Study on the Log-Linear Velocity Profile of Near-Bed Tidal Current in Estuarine and Coastal Waters

Many observed data show that the near-bed tidal velocity profile deviates from the usual logarithmic law. The amount of deviation may not be large, but it results in large errors when the logarithmic velocity profile is used to calculate the bed roughness height and friction velocity （or shear stress）. Based on their investigation, Kuo et al. （1996） indicate that the deviation amplitude may exceed 100%. On the basis of fluid dynamic principle, the profile of the near-bed tidal velocity in estuarine and coastal waters is established by introducing Prandtl＇ s mixing length theory and Von Kannan selfsimilarity theory. By the fitting and calculation of the near-bed velocity profde data observed in the west Solent, England, the results are compared with those of the usual logarithmic model, and it is shown that the present near-bed tidal velocity profile model has such advantages as higher fitting precision, and better inner consistency between the roughness height and friction velocity. The calculated roughness height and friction velocity are closer to reality. The conclusions are validated that the logarithmic model underestimates the roughness height and friction velocity during tidal acceleration and overestimates them during tidal deceleration.     

Quantifying saltmarsh vegetation and its effect on wave height dissipation: Results from a UK East coast saltmarsh

The degree to which incident wind waves are attenuated over intertidal surfaces is critical to the development of coastal wetlands, which are, amongst other processes, affected by the delivery, erosion, and/or resuspension of sediment due to wave action. Knowledge on wave attenuation over saltmarsh surfaces is also essential for accurate assessments of their natural sea-defence value to be made and incorporated into sea defence and management schemes. The aim of this paper is to evaluate the use of a digital photographic method for the quantification of marsh vegetation density and then to investigate the relative roles played by hydrodynamic controls and vegetation density/type in causing the attenuation of incident waves over a macro-tidal saltmarsh.Results show that a significant statistical relationship exists between the density of vegetation measured in side-on photographs and the dry biomass of the photographed vegetation determined through direct harvesting. The potential of the digital photographic method for the spatial and temporal comparison of marsh surface vegetation biomass, density, and canopy structure is highlighted and the method was applied to assess spatial and seasonal differences in vegetation density and their effect on wave attenuation at three locations on a macro-tidal saltmarsh on Dengie Peninsula, Essex, UK. In this environmental setting, vegetation density/type did not have a significant direct effect on wave attenuation but modified the process of wave transformation under different hydrodynamic conditions. At the two locations, characterised by a relatively tall canopy (15–26 cm) with biomass values of 430–500 g m⁻², dominated by Spartina spp. (>70% of total dry biomass), relative incident wave height (wave height/water depth) is identified as a statistically significant dominant positive control on wave attenuation up to a threshold value of 0.55, beyond which wave attenuation showed no significant further increase. At the third location, characterised by only slightly less biomass (398 g m⁻²) but a shorter (6 cm) canopy of the annual Salicornia spp., no significant relationship existed between wave attenuation and relative wave height. Seasonally (between September and December) significant temporal increase/decrease in vegetation density occurred in one of the Spartina canopies and in the Salicornia canopy, respectively, and led to an expected (but not statistically significant) increase/decrease in wave attenuation. The wider implications of these findings in the context of form–process interactions on saltmarshes and their effect on marsh evolution are also discussed.     

Altimeter Signal-to-Noise for Deep Ocean Processes in Operational Systems

The ocean signal for this study is the sea surface height due to the slowly varying (greater than 5-day) ocean processes, which are predominantly the deep ocean mesoscale. These processes are the focus of present assimilation systems for monitoring and predicting ocean circulation due to ocean fronts and eddies and the associated environmental changes that impact real time activities in areas with depths greater than about 200 m. By this definition, signal-to-noise may be estimated directly from altimeter data sets through a crossover point analysis. The RMS variability in crossover differences is due to instrument noise, errors in environmental corrections to the satellite observation, and short time period oceanic variations. The signal-to-noise ratio indicates that shallow areas are typically not well observed due to the high frequency fluctuations. Many deep ocean areas also contain significant high frequency variability such as the subpolar latitudes, which have large atmospheric pressure systems moving through, and these in turn generate large errors in the inverse barometer correction. Understanding the spatial variations of signal to noise is a necessary prerequisite for correct assimilation of the data into operational systems.     

Wave-induced motions of an air cushion structure in shallow water

Model tests were conducted on two 1:100 scaled models of a typical concrete gravity substructure at the University of Western Australia. The two models had dimensions 0.5 m length×0.5 m width with the first model being a sealed closed bottom box of height 0.1 m and the second model being an open bottom box with skirt length of 0.1 m. The mass of the air cushion model was changed to accommodate various water plug heights within the skirt chamber. Each model was floated at a constant draft of 0.1 m and tested in water depths ranging between 0.03 m (shallow) and 0.8 m (deep). The environment comprised regular waves with periods ranging between 0.6 and 3.5 s and amplitude of 0.08–0.02 m. To quantify the dynamic response the heave and pitch motions of each model were measured.A simplified theoretical solution based on long wavelength, linear wave assumptions was developed and applied to the geometries in consideration. Improvements to the theory are sought using the forcing function from a boundary element code, as well as utilizing added mass coefficients from free decay experiments. Results show that experimental trends compare reasonably well with analytical solution in particular for periods longer than the natural period. The results show that introducing air cushion support into a CGS increases the pitch response, while having little effect of the heave motion.     

