Suspended sediment transport along an idealised tidal embayment: settling lag, residual transport and the interpretation of tidal signals

We present semi-analytical solutions for suspended sediment concentration (SSC) and residual sediment transport in a simple mathematical model of a short tidal embayment. These solutions allow us to investigate in some detail the characteristic tidal and semi-tidal variation of SSC and the processes leading to residual sediment transport, including settling and scour lags, the roles of ‘local’ and ‘advective’ contributions, and the presence of internally or externally generated overtides. By interpreting the transport mechanisms in terms of the classic conceptual models of settling lag we clarify how these models may be expressed in mathematical terms. Our results suggest that settling lag is usually a more important process than scour lag, and that a local model which neglects advection may predict the direction of net sediment transport incorrectly. Finally, we discuss our results in the context of other transport processes and morphodynamic feedback.     

Salinisation des nappes côtières : cas de la nappe nord du Sahel de Sfax,Tunisie

The intensive agricultural and economic activities induce the increase of the risk of groundwater quality degradation through high groundwater pumping rates. The salinization and contamination are the main sources of this pollution, especially in coastal aquifers. The explanation of the origin of salinity for the shallow aquifer of Northern Sahel of Sfax was analysed by a chemical study of the groundwater main compounds. The partitioning of groundwaters into homogenous groups is undertaken by graphical techniques, including a Stiff pattern diagram, an expanded Durov diagram and several binary diagrams. The study indicates the presence of various salinization processes. In the recharge area, salinization is the result of dissolution/precipitation of the aquifer formation material (group I). The irrigation water return and the intensive pumping have been identified as major sources of salinization in the south by direct cation exchange and mixing reactions (groups II and III). The anomaly of high groundwater salinity observed near the Hazeg zone was explained by the presence of a seawater intrusion in this area. This hypothesis is related to the high chloride concentration, to the presence of inverse cation exchange reactions (group IV), and to the piezometric level inferior to sea level. To cite this article: R. Trabelsi et al., C. R. Geoscience 337 (2005).     

Physical criteria for distinguishing sandy tsunami and storm deposits using modern examples

Modern subaerial sand beds deposited by major tsunamis and hurricanes were compared at trench, transect, and sub-regional spatial scales to evaluate which attributes are most useful for distinguishing the two types of deposits. Physical criteria that may be diagnostic include: sediment composition, textures and grading, types and organization of stratification, thickness, geometry, and landscape conformity.

Published reports of Pacific Ocean tsunami impacts and our field observations suggest that sandy tsunami deposits are generally < 25 cm thick, extend hundreds of meters inland from the beach, and fill microtopography but generally conform to the antecedent landscape. They commonly are a single homogeneous bed that is normally graded overall, or that consists of only a few thin layers. Mud intraclasts and mud laminae within the deposit are strong evidence of tsunami deposition. Twig orientation or other indicators of return flow during bed aggradation are also diagnostic of tsunami deposits. Sandy storm deposits tend to be > 30 cm thick, generally extend < 300 m from the beach, and will not advance beyond the antecedent macrotopography they are able to fill. They typically are composed of numerous subhorizontal planar laminae organized into multiple laminasets that are normally or inversely graded, they do not contain internal mud laminae and rarely contain mud intraclasts. Application of these distinguishing characteristics depends on their preservation potential and any deposit modifications that accompany burial.

The distinctions between tsunami and storm deposits are related to differences in the hydrodynamics and sediment-sorting processes during transport. Tsunami deposition results from a few high-velocity, long-period waves that entrain sediment from the shoreface, beach, and landward erosion zone. Tsunamis can have flow depths greater than 10 m, transport sediment primarily in suspension, and distribute the load over a broad region where sediment falls out of suspension when flow decelerates. In contrast, storm inundation generally is gradual and prolonged, consisting of many waves that erode beaches and dunes with no significant overland return flow until after the main flooding. Storm flow depths are commonly < 3 m, sediment is transported primarily as bed load by traction, and the load is deposited within a zone relatively close to the beach.     

Monitoring Crustal Movement of the Coastal Zone in Eastern China with GPS Technique

In this paper, various dominating factors affecting crustal movement of the coastal zone in eastern China are analyzed, and major characteristics of crustal movement are summarized. Subduction of the pacific plate and Philippine plate and southeastward “escape“ of Qinghai-Tibet plateau are believed to be dominating factors affecting crustal movement of that zone. Undoubtedly, it is a best way to monitor this kind of large-scale crustal movement with GPS technique. The feasibility of monitoring crustal m...     

水分条件对藜蒿(Artemisia selengensis)富集湿地土壤重金属的影响

基于鄱阳湖南矶山湿地土壤及藜蒿Cd、As污染风险评价,利用盆栽实验研究水分条件对区域土壤理化性质、砷镉形态及其上生长的藜蒿(Artemisia selengensis)重金属富集能力的影响.结果表明:土壤Cd含量超标,存在生态风险,藜蒿茎中As含量达食品污染限量标准,存在食用风险;藜蒿对Cd、As的富集能力受土壤水分环境影响,水分增加会造成土壤pH与有机质含量上升,抑制藜蒿富集Cd的同时促进富集As.线性回归计算显示土壤有效态As含量与藜蒿As富集量呈显著正相关,可以用来评价藜蒿As富集情况,而土壤有效态Cd含量与藜蒿Cd富集量间无显著相关性.结合区域土壤Cd、As污染情况,适宜控制水分为缺水或旱湿交替条件,可以降低藜蒿等湿地植物中Cd的富集量;适宜控制水分为淹水条件,可以减少土壤Cd、As有效态含量.     

