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.

Modeling of suspended sediment transport with wave-induced longshore current in Huanghe (Yellow) River Delta

A three-dimensional suspended sediment model （SED） developed by the present authors is coupled with the combinatorial model of COHERENS （Luyten et al., 1999） （the three-dimensional coupled hydrodynamical-ecological model for Regional and Shelf Seas） and SWAN （Holthuijsen et al., 2004） （the third generation wave model）. SWAN is regarded as a subroutine of COHERENS and gets time- and space-varying current velocity and surface elevation from COHERENS. COHERENS gets time- and space- varying wave relevant parameters provided by SWAN. Effects of wave on current are applied in bottom shear stress, wave-induced depth-dependent radiation stress and surface drag coefficient calculation. At the same time, the damping function of suspended sediment on turbulence is introduced into COHERENS. So the sediment model SED has feedback on circulation model COHERENS. The SED obtains current associated parameters from COHERENS. Then a coupled hydrodynamic-sediment model COHERENS-SED being able to account for interaction between wave and current is obtained. COHERENS-SED is adopted to simulate three-dimensional suspended sediment transport in the Huanghe River delta. In terms of simulation results, there is obvious difference between top and bottom layer of wave-induced longshore current. The values of time series of sediment concentration gotten by COHERENS-SED have, generally, an accepted agreement extent with measurement. Significant wave heights and wave periods obtained by COHERENS-SED show that wave simulation case with currentts effect can give better agreement extent with measurement than case without current＇s effect. In the meantime, suspended sediment concentration distributing rule obtained by COHERENS-SED is similar to former researches and measurement.

Numerical simulation on the evolution of sediment waves caused by turbidity currents

Interest in the forming mechanism of sediment waves increases recently because of its significance on submarine engineering, sedimentary dynamics and hydrocarbon reservoir prediction in deep water. In this paper, the time-averaged continuity equations and Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes equations are applied in the numerical simulation of fluid dynamics. The modeling results are used to illuminate the effects of topography on turbidity current and explore the origin of submarine sediment waves. The research results show that (1) deposition occurs firstly at the lower ramp due to the deceleration of fluid, increase of density, loss of flow capacity and longer duration of flow passage; (2) density increase at the upslope due to the local jam results in velocity decrease and pressure increase; (3) sediment waves begin to be formed and migrated toward upstream in an area far away from the source with in- crease of the turbidity events; (4) deposition becomes more slowly with decrease of grain sizes, but the shape and sequences of these deposits are controlled by topography, not grain size.

Field Observation and Analysis of Wave-Current-Sediment Movement in Caofeidian Sea Area in the Bohai Bay, China

In order to study the mechanism of flow-sediment movement, it is essential to obtain measured data of water hydrodynamic and sediment concentration process with high spatial and temporal resolution in the bottom boundary layer （BBL）. Field observations were carried out in the northwest Caofeidian sea area in the Bohai Bay. Near 2 m isobath （under the lowest tidal level）, a tripod system was installed with AWAC （Acoustic Wave And Current）, ADCP （Acoustic Doppler Current Profilers）, OBS-3A （Optical Backscatter Point Sensor）, ADV （Acoustic Doppler Velocimeters）, etc. The accurate measurement of the bottom boundary layer during a single tidal period was carried out, together with a long-term sediment concentration measurement under different hydrological conditions. All the measured data were used to analyze the characteristics of wave-current-sediment movement and the BBL. Analysis was performed on flow structure, shear stress, roughness, eddy viscosity and other parameters of the BBL. Two major findings were made. Firstly, from the measured data, the three-layer distribution model of the velocity profiles and eddy viscosities in the wave-current BBL are proposed in the observed sea area; secondly, the sediment movement is related closely to wind-waves in the muddy coast area where sediment is clayey silt： 1） The observed suspended sediment concentration under light wind conditions is very low, with the peak value generally smaller than 0.1 kg/m^3 and the average value being 0.03 kg/m^3; 2） The sediment concentration increases continuously under the gales over 6-7 in Beaufort scale, under a sustained wind action. The measured peak sediment concentration at 0.4 m above the seabed is 0.15-0.32 kg/m^3, and the average sediment concentration during wind-wave action is 0.08-0.18 kg/m^3, which is about 3-6 times the value under light wind conditions. The critical wave height signaling remarkable changes of sediment concentration is 0.5 m. The results show that the suspended load sediment concentration is mainly influenced by wave-induced sediment suspension.

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.

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.

A FVCOM-Based Unstructured Grid Wave, Current,Sediment Transport Model,I.Model Description and Validation

An effort was made to couple FVCOM (a three-dimensional (3D),unstructured grid,Finite Volume Coastal Ocean Model) and FVCOM-SWAVE (an unstructured grid,finite-volume surface wave model) for the study of nearshore ocean processes such as tides,circulation,storm surge,waves,sediment transport,and morphological evolution.The coupling between FVCOM and FVCOM-SWAVE was achieved through incorporating 3D radiation stress,wave-current-sediment-related bottom boundary layer,sea surface stress parameterizations,and morphology process.FVCOM also includes a 3D sediment transport module.With accurate fitting of irregular coastlines,the model provides a unique tool to study sediment dynamics in coastal ocean,estuaries,and wetlands where local geometries are characterized by inlets,islands,and intertidal marsh zones.The model was validated by two standard benchmark tests: 1) spectral waves approaching a mild sloping beach and 2) morphological changes of seabed in an idealized tidal inlet.In Test 1,model results were compared with both analytical solutions and laboratory experiments.A further comparison was also made with the structured grid Regional Ocean Model System (ROMS),which provides an insight into the performance of the two models with the same open boundary forcing.

