A real-time, event-triggered storm surge forecasting system for the state of North Carolina

A new real-time, event-triggered storm surge prediction system has been developed for the State of North Carolina to assist emergency managers, policy-makers and other government officials with evacuation planning, decision-making and resource deployment during tropical storm landfall and flood inundation events. The North Carolina Forecast System (NCFS) was designed and built to provide a rapid response assessment of hurricane threat, accomplished by driving a high-resolution, two-dimensional, depth-integrated version of the ADCIRC (Advanced Circulation) coastal ocean model with winds from a synthetic asymmetric gradient wind vortex. These parametric winds, calculated at exact finite-element mesh node locations and directly coupled to the ocean model at every time step, are generated from National Hurricane Center (NHC) forecast advisories the moment they are inserted into the real-time weather data stream, maximizing the number of hours of forecast utility. Tidal harmonic constituents are prescribed at the open water boundaries and applied as tidal potentials in the interior of the ocean model domain. A directional surface roughness parameterization that modulates the wind speed at a given location based on the types of land cover encountered upwind, a forest canopy sheltering effect, and a spatially varying distribution of Manning’s–n friction coefficient used for computing the bottom/channel bed friction are also included in the storm surge model. Comparisons of the simulated wind speeds and phases against their real meteorological counterparts, of model elevations against actual sea surface elevations measured by NOAA tide gauges along the NC coast, and of simulated depth-averaged current velocities against Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler (ADCP) data, indicate that this new system produces remarkably realistic predictions of winds and storm surge.     

Benthic nitrate biogeochemistry affected by tidal modulation of Submarine Groundwater Discharge (SGD) through a sandy beach face, Ria Formosa, Southwestern Iberia

To investigate both the role of tides on the timing and magnitude of Submarine Groundwater Discharge (SGD), and the effect on benthic nitrogen biogeochemistry of nitrate-enriched brackish water percolating upwards at the seepage face, we conducted a study of SGD rates measured simultaneously with seepage meters and mini-piezometers, combined with sets (n = 39) of high resolution in-situ porewater profiles describing NH₄⁺, NO₃⁻, Si(OH)₄ and salinity distribution with depth (0–20 cm). Sampling took place during two consecutive spring tidal cycles in four different months (November 2005, March, April and August 2006) at a backbarrier beach face in the Ria Formosa lagoon, southern Portugal. Our results show that the tide is one of the major agents controlling the timing and magnitude of SGD into the Ria Formosa. Intermittent pumping of brackish, nitrate-bearing water at the beach face through surface sediments changed both the magnitudes and depth distributions of porewater NH₄⁺ and NO₃⁻ concentrations. The most significant changes in nitrate and ammonium concentrations were observed in near-surface sediment horizons coinciding with increased fraction of N in benthic organic matter, as shown by the organic C:N ratio. On the basis of mass balance calculations executed on available benthic profiles, providing ratios of net Ammonium Production Rate (APR) to Nitrate Reduction Rate (NRR), coupled to stoichiometric calculations based on the composition of organic matter, potential pathways of nitrogen transformation were speculated upon. Although the seepage face occasionally contributes to reduce the groundwater-borne DIN loading of the lagoon, mass balance analysis suggests that a relatively high proportion of the SGD-borne nitrogen flowing into the lagoon may be enhanced by nitrification at the shallow (1–3 cm) subsurface and modulated by dissimilatory nitrate reduction to ammonium (DNRA).     

Landscape-scale analysis of ecosystem risk and returns: A new tool for ICZM

Management of the coastal zone often focuses on “islands” of high value ecosystems, in terms of economic value or conservation. However, integrated management requires landscape-level analysis of all ecosystem values. The biodiversity portfolio analysis (BPA) method is derived from the logic used in share (equity) portfolio management in terms of balancing within a portfolio the returns with the risks. Optimising the returns from a share portfolio, or a suite of ecosystems in a landscape, is dependent on the relationship between the units in terms of risk and return. Three case studies are then presented to test the applicability of the BPA method at the international (North West Europe), regional (Durham Heritage Coast, UK) and local (part of South Uist, Outer Hebrides, UK) spatial scale. The Biodiversity Portfolio Analysis for NW Europe showed that risk and return were highly correlated in the studied Member States. The ranking of risk and return, with the highest first, was Ireland > UK > France=Netherlands > Belgium. For these Member States the risks to ecosystem service provision were positively correlated with GNI (r=0.97, P<0.01); suggesting that the higher the economic importance of coastal and marine resources in a Member State the more at risk the resources are. The regional and local case studies were more focussed on providing information on which to base Integrated Coastal Zone Management (ICZM) decision making; both case studies used stakeholder participation to determine risks and returns. The conclusions from these two case studies show how the BPA method can be useful in terms of setting ICZM priorities and in addressing local coastal issues. The BPA involves making a number of assumptions, however, it does provide coastal managers with a potential tool to strategically plan due to increased awareness of the interaction between the ecosystems in the portfolio.There is a need for such techniques, which involve stakeholder participation and which create objective outcomes, to support the implementation of ICZM.     

