Process‐based modeling of kilometer‐scale alongshore sandbar variability

Subtidal nearshore sandbars may exhibit cyclic net offshore migration during their multi‐annual lifetime along many sandy coasts. Although this type of behavior can extend continuously for several kilometers, alongshore variations in cross‐shore bar position and bar amplitude are commonly observed. Alongshore variability is greatest when bars display km‐scale disruptions, indicative of a distinct alongshore phase shift in the bar cycle. An outer bar is then attached to an inner bar, forming a phenomenon known as a bar switch. Here, we investigate such large‐scale alongshore variability using a process‐based numerical profile model and observations at 24 transects along a 6 km section of the barred beach at Noordwijk, The Netherlands. When alongshore variability is limited, the model predicts that the bars migrate offshore at approximately the same rate (i.e. the bars remain in phase). Only under specific bar configurations with high wave‐energy levels is an increase in the alongshore variability predicted. This suggests that cross‐shore processes may trigger a switch in the case of specific antecedent morphological configurations combined with storm conditions. It is expected that three‐dimensional (3D) flow patterns augment the alongshore variability in such instances. In contrast to the observed bar behaviour, predicted bar morphologies on either side of a switch remain in different phases, even though the bars are occasionally located at a similar cross‐shore position. In short, the 1D model is not able to remove a bar switch. This data‐model mismatch suggests that 3D flow patterns are key to the dissipation of bar switches. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Application Progress and Prospect of Argus System in Beach Research in China

Reliable, continuous and long-term data is needed in order to understand precisely the evolution of a beach system. Because of the advantages of real-time, low cost, simple operation, strong adaptability, high resolution and continuous data, Argus video monitoring system has developed rapidly in recent years, and its research and application fields have gradually expanded. Composition of the Argus system was briefly introduced, and the application of this system in beach research in China was described, and the accuracy of the extracted data was analysed. It was shown that the average vertical and plane distance error is 0.145 m and 11.73 m respectively, which depends on the distance from Argus observatory. Argus system has been widely used in beach research abroad, but it is still in the early stage in China. In the future, it is expected to provide more powerful and perfect technical support in coastal engineering construction evaluation, coastal hydrodynamic monitoring and bathymetry inversion, beach tourism management and research on morphodynamic evolution of estuary sand spits.     

Analysis of the effects of different storm events on shoreline dynamics of an artificially embayed beach

A five‐year dataset of Argus‐derived mean intertidal positions has been analysed to characterize the shoreface variability in a beach protected by a system of groynes and a parallel low crested structure (Lido di Dante Ravenna, Italy). For the period 2004–2009, 84 intertidal beach bathymetries and shorelines at the zero sea level were used as indicators to assess beach changes in between a number of selected surveys and to determine characteristic patterns of the beach response to storm events from different directions. Variations in the shoreline at the zero sea levels have been quantified and analysed in conjunction with nearshore wave conditions and provenance linked to storm events. These fall into two categories: (1) storm events occurring during Bora (north‐eastern) wind conditions and (2) storm events occurring during Scirocco (south‐eastern) wind conditions. The results show that, apart from main beach advances of the whole protected beach due to nourishments periodically carried out, a marked variability is observed among the four sub‐cells into which the shoreface behaviour has been separately analysed. In particular, a dependence of beach rotation in the ‘artificially embayed’ area on the substantially bi‐directional wave climate has been shown: Bora and Scirocco storm events produce shoreline rotation in counterclockwise and clockwise directions, respectively, due to the occurrence of longshore currents in the opposite direction in the nearshore. An attempt was made to correlate the shoreface dynamics for the main rotation events (14 selected ones) to the wave attack intensity (as the total energy flux due to storm events). A relationship seems to occur (for each storm category) between the shoreline displacements estimated for each sub‐cell and the total energy flux computed for inter‐survey periods, supporting the occurrence of a link between the observed morphological changes and the hydrodynamic forcing associated with storm events in the five‐year monitoring period. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Dome Argus： Ideal site for deep ice drilling

