Ebb-tidal deltas are shallow features seaward of tidal inlets, acting as a wave filter for the nearby barrier island and a source of sediment for the landward tidal basin. On many ebb-tidal deltas, channels rotate and shoals periodically attach to the downdrift island. This cyclic behavior can also include an alternation between one- and two-channel inlet configurations. The effect of the long-term (> years) cyclic behavior on the short-term patterns of waves, tidal currents, and sediment transport is unknown. Here, we use Delft3D/SWAN models to simulate the Dutch Ameland tidal inlet during four phases of the cycle to show that many of the physical processes on the ebb-tidal delta and in the entire tidal system are affected by the cyclic evolution of channels and shoals. In particular, the periodic variations in the channel positions appear to significantly influence the tidal asymmetry in the inlet and mean flow characteristics. As a result, the net sediment exchange between basin and sea is cyclic and follows the periodicity of the one- and two-channel inlet configuration. Moreover, we find that the wave energy dissipation on the ebb-tidal delta is enhanced by a shallow shoal or an updrift-oriented ebb-channel, which shields the coast from the incoming waves. Our results demonstrate how the cyclic channel-shoal dynamics at natural tidal inlets is likely to affect the safety functions of the ebb-tidal deltas, varying the offshore wave energy dissipation as well as adjusting the sediment pathways on the ebb-tidal delta.
The present study aims to investigate the ocean-shelf exchange through a barrier reef at the shelf edge of the Berau Continental Shelf, Indonesia. Moored and shipboard measurements on currents and turbulence were taken as part of the multidisciplinary East Kalimantan Research Program. These measurements, and collected data on sea levels, meteorology and bathymetry, were used to setup and calibrate a threedimensional hydrodynamic model in the ECOMSED environment, which is derived from the Princeton Ocean Model. The data and model results were first used to study the tidal propagation and mean circulation patterns on the entire Berau Shelf. The diurnal and semidiurnal tides propagate across the isobaths towards the coast, where amplitudes increase. Tide-induced mean currents dominate over monsoon-driven currents, and feature a southward transport pattern close to the coast and a northward transport patterns at 10 to 20 meters depth. Next, the river plume behaviour is studied. Key factors controlling the river plume behavior include advection of stratified waters by the subtidal motion and mixing, which inhibits the stratified region to extend beyond the reef region. The tides drive freshwater in northeastern direction, towards the reef area. The model is subsequently refined and used to study the exchange of water via the reef gaps and over the reef flats in detail. Moored ADCP data reveal extremely large roughness heights in the reef passages and reef flats. These limit the exchange of tidal energy to some degree, acting as a control on sea level gradients over the reefs. Shipboard ADCP measurements across the reef passages show that the spatial structure of velocity data exhibits features of a classical plane jet generated by strong tidal flows. There is a persistent asymmetry between the ebb and flood flow structures. The flow in the center of the reef passage is often opposed to the flow near the reef boundaries. Both data and model results averaged over a tidal period suggest a net flow from ocean to shelf at the shallow reef flats and from shelf to ocean through a deep reef gap
Subtidal water level dynamics in the Berau river, East Kalimantan, Indonesia, feature a pronounced fortnightly variation. The daily mean water levels at a station about 60 km from the sea are 0.2–0.6 m higher during spring tide than during neap tide. To explain the underlying mechanisms, a local subtidal momentum balance is set up from field data, using continuous discharge estimates inferred from measurements taken with a horizontal acoustic Doppler current profiler. It is demonstrated that terms accounting for friction and variation in the water surface gradient are dominant in the subtidal momentum balance. To further investigate the sources of subtidal water level variation, a generic method of analysis is proposed to decompose the subtidal friction term into contributions caused by river flow, by interaction between tidal motions and river flow, and by the tidal motions alone. At the station under study, mainly the river‐tide interaction term is responsible for generating fortnightly variation of the subtidal water level. The contribution from interaction between diurnal, semidiurnal, and quarterdiurnal tides to subtidal friction is significantly smaller. Provided that the reduction of tidal velocity amplitudes with increasing discharges can be predicted from a regression model, the results presented herein can be used to predict changes in subtidal water levels as a result of increased river discharges.
Inundation of barrier islands can cause severe morphological changes, from the break-up of islands to sediment accretion. The response will depend on island geometry and hydrodynamic forcing. To explore this dependence, the non-hydrostatic wave model SWASH was used to investigate the relative importance of bedload transport processes, such as transport by mean flow, short- (0.05–1 Hz) and infragravity (0.005–0.05 Hz) waves during barrier island inundation for different island configurations and hydrodynamic conditions. The boundary conditions for the model are based on field observations on a Dutch barrier island. Model results indicate that waves dominate the sediment transport processes from outer surfzone until landwards of the island crest, either by transporting sediment directly or by providing sediment stirring for the mean flow transport. Transport by short waves was continuously landwards directed, while infragravity wave and mean flow transport was seaward or landward directed. Landward of the crest, sediment transport was mostly dominated by the mean flow. It was forced by the water level gradient, which determined the mean flow transport direction and magnitude in the inner surfzone and on the island top. Simulations suggest that short wave and mean flow transport are generally larger on steeper slopes, since wave energy dissipation is less and mean flow velocities are higher. The slope of the island top and the width of the island foremost affect the mean flow transport, while variations in inundation depth will additionally affect transport by short-wave acceleration skewness.
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