A universal nutrient application strategy for the bioremediation of oil-polluted beaches

Biostimulation by nutrient application is a viable technology for restoring oil-contaminated beaches. Maximizing the nutrient residence time is key for achieving a rapid cost-effective cleanup. We considered the nutrient injection strategy through a perforated pipe at the high tide line and we simulated numerically beach hydraulics, which allowed us to estimate the optimal injection flow rate of nutrient solution. Our results indicate that the optimal application is one that starts following the falling high tide and lasts for half tidal cycle. The saturated wet-front of the nutrient solution on the beach surface would move seaward with the same speed of the falling tide keeping a constant distance with the tide line. The numerical results were generalized to beaches of wide ranges of hydraulic and tidal properties using a novel dimensionless formulation for water flow and solute transport in porous media. Nomographs were presented to provide the flow rate based on four parameters: The beach slope and hydraulic conductivity, and tidal amplitude and period.     

Mapping beach morphodynamics remotely: A novel application tested on South African sandy shores

Sandy beaches have been identified as threatened ecosystems but despite the need to conserve them, they have been generally overlooked. Systematic conservation planning (SCP) has emerged as an efficient method of selecting areas for conservation priority. However, SCP analyses require digital shapefiles of habitat and species diversity. Mapping these attributes for beaches from field data can take years and requires exhaustive resources. This study thus sought to derive a methodology to classify and map beach morphodynamic types from satellite imagery. Since beach morphodynamics is a strong predictor of macrofauna diversity, they could be considered a good surrogate for mapping beach biodiversity. A dataset was generated for 45 microtidal beaches (of known morphodynamic type) by measuring or coding for several physical characteristics from imagery acquired from Google Earth. Conditional inference trees revealed beach width to be the only factor that significantly predicted beach morphodynamic type, giving four categories: dissipative, dissipative-intermediate, intermediate and reflective. The derived model was tested by using it to predict the morphodynamic type of 28 other beaches of known classification. Model performance was good (75% prediction accuracy) but misclassifications occurred at the three breaks between the four categories. For beaches around these breaks, consideration of surf zone characteristics in addition to beach width ameliorated the misclassifications. The final methodology yielded a 93% prediction accuracy of beach morphodynamic type. Overlaying other considerations on this classification scheme could provide additional value to the layer, such that it also describes species’ spatial patterns. These could include: biogeographic regions, estuarine versus sandy beaches and short versus long beaches. The classification scheme was applied to the South African shoreline as a case study. The distribution of the beach morphodynamic types was partly influenced by geography. Most of the long, dissipative beaches are found along the west coast of the country, the south coast beaches are mostly dissipative-intermediate, and the east coast beaches range from short, estuarine pocket and embayed beaches in the former Transkei (south east), to longer intermediate and reflective beaches in KwaZulu-Natal (in the north east). Once combined with the three biogeographic regions, and distinguishing between estuarine and sandy shores, the South African coast comprised 24 different beach types. Representing shorelines in this form opens up potential for numerous spatial analyses that can not only further our understanding of sandy beach ecology at large spatial scales but also aid in deriving conservation strategies for this threatened ecosystem.     

Relationships between bioturbation by Tylos spinulosus (Crustacea, Isopoda) and its distribution on sandy beaches of north-central Chile

The semi-terrestrial isopod, Tylos spinulosus Dana, is a common inhabitant of the upper shore levels of sandy beaches of north-central Chile (ca. 26–30°S). During daylight hours, this isopod remains buried in the sand, while during the night emerges for feeding on stranded organic detritus, leaving exit holes on the beach surface. After feeding, isopods return to dig in their burrowing zones leaving surface irregularities such as cone-shaped mounds of sand. The burrowing preference of T. spinulosus was studied in the field, by: (i) releasing 30 isopods on artificially prepared sand circles (2 m diameter) having exit holes and mounds similar to those left by the isopods and on circles without holes and mounds, and (ii) counting active and buried isopods 15 min after their release in the experimental arenas. The circles had two densities of holes and mounds: treatments 1 and 2 had 100 and 200 holes, respectively, while treatments 3 and 4 had 100 and 200 mounds, respectively. Other 30 isopods were released on sand circles without these holes and mounds (treatment 5). A significantly higher number of isopods buried in circles with holes and mounds (either inside or outside them), compared with experimental arenas without such structures. These results show that the beach surface heterogeneity resulting from holes and mounds would be one of the processes explaining the patchiness of T. spinulosus and thus, its zonation on the intertidal zones of sandy beaches of north-central Chile.     

Modelling the time-varying extent of groundwater seepage on tidal beaches

The outcrop of groundwater on tidal beaches distinguishes an upper unsaturated region from a lower saturated region of the intertidal profile. Since the 1940s, it has been recognized that the extent of groundwater seepage at the beach face is one factor determining the tendency for erosive or accretionary conditions to prevail. As a primary step towards incorporating bed saturation characteristics within cross-shore sediment transport models, this paper (and accompanying program disk) details a simple model to simulate the time-varying extent of seepage face development across tidal beaches. From a comparison with field results obtained on the macrotidal Central Queensland (Australia) coast, the model appears to provide an encouraging degree of predictive capability. The model also assists in highlighting the sensitivity of seepage face development to varying beach face, tide and wave characteristics.     