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.

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.

Wave-current bottom shear stresses and sediment re-suspension in the mouth bar of the Modaomen Estuary during the dry season

On the basis of the measurement data pertaining to waves, current, and sediment in February 2012 in the mouth bar of the Modaomen Estuary, the Soulsby formulae with an iterative method are applied to calculating bottom shear stresses （BSS） and their effect on a sediment resuspension. Swell induced BSS have been found to be the most important part of the BSS. In this study, the correlation coefficient between a wavecurrent shear stress and SSC is 0.86, and that between current shear stresses and SSC is only 0.40. The peaks of the SSC are consistent with the height and the BSS of the swell. The swell is the main mechanism for the sediment re-suspension, and the tidal current effect on sediment re-suspension is small. The peaks of the SSC are centered on the high tidal level, and the flood tide enhances the wave shear stresses and the SSC near the bottom. The critical shear stress for sediment re-suspension at the observation station is between 0.20 and 0.30 N/m2. Tidal currents are too weak to stir up the bottom sediment into the flow, but a WCI （wave-current interaction） is strong enough to re-suspend the coarse sediment.

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 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.

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.

An interpretation of wave refraction and its influence on foreshore sediment distribution

To analyze the grain size and depositional environment of the foreshore sediments, a study was undertaken on wave refraction along the wide sandy beaches of central Tamil Nadu coast. The nearshore waves approach the coast at 45° during the northeast(NE) monsoon, at 135° during the southwest(SW) monsoon and at 90° during the non-monsoon or fair-weather period with a predominant wave period of 8 and 10 s. A computer based wave refraction pattern is constructed to evaluate the trajectories of shoreward propagating waves along the coast in different seasons. The convergent wave rays during NE monsoon, leads to high energy wave condition which conveys a continuous erosion at foreshore region while divergent and inept condition of rays during the SW and non-monsoon, leads to moderate and less energy waves that clearly demarcates the rebuilt beach sediments through littoral sediment transport. The role of wave refraction in foreshore deposits was understood by grain size and depositional environment analysis. The presence of fine grains with the mixed population, during the NE monsoon reveals that the high energy wave condition and sediments were derived from beach and river environment. Conversely, the presence of medium grains with uniform population, during SW and non-monsoon attested less turbulence and sediments were derived from prolong propagation of onshore-offshore wave process.These upshots are apparently correlated with the in situ beach condition. On the whole, from this study it is understood that beaches underwent erosion during the NE monsoon and restored its original condition during the SW and non-monsoon seasons that exposed the stability of the beach and nearshore condition.

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.

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.

Wave-Enhanced Sediment-Gravity Flows in Bohai Bay Lacustrine Basin, Eastern China

Sequences of wave-enhanced sediment-gravity flows(WESGFs) have been widely recognized in the marine shelf environment. In this study, we show observations of WESGF deposits in lacustrine settings using well core and thin section data from the Paleogene in the Jiyang sub-basin, Bohai Bay basin, eastern China. The findings of this study include the following: 1) the sequence of WESGFs in the lacustrine basin is similar to that of marine; it consists of three units, MF1 unit: siltstone with basal erosion surface, MF2 unit: silt-streaked claystone, and MF3 unit: silty-mudstone; and 2) prodelta sand sheets are found in the lacustrine WESGF sequence and are classified as the MFd unit: clay-streaked siltstone. However, because the system size and variability in hydrodynamic conditions are different between the lacustrine and marine basins, lacustrine WESGFs do appear to have three distinguishable features: 1) the sediment grain size and sand content are slightly higher than those of the marine WESGFs; 2) lacustrine WESGFs may contain prodelta sediments or sedimentary sequences of other types of gravity flows, such as hyperpycnal flows; and 3) the scale of the sedimentary structures for lacustrine WESGFs is smaller. The WESGFs found in the continental lacustrine basin provide a new model for sediment dispersal processes in lake environments and may be helpful to explain and predict the distribution of sandy reservoirs for oil and gas exploration.

海岸植被防护机制的物理模型试验研究进展

基于自然的海岸修复与防护越来越受到人们关注,从海岸植被对水动力及泥沙运动影响机制的物理模型试验研究方面,介绍了试验研究中植被的描述方法,包括植被的分类、材料选择、特性表征等;综述了植被影响下的流场结构、消浪特征、形态阻力相关的研究进展;论述了悬沙浓度分布、泥沙再悬浮、沉积和冲刷模式等泥沙输运方面的研究成果;结合大量模型试验研究,提出了未来的研究趋势。

Characteristics of internal-wave and internal-tide deposits and their hydrocarbon potential

The study of internal-wave and internal-tide deposits is a new research field on sedimentology during the last ten years. Deep-water traction currents induced by internal waves and internal tides are developed on the modern sea floor, which can form not only all kinds of small scale and dispersal deepwater traction currents deposits, but also large-scale sediment wave in km-size scale. In this paper, the concepts and features of internal waves and internal tides in oceanography are introduced, and the characteristics, sedimentary sequences, sedimentary microfacies and sedimentation models of internalwave and internal-tide deposits found and the origin of large scale sediment waves in deep sea bottom are summarized. The relationship between internal-wave and internal-tide deposits and petroleum is discussed, and finally internal-wave and internal-tide deposits are shown to be a new potential field for petroleum exploration.