Interaction between internal solitary waves and the seafloor in the deep sea

Internal solitary wave(ISW),as a typical marine dynamic process in the deep sea,widely exists in oceans and marginal seas worldwide.The interaction between ISW and the seafloor mainly occurs in the bottom boundary layer.For the seabed boundary layer of the deep sea,ISW is the most important dynamic process.This study analyzed the current status,hotspots,and frontiers of research on the interaction between ISW and the seafloor by CiteSpace.Focusing on the action of ISW on the seabed,such as transformation and reaction,a large amount of research work and results were systematically analyzed and summarized.On this basis,this study analyzed the wave–wave interaction and interaction between ISW and the bedform or slope of the seabed,which provided a new perspective for an in‐depth understanding of the interaction between ISW and the seafloor.Finally,the latest research results of the bottom boundary layer and marine engineering stability by ISW were introduced,and the unresolved problems in the current research work were summarized.This study provides a valuable reference for further research on the hazards of ISW to marine engineering geology.

Impact of seepage flow on sediment resuspension by internal solitary waves:parameterization and mechanism

Sediment incipient motion is the first step in sediment resuspension.Previous studies ignored the effect of seepage flow on the mobility of sediment particles and simplified the seabed surface as a rigid boundary.A flume experiment was designed to innovatively divide the seabed into two parts to control the dynamic response of the seabed and control the seepage conditions.In the experiment,the seabed sediments and the amplitude of internal solitary waves(ISWs)were changed to compare and analyze the impact of seepage flow on the sediment resuspension by shoaling ISWs.Moreover,parametric research and verification were carried out.Results indicate that seepage flow can greatly influence fine sand,promote sediment resuspension,and increase the amount of suspension by two times on average.However,seepage flow had a little effect on the suspension of clayey silt and sandy silt.Besides,seepage force was added to the traditional gravity,drag force,and uplift force,and the parameterization of threshold starting shear stress of coarse-grained sediments was developed.The results of this parameterization were verified,and seepage force was critical to parameterization.The threshold starting shear stress was reduced by 54.6%after increasing the seepage force.The physical mechanism of this process corresponded to the vertical reciprocating transient seepage in and out the seabed interface caused by the wave-induced transient excess pore water pressure.This quantitative study on seepage flow for shear stress of coarse-grained sediments induced by ISWs is critical to geohazard assessment.

Submarine Trenches and Wave-Wave Interactions Enhance the Sediment Resuspension Induced by Internal Solitary Waves

Internal solitary waves(ISWs)are nonlinear fluctuations in nature that could cause significant interactions between seawater and the seabed.ISWs have been proven to be an adequate cause of sediment resuspension in shallow and deep-sea environments.In the South China Sea,ISWs have the largest amplitude globally and directly interact with the seabed near the Dongsha slope in the northern South China Sea.We analyzed the water profile and high-resolution multibeam bathymetric data near the Dongsha slope and revealed that submarine trenches have a significant impact on the sediment resuspension by ISWs.Moreover,ISWs in the zone of the wave-wave interaction enhanced sediment mixing and resuspension.The concentration of the suspended particulate matter inside submarine trenches was significantly higher than that outside them.The concentration of the suspended particulate matter near the bottoms of trenches could be double that outside them and formed a vast bottom nepheloid layer.Trenches could increase the concentration of the suspended particulate matter in the entire water column,and a water column with a high concentration of the suspended particulate matter was formed above the trench.ISWs in the wave-wave interaction zone near Dongsha could induce twice the concentration of the bottom nepheloid layer than those in other areas.The sediment resuspension caused by ISWs is a widespread occurrence all around the world.The findings of this study can offer new insights into the influence of submarine trench and wave-wave interaction on sediment resuspension and help in geohazard assessment.