Quantifying the storm erosion hazard for coastal planning

The quantity of coastline retreat resulting from storm erosion is one of the most important phenomena that needs to be accurately quantified to facilitate effective coastal management strategies. Historically, the volume of storm erosion (and coastline retreat) accommodated for coastal planning decisions has been directly linked to the storm (usually defined by considering wave height and duration only) with a certain pre-defined return period, known as a Synthetic Design Storm (SDS) (e.g. 1 in 100 year storm). The SDS method of estimating storm erosion volumes for coastal planning thus assumes that, for example, the 1 in 100 year storm event also results in a 1 in 100 year erosion event. This communication discusses the physical reality of this assumption and demonstrates the improved performance of a new method, based on Joint Probability Distributions (JPD) for estimating storm erosion volumes proposed by Callaghan et al. [Callaghan, D.P., Nielsen, P., Short, A.D. and Ranasinghe, R., 2008. Statistical simulation of wave climate and extreme beach erosion. Coastal Engineering, 55(5): 375–390] using one of the world's longest beach profile surveys from Sydney, Australia.     

The new wave overtopping database for coastal structures

Significant effort has been made to generate a homogeneous database on wave overtopping consisting of more than 10,000 irregular wave overtopping tests from more than 160 independent projects or test series, each described by means of 31 parameters. Many coastal structures, including dikes, rubble mound breakwaters, berm breakwaters, caisson structures and combinations have been considered and have been schematised for inclusion in the database. All these overtopping tests are represented by over 300,000 numbers in the database.     

一次模态变异中尺度对流系统的模拟与分析

利用NCEP FNL分析资料及南京多普勒雷达观测,借助WRF模式,对2017年8月19日发生在长江中下游地区的一次中尺度对流系统(MCS)进行模拟和诊断分析。此次MCS组织模态PS(Parallel Stratiform)型和TS(Trailing Stratiform)型共存,开始为带状结构,最后演变为强弓状飑线。气旋切变和低空急流是此次过程的重要影响系统,而午后强烈发展的地面锋触发了此次强对流。在垂直风切变和冷池共同作用下,西侧初始对流发展为PS型模态,东侧发展为TS型模态。由于PS型模态的中低层垂直风切变发生转向,导致其消散。TS型模态附近冷池和垂直风切变相配合,且在后向入流(Rear Inflow Jets,RIJ)作用下发展成为强弓状飑线;RIJ受中低层涡旋对影响而发展增强,其中气旋式涡旋主要由涡度方程中拉伸项决定,而反气旋式涡旋则主要由倾侧项决定。     

基于3S的荣成湾沿岸土地覆被变化及驱动力研究

运用3S技术对最近40年来荣成湾沿岸土地覆被动态变化及驱动力进行研究.结果表明,该区海岸湿地土地覆被总面积和陆域土地覆被总面积变化不大,但其各自类型结构和分布均发生了显著调整,而且二者变化在时间上不同步.从面积上讲,前者以1981年为界,渴湖和沙地先减少后波动增加,滩涂和沼泽地先增加后波动减少;养殖池从无到有并迅速增加...     

基于GF-1号的舟山近岸悬浮泥沙浓度反演研究

文章利用舟山近岸实测光谱数据和国产卫星GF-1号宽视场成像仪(WFV)遥感数据,反演该海域悬浮泥沙浓度。结果表明:(1)线性模型和二次模型相比,二次模型的精确度略高于线性模型,但对于悬沙低浓度区,反演误差过大,故线性模型更适用于舟山近岸水体悬浮泥沙浓度反演;(2)GF-1号B2和B3是悬沙浓度变化的敏感波段,B3/B2波段组合的线性模型反演效果较好;(3)GF-1号遥感数据能够较理想地实现定量反演近岸水体的悬浮物。     

基于ASP.NET MVC的海域海岸带整治修复项目信息管理系统的设计和实现

文章在国家大力开展海域海岸带整治修复的背景下,利用Visual Studio 2013开发平台和SQL Server 2014数据库软件,采用ASP.NET MVC架构设计海域海岸带整治修复项目信息管理系统,实现整治修复项目信息的快速录入,并可进行查询、展示和互动等操作。相比传统信息管理系统,本系统大大提高了可维护性、可扩展性、灵活性和封装性,可促进我国海域海岸带整治修复项目信息管理实现现代化。     

山东昌邑国家级海洋生态特别保护区生态环境现状及管护对策研究

山东昌邑国家级海洋生态特别保护区是目前国内唯一以柽柳林生态系统为主要管理和保护对象的国家级海洋保护区。为系统、全面地了解保护区内生态环境和保护物种的变化趋势,文章对山东昌邑国家级海洋生态特别保护区生态环境现状进行了监测与评价,并根据评价结果,分析了保护区保护与管理中存在的问题。研究表明,该保护区生态环境一直处于亚健康状态,为促进保护及管护,提出了加强保护区生态建设,改变保护区开发利用模式;加强能力建设,实现保护区动态监控;协调发展与保护的关系,实现资源可持续利用;大力开展柽柳生态修复,恢复柽柳的资源状况的对策建议。