山东南部海滩沉积物重金属污染评价及磁学诊断

海滩作为海陆交汇和人类活动最为频繁的区域之一, 由于排污、附近工厂和垃圾倾倒等造成的重金属污染问题亟须重视。以山东南部日照市海滨国家森林公园、芙蓉村、涛雒镇三个海滩为例, 对其表层与垂向沉积物中的Cr、Ni、V、Fe、Zn、Co、Pb共7种重金属含量进行测试, 并使用污染负荷指数(pollution load index, PLI)法与地质累计指数(I_geo)法进行评价。同时对样品进行环境磁学参数测试并建立海滩沉积物重金属污染的磁学诊断模型。PLI显示, 三个海滩均处于污染状态, 污染程度为森林公园海滩＜芙蓉村海滩＜涛雒镇海滩。I_geo结果表明, 森林公园海滩存在V污染, 污染样品占比18%; 芙蓉村海滩存在Ni和V污染, 污染样品占比约33%; 涛雒镇海滩存在Cr、Ni、V污染, 污染样品占比约38%。研究区海滩重金属污染产生的主要原因为当地的工业生产以及水产养殖废水排放。磁参数归一化多元线性分析显示, 质量磁化率χ、饱和等温剩磁SIRM、非磁滞剩磁磁化率χ_ARM三个参数和重金属元素含量关系密切, 可以较好指示重金属含量和污染程度。质量磁化率诊断结果表明,当日照市海滩0.063~0.125 mm粒级沉积物磁化率值大于1 000×10^-8 m³/kg时, 需要注意海滩可能存在重金属元素污染, 可进行更深一步的污染评估。     

A simple data transformation technique for pre-processing survey data at embayed beaches

This note explains a technique used for pre-processing three-dimensional survey data obtained at embayed beaches that exhibit distinct alongshore curvature. Using a log-spiral function fitted to the beach planform, the data is transformed from Cartesian into an alternative alongshore–cross-shore coordinate system. When undergoing this transformation, the curvature in the survey data is effectively removed. This greatly simplifies the application of standard interpolation methods, and in this transformed coordinate system the alongshore and cross-shore directions are now explicitly defined. Using a property unique to the log-spiral, the interpolated data is readily transformed back into the original Cartesian coordinate system for further analyses and interpretation. The practical application and advantages of this technique are then demonstrated using survey data from two embayed beaches in south-eastern Australia.     

Geometry and grain-size sorting of ripples on low-energy sandy beaches: field observations and model predictions

ABSTRACT There are very few field measurements of nearshore bedforms and grain‐size distribution on low‐energy microtidal beaches that experience low‐amplitude, long‐period waves. Field observations are needed to determine grain‐size distribution over nearshore bedforms, which may be important for understanding the mechanisms responsible for ripple development and migration. Additional nearshore field observations of ripple geometry are needed to test predictive models of ripple geometry. Ripple height, length and sediment composition were measured in the nearshore of several low‐energy beaches with concurrent measurements of incident waves. The distribution of sediment sizes over individual ripples was investigated, and the performance of several models of ripple geometry prediction was tested both spatially and temporally. Sediment samples were collected from the crest and trough of 164 ripples. The sand‐sized sediment was separated from the small amount (generally <3%) of coarser material (>2 mm) that was present. Within the sand‐sized fraction, the ripple crests were found to be significantly coarser, better sorted and more positively skewed than the troughs. Overall, the troughs were finer than the crests but contained a greater proportion of the small fraction of sediment larger than 2 mm. The field model of Nielsen (1981 ) and the model of Wiberg & Harris (1994 ) were found to be the most accurate models for predicting the wavelength of parallel ripples in the nearshore of the low‐energy microtidal environments surveyed. The Wiberg & Harris (1994 ) model was also the most accurate model for predicting ripple height. Temporal changes in ripple wavelength appear to be dependent on the morphological history of the bed.     

静态平衡岬湾海岸理论中抛物线方程在海滩养护中的应用

岬湾海岸是全球重要的海岸地形,约占全球岸线的51%。岬间海滩又是岬湾海岸地形中最重要的组成部分。20世纪40年代以来,海洋地质学家和海岸工程师们对岬湾海岸做了大量的研究。尤其在20世纪80年代,有关抛物线形状海湾方程的成果发表和后来相关计算机软件的开发,都对判断岬湾岸线稳定性和预测岬头下游海岸的静态平衡起到至关重要的作用。详细介绍了静态平衡岬湾的概念,并且通过在由动态平衡向静态平衡转化、以岸外坝群保护平直沙岸、提高单岬或丁坝下游的稳定性等方面的具体应用,验证了方程的有效性。通过适当的人工构筑物,配合人工养滩,创造静态平衡的海滩,对海岸带的开发和保护具有重要意义。