Two Kinds of Waves Causing the Resuspension of Deep-Sea Sediments:Excitation and Internal Solitary Waves

The resuspension of marine sediments plays a key role in the biogeochemical cycle and marine ecology system.Internal solitary waves are considered to be important driving forces of the resuspension of bottom sediments.In this paper,the movement of turbidity currents,the generation and the effects on the bottom bed of internal solitary waves and excitation waves are studied by flume tests and numerical simulations,and the sediment resuspension are analyzed.The results show that the excitation wave can lead to the resuspension of the bottom sediments under all the conditions,while the internal solitary wave can lead to the resuspension of the sediment only under some special conditions,such as high amplitude or large underwater slope.Under the experimental conditions,the change in the near-bottom velocity caused by the excitation wave is close to three times that of the internal solitary wave.

Vertical Diffusion Coefficient with Stratification Effect for Silty Sediment Suspension Under Waves

To analyze previous experimental data of suspended sediment concentration for silty sediment with different sediment particle sizes due to waves, a new stratification correction coefficient is presented. The suspended sediment concentration gradient and sediment particle diameter are selected as parameters. Furthermore, a diffusion coefficient model with a stratification effect over the whole water depth for silty sediment suspension under waves is developed. The comparison between the suspended sediment concentration calculated by the presented model and several groups of experimental data shows that the model can reasonably reflect the vertical distribution of silty sediment suspension.The stratification effect calculated by the present model decreases with an increase in the sediment particle diameter,which indicates that the model can be extended to describe the suspended sediment concentration of fine to medium sand when the near-bottom sediment concentration is not very high. Although the original model needs to be iteratively solved, the approximate method without iteration is recommended for applications when the near bottom sediment concentration is between 10 and 20 kg/m~3 due to the small difference between the non-iterative and iterative solution for near bed layer suspended sediment concentration, which plays a major role in sediment transport.

Dimension-Reduced Model for Deep-Water Waves

Starting from the 2D Euler equations for an incompressible potential flow, a dimension-reduced model describing deep-water surface waves is derived. Similar to the Shallow-Water case, the z-dependence of the dependent variables is found explicitly from the Laplace equation and a set of two one- dimensional equations in x for the surface velocity and the surface elevation remains. The model is nonlocal and can be formulated in conservative form, describing waves over an infinitely deep layer. Finally, numerical solutions are presented for several initial conditions. The side-band instability of Stokes waves and stable envelope solitons are obtained in agreement with other work. The conservation of the total energy is checked.

Numerical simulation of sediment transport in coastal waves and wave-induced currents

Prediction of coastal sediment transport is of particularly importance for analyzing coast erosion accurately and solving the corresponding coast protection engineering problems.The present study provided a numerical scheme for sediment transport in coastal waves and wave-induced currents.In the scheme,the sand transport model was implemented with wave refraction-diffraction model and near-shore current model.Coastal water wave was simulated by using the parabolic mild-slope equation in which wave refraction,diffraction and breaking effects are considered.Wave-induced current was simulated by using the nonlinear shallow water equations in which wave provides radiation stresses for driving current.Then,sediment transport in waves and wave-induced currents was simulated by using the two-dimensional suspended sediment transport equations for suspended sediment and the bed-load transport equation for bed load.The numerical scheme was validated by experiment results from the Large-scale Sediment Transport Facility at the US Army Corps of Engineer Research and Development Center in Vicksburg.The numerical results showed that the present scheme is an effective tool for modeling coastal sediment transport in waves and near-shore currents.

Distribution of Time-Averaged Suspended Sediment Concentration Due to Waves

According to the mechanism of sediment suspension under waves, namely, the main reason of sediment suspension changes from the turbulent mixing in the bottom boundary layer to the periodic motion of the water particle near the free water surface, a three-layer model of sediment concentration distribution due to waves is presented along the whole water depth based on the concept of the finite mixing length. 1he determination of the parameters in the model is discussed and an empirical formula is suggested. Comparisons between the calculated results and the measurements indicate that the resuits of the model agree well with the data from both the large and small scale flume experiments.