Located on the centre of ice drainage range, the highest Dome Argus （Dome A） of East Antarctic Ice Sheet （EAIS）, could be represented as an ideal site for deep ice cores drilling containing oldest paleo-climate records. To select a suitable drilling site for deep ice core, it needs gather all information pertaining to the local meteorology, ice sheet landforms, ice thickness, subgla- cial topography of bed rocks, ice velocity, internal structures of ice sheet, etc. Based on the International Partnerships in Ice Core Sciences （IPICS）, we present recent achievement of glaciological research and its perspective at Dome A in this paper. We system- atically discussed the merits and possible ventures of potential drilling sites around Dome A. Among all the candidates, we find that the Chinese Antarctic Kunlun Station is the best site for and assess further the possibility to obtain a replicate core for carrying out the first deep ice core drilling campaign. We emphasize studying dynamics and evolution of climate change.     

Determination of wave–shoreline dynamics on a macrotidal gravel beach using Canonical Correlation Analysis

This paper describes the application of Canonical Correlation Analysis (CCA) to derive forcing–response relations between the wave climate and shoreline position on a macrotidal gravel barrier located in the southwest of the U.K., and to develop a tool to determine shoreline positions from wave records. The data sequences comprise wave climate recorded by a nearshore directional wave buoy and video-derived shorelines over a time span of one year and a half. The hydrodynamic conditions are used to determine the probability density function of wave heights and alongshore energy fluxes. These are then related to shoreline change through a CCA analysis. The CCA analysis identifies patterns of behaviour of the wave conditions and the shoreline position, and the relation between both patterns is found to provide useful information about the beach response to wave action. The analysis shows that the movement of sediment is greater at the southern end of the study area and that there is an immediate shoreline response to the wave action. In the case of coastal management it is more often the case that wave forecasts are available on a routine basis. The ability of the CCA to provide useful estimates of shorelines from wave conditions was tested by using measured waves to calculate the corresponding shoreline position from additional data at the end of the sequences. Shoreline positions determined with the CCA agreed well with the measured ones. Thus, the CCA is found to be a useful tool to determine unknown shoreline positions and support effective coastal management if good quality hydrodynamic and morphological data are available to input into the initial set-up of the technique.     

The effect of temporal wave averaging on the performance of an empirical shoreline evolution model

The effect of using time-averaged wave statistics in a simple empirical model for shoreline change is investigated. The model was first calibrated with a six-year time series of hourly wave conditions and weekly shoreline position at the Gold Coast, Australia. The model was then recalibrated with the hourly waves averaged over intervals up to 1 year. With wave averaging up to 2 days, model performance was approximately constant (squared correlation r² ~ 0.61–0.62), with only small changes in the values of empirical model parameters (e.g. the beach response coefficient c varied by less than 4%). With between 2 and 40 day averaging, individual storms are not resolved; model skill decreased only modestly (r² ~ 0.55), but c varied erratically by up to 40% of the original value. That is, optimal model coefficients depend on wave averaging, an undesirable result. With increased averaging (> 40 days) seasonal variability in the wave field is not resolved well and model skill declined markedly. Thus, temporal averaging of wave conditions increases numerical efficiency, but over-averaging degrades model performance and distorts best-fit values of model free parameters.     

Optical measurements of tsunami inundation through an urban waterfront modeled in a large-scale laboratory basin

This paper presents optical measurements of tsunami inundation through an urban waterfront in a laboratory wave basin. The physical model was constructed at 1:50 scale and was an idealization of the town of Seaside, Oregon. The fixed-bed model was designed to study the initial inundation zone along an urban waterfront, such that the flow around several large buildings could be observed. This paper presents an analysis of the optical measurements made with two overhead video cameras, focusing on tracking the leading edge of the tsunami inundation through the urban waterfront and quantifies the accuracy of the algorithm used to track the edge. The results show that the methodology provides high-resolution information in both time and space of the leading edge position, and that these data can be used to quantify the influence of large macro-roughness features on the tsunami inundation processes in laboratory settings. The overall effect of the macro-roughness was to decrease the bore propagation speed relative to the control section with no macro-roughness. The bore speed could be reduced by as much as 40% due to the presence of the macro-roughness relative to the control section.     

