Diagnosis of the sediment transport in the Belgian Coastal Zone

Estimating the age of particles in marine environment constitutes an invaluable tool to understand the interactions between complex flows and sediment dynamics, particularly in highly energetic coastal areas such as the Belgian Coastal Zone (Southern Bight in the North Sea). To this end, the Constituent Age and Residence time Theory – CART – introduced by Delhez, E.J.M., Campin, J.-M., Hirst, A.C., Deleersnijder, E. [1999a. Toward a general theory of the age in ocean modelling. Ocean Modelling 1, 17–27] for passive water constituents is extended to describe the sediment dynamics. It is then used in combination with a three-dimensional coupled hydrodynamic-sediment transport model to investigate sediment processes in the Belgian Coastal Zone focusing on two complementary aspects of the sediment dynamics: the internal sediment motion and redistribution within the Belgian coast; and the horizontal transport.     

Improved coastal boundary condition for surface water waves

Surface water waves in coastal waters are commonly modeled using the mild slope equation. One of the parameters in the coastal boundary condition for this equation is the direction at which waves approach a coast. Three published methods of estimating this direction are examined, and it is demonstrated that the wave fields obtained using these estimates deviate significantly from the corresponding analytic solution. A new method of estimating the direction of approaching waves is presented and it is shown that this method correctly reproduces the analytic solution. The ability of these methods to simulate waves in a rectangular harbor is examined.     

The short-term impact of managed realignment on soil environmental variables and hydrology

In July 2000 a flood defence embankment protecting abandoned agricultural land in the estuary of the River Torridge, Devon, UK, was breached as part of a managed realignment (MR) project. The objective was to restore the agricultural land, reclaimed from saltmarsh some 200 years previously, to its former habitat. Changes to the soil hydrological regime and alteration of the soil environment at the site were studied. The most significant observed impact at the MR site was the change in flooding regime, with regular tidal inundation occurring to a maximum depth of 52 cm during spring tides. Prior to the realignment, soil water table fluctuations were linked to patterns of spring and neap tides. Post-realignment, a change in mean water table height of more than 50 cm was observed at the MR site, and soil redox potential at 5 cm depth was reduced by over 700 mV immediately following reflooding, changing the soil environment from an oxidised to a reduced environment. Topsoil water (collected from 10 cm depth) demonstrated large, short-term reductions in pH. Prior to realignment topsoil water pH ranged from 6.6 to 8.7, but following realignment remained below 5 for approximately nine weeks, reaching a minimum of 3.3. Short-term changes in conductivity and NH₄⁺ concentrations in topsoil water also occurred, conductivity rising from <2000 μS to >40,000 μS following realignment, while NH₄-N concentrations rose from 0.10 mg l⁻¹ to 10.05 mg l⁻¹. Cotton tensile strength loss (CTSL) reflected these changes, exhibiting large decreases in decomposition rates at 5–10 cm depth immediately following the realignment. These results have implications for the management of MR projects, and for the health and quality of the estuary in general.     

虾池浮游植物群落特征及其与虾病的关系

１９９１年６月至９月对大连地区３个虾场养殖的中国对虾及虾池浮游植物群落进行了调查，研究了虾池浮植物群落的组成结构、数量分布、演替特征及其与虾病之间的关系。结果表明，虾池浮游植物群落组成和数量分布具有较大的突发性；优势种单一，多为赤潮生物种类，有些种类原本为底栖生物；群落演替时间短，变化快；养殖对虾发病症状为红腿和黄鳃，严重出现死亡。浮游植物的总量尤其是赤潮种类的总量与对虾的发病程度有正相关性；群     

The transition from the Soviet system to a market economy as a cause of instability in the Estonian coastal fisheries sector

This study analyzes how overall changes in political and economic life during the last decade have affected the Estonian coastal fishery of the Baltic Sea. At the beginning of the nineties, the opportunity to export fish to the European market emerged. Opening of this new market resulted in rapidly increasing pressure on fish stocks. Some of the most important coastal fishery resources were over-fished because of high export market demand coupled with insufficient resource management and ineffective control and enforcement mechanisms. The costs associated with fishery have grown much more than the first-buyer prices. Additionally, dynamic development of the Estonian economy has resulted in substantial increases in earnings in other economic sectors and therefore the relative wealth of fishermen has steadily declined. This has resulted in increasing social problems. In conclusion, countries in transition may encounter serious difficulties in the fisheries sector, arising from privatization and economic reforms, which may affect the fisheries even years after the establishment of new ruling principles.     