基于半分析算法的香港邻近海域叶绿素a浓度反演

为进一步了解香港近海水体特性及监测其水质状况,根据2001年3-5月在香港临近海域调查取得的实测资料,对该海域水体光谱进行解析,开发该海域叶绿素a浓度与色素吸收系数aph(675)的经验模型,具有较高相关性;用剖面数据外推及水体光谱模拟方法完成对水下表面遥感反射率光谱的推导;进而建屯反演低浓度区叶绿素a浓度的半分析算法,反演结果与实测值比较平均相对误差为45%,均方根差0.933,相关系数0.78,误差主要来源于外推演算及散射模型.结果表明该算法在低悬浮物低叶绿素浓度区域有一定适用性.     

近30年长江下游升金湖湿地不同季节景观生态风险时空分析

以安徽省升金湖湿地为研究对象,使用1989年、1996年、2003年、2010年和2017年四季Landsat系列遥感数据,构建景观生态风险评价模型,计算不同季节景观生态风险指数,分析风险空间分布及其变化特征,并使用Pearson相关系数分析季节间、季节与年度间景观生态风险相关性.结果显示:(1)不同季节景观生态风险指数有显著差异,生态风险从高到低依次为夏季、冬季、秋季和春季,夏、冬季风险指数平均高出春、秋季37.03%.(2) 1989—2017年升金湖湿地景观生态风险指数明显增加,湖区内泥滩、草滩等重要景观类型极易受人类活动影响,逐渐由中风险、较高风险区转变成较高风险、高风险区,且人造表面与草滩面积与较高风险和高风险区面积呈现出一定的协同变化特征.总体上,升金湖湿地以较低景观生态风险和中景观生态风险为主,较高景观生态风险与高景观生态风险主要位于上、下湖区.(3)季节间景观生态风险相关性最高的为秋季与冬季;年度生态风险与冬季生态风险高度相关.因此,近30年升金湖不同季节湿地景观生态风险时空演变趋势体现了该湿地景观格局变化对景观生态系统干扰的压力响应,且秋季与冬季湖区湿地需引起高度重视.     

Influence of Changes in the Prevailing Synoptic Conditions on the Response of Aerosol Characteristics to Land- and Sea-Breeze Circulations at a Coastal Station

The changes in the response of near surfaceaerosol properties to land- and sea-breezecirculations, associated with the changes in the prevailing synoptic meteorological conditions, are examined for a tropical coastal station. Aerosol properties are nearly similar in both the breeze regimes (land and sea) during seasons of marine airmass while they are distinct during seasons of continental airmass. As the prevailing winds shift from continental to marine and the ambient weather changes from winter conditions to the humid monsoon season, the submicron mode, which dominated the aerosol mass-size distribution, is largely suppressed and the dominance of the super micron mode increases. During periods of continental air mass (winter), the aerosol loading is significantly higher in the land-breeze regime, (particularly in the submicron range) but as the winds shift to marine, the loading initially becomes insensitive to the breeze regimes and later becomes higher in the sea-breeze regime, particularly in the super micron range.     

Response of single benthic metrics and multi-metric methods to anthropogenic pressure gradients, in five distinct European coastal and transitional ecosystems

In recent times many benthic indices have been proposed to assess the ecological quality of marine waters worldwide. In this study we compared single metrics and multi-metric methods to assess coastal and transitional benthic status along human pressure gradients in five distinct environments across Europe: Varna bay and lake (Bulgaria), Lesina lagoon (Italy), Mondego estuary (Portugal), Basque coast (Spain) and Oslofjord (Norway). Hence, 13 single metrics (abundance, number of taxa, and several diversity and sensitivity indices) and eight of the most common indices used within the European Water Framework Directive (WFD) for benthic assessment were selected: index of size spectra (ISS), Benthic assessment tool (BAT), Norwegian quality index (NQI), Multivariate AMBI (M-AMBI), Benthic quality index (BQI), (Benthic ecosystem quality index (BEQI), Benthic index based on taxonomic sufficiency (BITS), and infaunal quality index (IQI). Within each system, sampling sites were ordered in an increasing pressure gradient according to a preliminary classification based on professional judgement. The different indices are largely consistent in their response to pressure gradient, except in some particular cases (i.e. BITS, in all cases, or ISS when a low number of individuals is present). Inconsistencies between indicator responses were most pronounced in transitional waters (i.e. IQI, BEQI), highlighting the difficulties of the generic application of indicators to all marine, estuarine and lagoonal environments. However, some of the single (i.e. ecological groups approach, diversity, richness) and multi-metric methods (i.e. BAT, M-AMBI, NQI) were able to detect such gradients both in transitional and coastal environments, being these multi-metric methods more consistent in the detection than single indices. This study highlights the importance of survey design and good reference conditions for some indicators. The agreement observed between different methodologies and their ability to detect quality trends across distinct environments constitutes a promising result for the implementation of the WFD’s monitoring plans. Moreover, these results have management implications, regarding the dangers of misclassification, uncertainty in the assessment, use of conflicting indices, and testing and validation of indices.