潮滩干湿转换的地貌发育物理模型及动力机制

为研究潮汐作用下潮滩干湿转换过程中的潮沟系统形成和地貌发育,使用黄河三角洲潮滩天然粉砂建立试验室物理模型,并首次将Argus系统引入试验,用于监测现场,模拟在一定坡度下潮滩干湿转换过程的地表变化,分析了天然粉砂孔隙内潴留空气对潮滩地形起伏的动力机制,研究了不均匀流对地貌发育的影响。研究表明,整平均匀、坡度均一的干潮滩,在正向潮流、潮汐作用下,粉砂孔隙内潴留空气排出滞后于潮流淹没,承压后沿水平和垂直方向随机运移,导致平坦的潮滩表面形成细微的地形起伏。这种初始起伏会进一步影响潮流运动和潮滩冲淤,从而形成各种潮滩地貌形态,并决定着潮滩地貌空间分布。高潮滩形成高密度和连通复杂的不规则潮沟-碗口状塌陷系统;中潮滩和低潮滩较为平坦,在微小陡坎和碗口状塌陷上方发育有沿岸线平行方向排列分布的树枝状细密潮沟,且有明显的溯源侵蚀现象。受不均匀水流影响,中心轴附近潮滩率先淹没,孔隙内潴留空气排赶到两侧,导致潮滩中间地表较为平坦,两侧地表变化大,且沙波偏移以中部为对称轴,两侧对称。     

Automated mapping of the intertidal beach bathymetry from video images

This paper presents a fully automated procedure to derive the intertidal beach bathymetry on a daily basis from video images of low-sloping beaches that are characterised by the intermittent emergence of intertidal bars. Bathymetry data are obtained by automated and repeated mapping of shorelines from video time exposure images for different (tidal) water levels (Aarninkhof, S.G.J., Turner, I.L., Dronkers, T.D.T., Caljouw, M., Nipius, L., 2003. A video-based technique for mapping intertidal beach bathymetry. Coastal Engineering 49, 275–289; Plant, N.G. and Holman, R.A., 1997. Intertidal beach profile estimation using video images. Marine Geology 140, 1–24.). The developed procedure handles intelligent selection of a shoreline search area and unsupervised quality control of the obtained bathymetry data. The automatically retrieved beach bathymetries compare very well to bathymetries derived from the original manual mapping procedure and to ground truth data points (DGPS).     

Beach Wizard: Nearshore bathymetry estimation through assimilation of model computations and remote observations

A data–model assimilation method (called “Beach Wizard”) is presented with which the nearshore subtidal bathymetry can be accurately estimated based on video-derived observations of wave roller dissipation and variation of the intertidal shoreline, and/or radar-derived observations of wave celerity. Using many consecutive images, these observed properties are compared with numerical model results, and through a simple, optimal least-squares estimator approach the estimated bathymetry is adjusted gradually for each image in order to improve the fit between model output and observations. The key advantages of the technique are that it is based on multiple sources of information (i.e., different remote sensors and/or data products), depends on only a few free parameters (to which the model results are insensitive), and shows good skill. Herein, the technique is applied to a synthetic case and two sets of field data from sites at Duck, NC (USA) and Egmond (The Netherlands). The method, which may be extended with observations of other properties from other sources than the three described in this paper, can deliver coastal state information (i.e., simultaneous updates of bathymetry, waves, and currents) with high temporal and spatial resolution and can be used in conjunction with or instead of in-situ measured data.