Characteristics of SSH Anomaly Based on TOPEX/POSEIDON Altimetry and in situ Measured Velocity and Transport of Oyashio on OICE

An observation line along the TOPEX/POSEIDON (T/P) ground track 060 was set to estimate the Oyashio transport. We call this line the OICE (Oyashio Intensive observation line off-Cape Erimo) along which we have been conducting repeated hydrographic observations and maintaining mooring systems. T/P derived sea surface height anomaly (SSHA) was compared with velocity and transport on OICE. Although the decorrelation scale of SSHA was estimated at about 80–110 km in the Oyashio region, the SSHA also contains horizontal, small-scale noise, which was eliminated using a Gaussian filter. In the comparison between the SSHA difference across two selected points and the subsurface velocity measured by a moored Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler (ADCP), the highest correlation (0.92) appeared when the smoothing scale was set at 30 km with the two points as near as possible. For the transport in the Oyashio region, the geostrophic transport between 39°30′ N and 42°N was compared with the SSHA difference across the same two points. In this case the highest correlations (0.79, 0.88 and 0.93) occurred when the smoothing scale was set at 38, 6 and 9 km for reference levels of 1000, 2000 and 3000 db, respectively. The annual mean transport was estimated as 9.46 Sv in the 3000 db reference case. The Oyashio transport time series was derived from the T/P SSHA data, and the transports are smaller than that estimated from the Sverdrup balance in 1994–1996 and larger than that in 1997–2000. This difference is consistent with baroclinic response to wind stress field. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Stability of breakwater defenced by a seaward submerged reef

The stability of a uniformly sloped conventional rubble mound breakwater defenced by a seaward submerged reef is investigated using physical model studies. Regular waves of wide ranging heights and periods are used. Tests are carried out for different spacings between two rubble mound structures (X/d=2.5–13.33) and for different relative heights (h/d=0.625–0.833) and relative widths (B/d=0.25–1.33) of the reef. It is observed that a reef of width (B/d) of 0.6–0.75 constructed at a seaward distance (X/d) of 6.25–8.33 breaks all the incoming waves and dissipates energy and protects the breakwater optimally.     

Estimation of Design Wave Height for the Waters around the Korean Peninsula

Long term wave climate of both extreme wave and operational wave height is essential for planning and designing coastal structures. Since the field wave data for the waters around Korean peninsula is not enough to provide reliable wave statistics, the wave climate information has been generated by means of long-term wave hindcasting using available meteorological data. Basic data base of hindcasted wave parameters such as significant wave height, peak period and direction has been established continuously for the period of 25 years starting from 1979 and for major 106 typhoons for the past 53 years since 1951 for each grid point of the North East Asia Regional Seas with grid size of 18 km. Wind field reanalyzed by European Center for Midrange Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) was used for the simulation of waves for the extratropical storms, while wind field calculated by typhoon wind model with typhoon parameters carefully analyzed using most of the available data was used for the simulation of typhoon waves. Design wave heights for the return period of 10, 20, 30, 50 and 100 years for 16 directions at each grid point have been estimated by means of extreme wave analysis using the wave simulation data. As in conventional methodsi of design criteria estimation, it is assumed that the climate is stationary and the statistics and extreme analysis using the long-term hindcasting data are used in the statistical prediction for the future. The method of extreme statistical analysis in handling the extreme events like typhoon Maemi in 2003 was evaluated for more stable results of design wave height estimation for the return periods of 30–50 years for the cost effective construction of coastal structures.     

Laboratory observations of green water overtopping a fixed deck

A small-scale laboratory experiment was conducted to quantify a transient wave overtopping a horizontal, deck fixed above the free surface. Detailed free surface and velocity measurements were made for two cases with and without the deck structure to quantify the effect of the deck on the wave kinematics. The study showed that the structure increased the free surface above the leading edge of the deck by 20%. The velocity profile at the leading edge was fairly uniform, and the maximum horizontal velocity was similar to the maximum crest velocity measured without the deck. Immediately below the deck, the maximum velocity was 2.5 times greater than the corresponding velocity without the deck and 2.1 times greater than the maximum crest velocity without the deck. On the deck, the wave collapsed into a thin bore with velocities that exceeded 2.4 times the maximum crest velocity measured without the deck.     

卫星跟踪浮标和卫星遥感海面高度中的南海涡旋结构

选择4个南海卫星跟踪Argos漂流浮标及同期的TOPEX／Poseidon卫星遥感海面高度资料，研究了南海海域涡旋的活动及空间结构。这4个Argos漂流浮标的轨迹除了基本符合各季节海盆尺度环流趋势外，分别在菲律 宾以西、越南外海、南海中部等海域呈现出中尺度旋转轨迹。这些尺度涡旋现象在同期的TOPEX卫星遥感海面高度异常（SSHA）分布中得到了准确印证，并在诊断得到的地转流场中对应了一系列瞬变的中尺度涡旋运动。     

Sequential forecasting of the surface and subsurface conditions in the Japan Sea

This study estimates a realistic change of the Japan Sea by assimilating satellite measurements into an eddy-resolving circulation model. Suboptimal but feasible assimilation schemes of approximate filtering and nudging play essential roles in the system. The sequential update of error covariance significantly outperforms the asymptotic covariance in the sequential assimilation due to the irregular sampling patterns from multiple altimeter satellites. The best estimates show an average rms difference of only 1.2°C from the radiometer data, and also explain about half of the sea level variance measured by the altimeter observation. The subsurface conditions associated with the mesoscale variabilities are also improved, especially in the Tsushima Warm Current region. It is demonstrated that the forecast limit strongly depends on variable, depth, and location.