Water mass ages of coastal ponds estimated using Ra and Ra as tracers

Measurements of the naturally occurring radioisotopes ²²³Ra (t_1/2 = 11.4 days) and ²²⁴Ra (t_1/2 = 3.66 days) in southern Rhode Island salt ponds were combined with a simple model to obtain independent estimates of the age of these coastal waters. Surface water and porewater samples were collected quarterly in Winnapaug, Quonochontaug, Ninigret, Green Hill, and Pt. Judith-Potter Ponds, as well as nearly monthly in the surface water of Rhode Island Sound, beginning January 2002 through August 2003. Surface water activities ranged from 1–78 dpm 100 L^− 1 and 5–885 dpm 100 L^− 1 for ²²³Ra and ²²⁴Ra, respectively. Porewater radium activities ranged from 3 to 715 dpm 100 L^− 1 for ²²³Ra, and 57–4926 dpm 100 L^− 1 for ²²⁴Ra. Results indicate seasonally varying water mass ages for Ninigret (5–12 days), Winnapaug (2–6 days) and Pt. Judith-Potter Ponds (1–9 days) and, in contrast, relatively constant ages for Green Hill (5–7 days) and Quonochontaug Ponds (3–6 days).     

Digital Tide-Coordinated Shoreline

The shoreline is one of the most important features on earth's surface. It is valuable to a diverse user community. But the dynamic nature of the shoreline makes it difficult to be represented in a naturally dynamic style and to be utilized in applications. The officially used shoreline, for example in nautical charts, is the so-called tide-coordinated shoreline. It is also the shoreline that makes the computation of shoreline changes and associated environmental changes meaningful. Mapping of the tide-coordinated shoreline has been very costly. On the other hand, instantaneous shorelines extracted from different data sources may be available. Also, high-resolution satellite and airborne imagery have the capacity of stereo imaging and can be used to extract instantaneous shorelines at a high accuracy and low cost. This article proposes an approach to derivation of digital tidecoordinated shorelines from (a) those instantaneous shorelines and (b) digital coastal surface models and a digital water surface model. Some preliminary study results, analysis, and the potential of the approach are discussed.     

Quasi-three-dimensional modelling of the morphology of longshore bars

A morphological quasi-three-dimensional (Q3D) area model for barred coasts has been developed. The model combines a two-dimensional depth integrated model for wave-driven currents with a model for undertow circulation currents. The combined model makes a simultaneous simulation of the bar-forming processes associated with the undertow and the horizontal wave-driven circulation currents, which may cause instabilities of the bar and the formation of rip channels. Situations with normal and oblique wave incidence are considered. Compared to the depth integrated approach the Q3D model produces less pronounced alongshore irregularities for obliquely incident waves. For normal incident waves the Q3D model produces a crescentic bar while the depth integrated model predicts almost straight sections of the bar interrupted by rip channels. The sensitivity to variation of wave angle and beach slope is further investigated.     

Biogeochemical processes in a freshwater–seawater mixing zone in permeable sediments along the coast of Southern Brazil

The southern portion of the Brazilian coast is dominated by coastal lagoons formed by sandy barrier spits with small inlets. This coastal configuration is a barrier to the surface flow of freshwater to the sea; thus, we suspect that a significant amount of freshwater flows through the permeable sands, beneath the barrier spits, where it mixes with seawater. We excavated an 18-m-deep well into the barrier spit which separates the Patos Lagoon from the South Atlantic. Using this well, we were able to sample interstitial waters from discrete layers, at 1-m intervals, which were analyzed for salinity, temperature, pH, nutrients (ammonium, nitrate, phosphate, and silicate), uranium, molybdenum, and barium. Similar analyses were made on surface water samples from the Patos Lagoon estuarine mixing zone.Results of well samples show a continuous increase in salinity with depth reaching 18 at the bottom. Ammonium and silicate are high, generally around 100 and 100–150 μM, respectively, throughout the subterranean profile. Phosphate shows a distinct maximum at about 6 m (ca. 25 μM), and nitrate is generally low in all well samples. Uranium and molybdenum exhibit a minimum in the well profile at about the same location where barium exhibits a maximum (greater than 2 μM). When results are compared to the surface lagoon–seawater mixing data, ammonium, phosphate, silicate, and barium in well samples of similar salinity show considerable enrichment, while a comparison of uranium and molybdenum data indicates significant depletion of these metals in most well samples.Based on these and other data, we deduce that the following processes are active: products of remineralization of organic detritus accumulated in lagoon sediments are advected through permeable sediments to the oceans; dissolution of biogenic solids and/or solid silicates mobilizes silicate; phosphate, uranium, and molybdenum are mobilized from phosphate-rich sediment layers; sulfate reducers remove uranium and perhaps molybdenum from solution throughout most of the well profile; barium is desorbed from solids in the subterranean mixing zone. These results demonstrate that freshwater discharged to the ocean through permeable sediments may have a significantly different composition than that discharged at the surface.