Tidal time-scale variation in nutrient flux across the sediment–water interface of an estuarine tidal flat

We determined the range of the tidal variations in nutrient flux across the sediment–water interface and elucidated mechanisms of the flux variation in two estuarine intertidal flats (one sand, one mud) in northeastern Japan. Nutrient flux was measured using in situ light and dark chambers, which were incubated for 2 h, 2–6 times per day. Results showed that nutrient concentration in overlying water varied by tide and was also affected by sewage-treated water inflow. The nutrient fluxes responded quickly to the tidal variation in overlying water chemistry and the range of the variation in flux was as large as the seasonal-scale variation reported in previous studies. In the sand flat, salinity increase likely enhanced benthos respiration and led to increases in both O₂ consumption and PO₄³⁻ regeneration under low illumination, while benthic microalgae were likely to actively generate O₂, uptake PO₄³⁻ and suppress PO₄³⁻ release under high illumination (>900 μmol photons m⁻² s⁻¹). Also in the mud flat, PO₄³⁻ flux was related with O₂ flux, although the range of temporal variation in PO₄³⁻ flux was small. In both the flats, NH₄⁺ flux was always governed by NH₄⁺ concentration in the overlying water; either an increase in NH₄⁺ uptake or a decrease in NH₄⁺ release was observed as the NH₄⁺ concentration rose due to inflow of river water or input of sewage-treated water. Although NO₃⁻ tended to be released in both tidal flats when low NO₃⁻ concentration seawater dominated, their relationship was likely to be weakened under conditions of low oxygen consumption and suppressed denitrification. It is likely that tidal variation in nutrient flux is governed more by the nutrient concentration than other factors, such as benthic biological processes, particularly in the case where nutrient concentration in the overlying water is relatively high and with wide amplitude.     

A Continuous Mapping of Tidal Current Structures in the Kanmon Strait

Tidal current structures at the Hayatomono-Seto of the Kanmon Strait are mapped continuously during March 17 to 20, 2003, including a spring tide, by the eight coastal acoustic tomography (CAT) systems distributed on both the sides of the strait. Detailed structures of strong tidal currents and their associated vortices are well reconstructed by the inverse analysis of travel-time difference data obtained from the reciprocal sound transmission between the paired CAT systems located at both sides of the strait mainly. The results are well compared to the shipboard acoustic Doppler current profiler (ADCP) data at the correlation rate of 0.84/0.82 and the RMS difference of 0.47/0.48 ms⁻¹ for the east-west/north-south current after the selection of good data. During the observation period, the maximum hourly mean volume transport for the upper 7 m layer across the strait reached 13,314 m³ s⁻¹ for the eastward and 5,547 m³ s⁻¹ for the westward. The daily mean transport is directed to the eastward and estimated 1,470 m³ s⁻¹ and 2,140 m³ s⁻¹ for March 18 and 19, respectively, when a spring tide occurs.     

中国基岩海湾潮流地貌模式及其沉积动力特征

对我国基岩海湾内的潮流沉积和地貌进行了系统研究。根据潮滩、潮流水道、潮流沙脊等地貌单元的组合特征，概括出3种潮流地貌模式：潮滩型、滩-槽型和滩槽-脊型。通过各模式海湾环境特征的对比分析，设定紊动射流系数Rbjet做为判别潮流水道形成发育程度的水动力参数，发现潮流水道较为发育的滩-槽型和滩-槽-脊型海湾往往开敞度较小，纵深较长，而平均潮差较大，Rbjet大于45。潮流沙脊是区分滩-槽型和滩-槽脊型潮流地貌模式的标志地貌，粗颗粒泥沙来源是其发育的必备条件：残留沉积、海岸侵蚀来沙丰富的海湾内潮流沙脊发育；河流来沙则可以改造形成小规模现代潮流脊；而靠近大河河口，细颗粒来源丰富的海湾则不利于潮流沙脊发育，湾内形成滩-槽型潮流沉积。     

Some observational results of sea storm current

INTRODUCTIONDr. Hollister, a marine geologist of the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, firstpointed out that there was ocean storm current in the ocean. He found out the wavy texture inthe seabed core samples, and suggested that this wavy texture was caused by the high speedsea current in remote antiquity. He then suggested a bold hypothesis that there existed a benthic storm current near the ocean bottom, and presented this hypothesis at the IUGG confer-ence held at San Francisco…     

Silting in the Lower Courses of Tidal Sluices in China

Serious sediment deposition often occurs after the construction of tidal sluices in snrall or medium-sized tidal muddy estuaries, so desilting or dredging is needed to meet the demands of flood diseharge, saltwater retaining, and navigation in those areas. In this paper, the problem of sediment deposition induced by construction of tidal sluices is analyzed.Different problems of silting near tidal sluices for different types of estuaries are summed up. at the same time, corresponding methods are given to solve these probleras, and a few successful examples are also given. The idea of comprehensive regulation and utilization of estuaries is put forward, and some proposals for solution of sediment deposition in this kind of estuaries are made.     

