the considered frequency bandwidth. A shift of normalized spectral shape of Rayleigh wave towards lower frequency with increasing focal depth was inferred. Largest spectral amplitude was obtained in the wavelength for which the ratio of focal depth to the wavelength of Rayleigh wave was around 0.17 in the case of P-wave source and 0.9 in the case of SV-wave source. An exponential decrease of spectral amplitude of Rayleigh wave with the departure of the ratio of focal depth to Rayleigh wave wavelength from the above mentioned values was obtained.     

Simulating the role of tides and sediment characteristics on tidal flat sorting and bedding dynamics

Understanding sediment sorting and bedding dynamics has high value to unravelling the mechanisms underlying geomorphological, geological, ecological and environmental imprints of tidal wetlands and hence to predicting their future changes. Using the Nanhui tidal flat on the Changjiang (Yangtze) Delta, China, as a reference site, this study establishes a schematized morphodynamic model coupling flow, sediment dynamics and bed level change to explore the processes that govern sediment sorting and bedding phenomena. Model results indicate an overall agreement with field data in terms of tidal current velocities, suspended sediment concentrations (SSCs), deposition thicknesses and sedimentary structures. Depending on the variation of tidal current strength, sand-dominated layers (SDLs) and mud-dominated layers (MDLs) tend to form during spring and neap tides, respectively. Thinner tidal couplets are developed during daily scale flood–ebb variations. A larger tidal level variation during a spring–neap tidal cycle, associated with a stronger tidal current variation, favours the formation of SDLs and tidal couplets. A larger boundary sediment supply generally promotes the formation of tidal bedding, though the bedding detail is partially dependent on the SSC composition of different sediment types. Sediment properties, including for example grain size and settling velocity, are also found to influence sediment sorting and bedding characteristics. In particular, finer and coarser sediment respond differently to spring and neap tides. During neap tides, relatively small flow velocities favour the deposition of finer sediment, with limited coarser sediment being transported to the upper tidal flat because of the larger settling velocity. During spring tides, larger flow velocities transport more coarser sediment to the upper tidal flat, accounting for distinct lamination formation. Model results are qualitatively consistent with field observations, but the role of waves, biological processes and alongshore currents needs to be included in further studies to establish a more complete understanding.