Features and Origin of Turbidity Current Sediment Waves in the Huatung Basin off the Eastern Taiwan Island

Based on numerous high-resolution seismic profiles,sediment waves and their distribution,morphological characteristics,internal structure,and potential origins were revealed in the eastern waters of Taiwan.The sediment waves are located at the junction between the Taitung Canyon and other canyons in the slope.The wave length and the wave height of a single waveform ranged from 0.8 to 7.2 km and from 18 to 75 m,respectively(NE-SW direction).Sediment waves,located inside the bend of the Taitung Canyon,were characterized by an upward migration and showed mass transport deposits(MTDs)at the bottom,while the inner curve of the bend was subdivided into lower and upper wavy transition units.The sediment waves on the outer curve of the bend were characterized by vertical accumulation,and there was no mass flow deposit at the bottom.According to the geometry of the sediment waves,the calculated flow thicknesses across the entire wave field ranged from 196 to 356 m,and the current velocity ranged from 15 to 21 cm/s.The morphological characteristics,the internal structure,and the distribution of sediment waves,as well as the numerical calculations,evidenced that these sediment waves had formed by turbidity currents.The development of the sediment wave field in eastern Taiwan was found to be similar to that in southwestern Taiwan.It was the sedimentary response of the tectonic movement between 3 and^1 Ma which created the sedimentary systems where gravity flow processes predominated.Turbidity current sediments settled in the place of less topographical constraints or overflowed in the bend section of the Taitung Canyon,which resulted in the formation of sediment wave fields.

Numerical simulation of sediment lifted by waves and transported by tidal currents

The analysis of the scabed processes of a muddy coast has been described in this paper. On the basisof the basic differential equation of tidal current and sediment movement influenced by waves, a numerical simulation system for sediment lifted by waves and transported by tidal currents and scabed processes has been established by using MADI method, and applied to the sea area of Tianjin Port with good results.

Types,characteristics and implication for hydrocarbon exploration of the Middle Miocene deep-water sediments in Beikang Basin,southern South China Sea

The internal seismic architectures of the Middle Miocene in Beikang Basin, southern South China Sea, were investigated and described using regional 2D seismic data from Guangzhou Marine Geology Survey. In particular, five typical seismic facies were identified based on an integrated analysis of the amplitude, continuity, contact relationship, and morphologies of seismic reflections. Bathyal-abyssal fine-grained sediments, deltaic front sandy bodies, turbidites, and small-scale turbidite channels were developed in the Middle Miocene according to the tectonic-sedimentary evolution of the sedimentary basins in the southern South China Sea. The findings of this study suggest that deltaic front sandy bodies and turbidites can be considered as the two major types of deep-water clastic reservoirs for the depression stage of Beikang Basin. A well-developed source-reservoir-cap assemblage was composed by deep rift-stage source rocks, deep-water clastic reservoirs of the Middle Miocene, and bathyal-abyssal deep-water fine-grained sediments after the Middle Miocene, implying a good potential for hydrocarbon exploration.

Study on reflection and transmission characteristics of shear waves at sediment layer interface

Since most of the natural disasters in the Yellow River are caused by sediment,the study of sediment composition,erosion and transport law is a fundamental part of sediment management in the Yellow River.As a method of in-situ testing,shear wave detection can obtain physical parameters such as the shear modulus of sediment.This paper,based on the Biot–Stoll model,deduces the equations for calculating the reflection and transmission coefficients when a shear wave is incident at the interface between sediment layer,and analyzes the effects of frequency,incident angle and porosity on the reflection and transmission coeffi cients of shear waves,as well as the diff erences in the propagation characteristics of longitudinal and shear waves at the interface between sediment layer.The results indicate that the refl ection and transmission coeffi cients of shear waves are linearly related to the porosity of sediment,and the refl ection coeffi cient of shear waves increases with the increase of porosity.The incident angle has a great infl uence on the changes of the reflection and transmission coefficients of shear waves,especially near the critical angle,the coeffi cients change abruptly.The frequency has a great infl uence on the refl ection and transmission coeffi cients of shear waves only near the characteristic frequency of sediment,while deviation from the characteristic frequency,the infl uence is small.The research results have certain signifi cance for obtaining the physical parameters of sediment and analyzying the composition of the Yellow River sediment and its erosion law.