长江口北支潮汐能源的综合利用

长江口北支有着丰富的潮汐能源及淡水，航运、水产等资源，因长期未加规划、治理，以致远未开发利用，反使河道淤浅，迳流减少，通航能力降低，且有大量泥沙，盐倒灌南支，恶化航道、水质，亟待整治、开发。研究提出，北支潮汐能可有效地用以发电和疏浚河道。可利用北支有利的河势，建造大、小双库开发方式的潮汐电站，并利用该河上、下游端间具有潮时差的有利因素，使电站可以连续不断发电、供电。同时可利用建造的上、中、下游三座水闸，逐级集水攻沙，冲刷航道淤沙，提高通航能力，实现江、海直接联运。另可兼收淡水供应，水产养殖、旅游，以及沟通崇明岛与苏北的陆上交通等效益，潮汐电站工程可采用现实可行的新技术、新材料、新的结构形式，以降低造价，使我国潮汐能得到充分开发利用。     

A model of the galactic tidal interaction with the oort comet cloud

We consider a model of the in situ Oort cloud which is isotropic with a random distrihution of perihelia directions and angular momenta. The energy distribution adopted has a continuous range of values appropriate for long-period (>200 yr) comets. Only the tidal torque of the Galaxy is included as a perturbation of comet orbits and it is approximated to be that due to a quasi-steady state distribution of matter with disk-like symmetry. The time evolution of all orbital elements can be analytically obtained for this case. In particular, the change in the perihelion distance per orbit and its dependence on other orbital elements is readily found. We further make the assumption that a comet whose perihelion distance was beyond 15 AU during its last passage through the Solar System would have orbit parameters that are essentially unchanged by planetary perturbations. Conversely, if the prior passage was inside 15 AU we assume that planetary perturbations would have removed the comet from the in situ energy distribution accessible by the galactic tide. Comets which had their perihelia changed from beyond 15 AU to within 5 AU in a single orbit are taken to be observable. We are able to track the evolution of 10⁶ comets as they are made observable by the galactic tidal touque. Detailed results are obtained for the predicted distribution of new (0 < 1/ < 10^–4 AU^–1) comets. Further, correlations between orbital elements can be studied. We present predictions of observed distributions and compare them with the random in situ results as well as with the actual observed distributions of class I comets. The predictions are in reasonable agreement with actual observations and, in many cases, are significantly different from random when perihelia directions are separated into galactic northern and southern hemispheres. However the well-known asymmetry in the north-south populations of perihelia remains to be explained. Such an asymmetry is consistent with the dominance of tidal torques today if a major stochastic event produced it in the past since tidal torques are unable to cause the migration of perihelia across the latitude barriers ±26°.6 in the disk model.     

Bedload yields for sand‐bed streams in the Ngarradj Creek catchment,Northern Territory,Australia

Bedload yields were calculated by 39 methods at the East Tributary gauge, nine methods at Upper Swift Creek gauge and 11 methods at Swift Creek gauge in the Ngarradj Creek catchment in northern Australia. These methods involved combining various significant bedload rating curves determined for a measured bedload data set for a 4‐year period with either the hourly or daily hydrographs or flow duration curves for the same period, 1 September 1998 to 31 August 2002. Bedload ratings were both statistically significant (ρ ≤ 0.05) and explained at least 60% of the variance in bedload flux. Bias corrections were used with all methods based on log₁₀‐transformed ratings. Estimated mean annual bedload yields varied by three orders of magnitude at the East Tributary gauge and by two orders of magnitude at Upper Swift Creek and Swift Creek gauges. Hourly discharges usually produced higher estimated yields than daily discharges. The bedload rating‐flow duration curve technique overestimates yields and bias correction methods always produce even higher yields. Ratings using both immersed bedload weight and adjusted immersed bedload weight always under‐predicted yields because they contain an implicit threshold of motion condition that is at least four times greater than that predicted by Bagnold's threshold equation. Such a result questions the applicability of Bagnold's threshold equation to the Ngarradj Creek catchment. The best estimates of mean annual bedload yield at East Tributary, Upper Swift Creek and Swift Creek gauges are 600 ± 170 (SE), 1065 ± 150 and 1795 ± 270 t/year, respectively. © 2015 Commonwealth of Australia. Hydrological Processes © 2015 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.     

Groundwater response to tidal fluctuations in a leaky confined coastal aquifer with a finite length

The study on the hydraulic properties of coastal aquifers has significant implications both in hydrological sciences and environmental engineering. Although many analytical solutions are available, most of them are based on the same basic assumption that assumes aquifers extend landward semi‐infinitely, which does not necessarily reflect the reality. In this study, the general solutions for a leaky confined coastal aquifer have been developed that consider both finitely landward constant‐head and no‐flow boundaries. The newly developed solutions were then used to examine theoretically the joint effects of leakage and aquifer length on hydraulic head fluctuations within the leaky confined aquifer, and the validity of using the simplified solution, which assumes the aquifer is semi‐infinite. The results illustrated that the use of the simplified solution may cause significant errors, depending on joint effects of leakage and aquifer length. A dimensionless characteristic parameter was then proposed as an index for judging the applicability of the simplified solution. In addition, practical application of the general solution for the constant‐head inland boundary was used to characterize the hydraulic properties of a leaky confined aquifer using the data collected from a field site at the Seine River estuary, France, and the versatility of the general solution was further justified.