Observed Suspended Sediment Dynamics during a Tidal Cycle above Submerged Asymmetric Compound Sand Waves

The data from Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler （ADCP） of the three-dimensional current-field, echo intensity, modulation of Suspended Sediment Concentration （SSC）, and related water levels and wind velocities have been analyzed as a function of water depth above submerged asymmetric compound sand waves during a tidal cycle in the Lister Tiefofthe German Bight in the North Sea. Signatures of vertical current component, echo intensities and calculated SSC modulations in the water column depend strongly on wind and current velocity. Bursts of vertical current component and echo intensity are triggered by sand waves itself as well as by superimposed megaripples due to current wave interaction at high current ≥ 1.0 m＇s1 and wind speeds ≥ 10.0 m·s^-1, preferably of opposite directions, measured at high spatial resolution. The magnitude of currents and SSC modulations during ebb and flood tidal current phases are only weakly time dependent, whereas the local magnitudes of these parameters are variable in space above the sand waves. Some hydrodynamic parameters are further investigated and analyzed, showing a consistence of ADCP measurements in the applied theory.

Experimental Study on Suspended Sediment Concentration and Its Vertical Distribution under Spilling Breaking Wave Actions in Silty Coast

In this paper, flume experiments are focused on sediment transport inside and outside the surf zone. According to the energy dissipation balance principle of sediment-laden flow and the similarity between energy dissipation of spilling breaking wave and hydraulic jump, formulas are proposed to predict time averaged suspended sediment concentration under both non-breaking and breaking waves. Assuming that the sediment diffusion coefficient, which is related with energy dissipation, is proportional to water depth, formulas are proposed to predict close-to-bed suspended sediment concentration and vertical distribution of suspended sediment under spilling breaking waves, and the prediction shows a good agreement with the measurement.

Numerical study of three-dimensional wave-induced longshore current's effects on sediment spreading of the Huanghe River mouth

A three-dimensional wave radiation stress is introduced into the hydrodynamic sediment coupled model COHERENS-SED, which has been developed through introducing wave-enhanced bottom shear stress, wave dependent surface drag coefficient, wave-induced surface mixing, SWAN, damping function of sediment on turbulence, sediment model and depth-dependent wave radiation stress to COHERENS. The COHERENS-SED is adopted to study the effects induced by wave-induced three-dimensional longshore current on suspended sediment spreading of the Huanghe River （Yellow River） mouth. Several different cases divided by setting different wave parameters of inputting boundary waves are carried out. The modeling results agree with measurement data. In terms of simulation results, it is easy to know that three-dimensional wave radiation stress plays an obvious role when inputting boundary wave height is stronger than 3 m. Moreover, wave direction also affects the sediment spreading rules of the mouth strongly too.

Numerical Simulation of Breaking Wave Generated Sediment Suspension and Transport Process Based on CLSVOF Algorithm

The sediment suspension and transport process under complex breaking wave situation is investigated using large eddy simulation (abbreviated as LES hereafter) method. The coupled level set (LS) and volume of fluid (VOF) method is used to accurately capture the evolution of air-water interface. The wall effect at the bottom is modeled based on the wave friction term while the complicate bottom boundary condition for sediment is tackled using Chou and Fringer's sediment erosion and deposition flux method. A simulation is carried out to study the sediment suspension and transport process under periodic plunging breaking waves. The comparison between the results by CLSVOF method and those obtained by the LS method is given. It shows that the latter performs as well as the CLSVOF method in the pre-breaking weak-surface deformation situation. However, a serious mass conservation problem in the later stages of wave breaking makes it inappropriate for this study by use of the LS method and thus the CLSVOF method is suggested. The flow field and the distribution of suspended sediment concentration are then analyzed in detail. At the early stage of breaking, the sediment is mainly concentrated near the bottom area. During the wave breaking process, when the entrapped large-scale air bubble travels downward to approach the bottom, strong shear is induced and the sediment is highly entrained.

Flume experimental study on evolution of a mouth bar under interaction of floods and waves

Based on the characteristics of hydrodynamics and sediment transport in the bar area in the Modaomen Estuary,a flume experiment was performed to study the evolution of the longitudinal profile of the mouth bar.The mouth bar evolution was investigated under the impacts of floods with different return periods as well as flood-wave interaction.The results showed that floods with different return periods had significant influences on the evolution of the river mouth bar.Particularly on the inner slope of the mouth bar,the sediment was substantially active and moveable.The inner slope and the bar crest tended to be remarkably scoured.The erosion was intensified with the increase of the magnitude of floods.Moreover,the bar crest moved seawards,while the elevation of the bar crest barely changed.Under the flood-wave interaction,a remarkable amount of erosion on the inner and outer slopes of the mouth bar was also found.The seaward displacement of the bar crest under the interaction of floods and waves was less than it was under only the impact of floods,while more deposition was found on the crest of the mouth bar in this case.

Threshold of Sediment Movement in Different Wave Boundary Layers

A review of former studies on the onset of sediment movement under wave action reveals that the Shields criterion obtained in unidirectional steady flow can also be applicable to oscillatory unsteady flow when the boundary layer is the same. In this paper, through comparison of different boundary layers in wave and steady flow conditions, a new criterion is presented which can be used to predict the threshold of sediment movement Linder wave action. The criterion curve shows good agreement with the experimental data.

Sedimentary structure of the western Bohai Bay basin and other basins in North China revealed by frequency dependent P-wave particle motion

High-resolution seismic models of sediment basins are critical inputs for earthquake ground motion prediction and petroleum resource exploration.In this study we employed a newly developed technique that utilizes the frequency-dependent nonlinear P-wave particle motion to estimate sedimentary structure beneath the Bohai Bay basin.A recent study suggests that the delay of the P wave on the horizontal component relative the vertical component and its variations over frequency are caused by interference of the direct P wave with waves generated at the sediment base.The frequency-dependent delay time can be used to constrain sediment thickness and seismic velocity beneath recording stations.We measured the particle motions of teleseismic P waves recorded by 249 broadband stations of the North China Array,which covers the western Bohai Bay basin and its surrounding areas.We found that the P waves of 90 stations inside the Bohai Bay basin and other local basins within the Taihang and Yanshan mountain ranges exhibit significant frequency-dependent nonlinear particle motions,and used the particle motion data to invert the sediment thickness(Z0)and surface S-wave velocity(β0).The estimated sediment thickness inside the Bohai Bay Basin varies from 1.02 km to 3.72 km,with an average of 3.20 km,which roughly agrees with previous active source studies.

Comparison of Turbulence Schemes for Prediction of Wave-Induced Near-Bed Sediment Suspension Above A Plane Bed

Based on a wave bottom boundary layer model and a sediment advection-diffusion model, seven turbulence schemes are compared regarding their performances in prediction of near-bed sediment suspension beneath waves above a plane bed. These turbulence algorithm., include six empirical eddy viscosity schemes and one standard two-equation k-e model. In particular, different combinations of typical empirical formulas for the eddy viscosity profile and for the wave friction factor are examined. Numerical results are compared with four laboratory data sets, consisting of one wave boundary layer hydrodynamics experiment and three sediment suspension experiments under linear waves and the Stokes second-order waves. It is shown that predictions of near-bed sediment suspension are very sensitive to the choices of the empirical formulas in turbulence schemes. Simple empirical turbulence schemes are possible to perform equally well as the two-equation k-ε model. Among the empirical schemes, the turbulence scheme, combining the exponential formula for eddy viscosity and Swart formula for wave friction factor, is the most accurate. It maintains the simplicity and yields identically good predictions as the k-ε model does in terms of the wave-averaged sediment concentration.