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This book describes the latest developments in the hydrodynamics and morphodynamics of tidal inlets, with an emphasis on natural inlets. A review of morphological features and sand transport pathways is presented, followed by an overview of empirical relationships between inlet cross-sectional area, ebb delta volume, flood delta volume and tidal prism. Results of field observations and laboratory experiments are discussed and simple mathematical models are presented that calculate the inlet current and basin tide. The method to evaluate the cross-sectional stability of inlets, proposed by Escoffier, is reviewed, and is expanded, for the first time, to include double inlet systems. This volume is an ideal reference for coastal scientists, engineers and researchers, in the fields of coastal engineering, geomorphology, marine geology and oceanography.
Much of the U.S. coastline is rapidly changingâ€"mostly eroding. That fact places increasing pressure on the planners and managers responsible for coastal development and protection, and could have a direct effect on many of the 125 million Americans living within 50 miles of the coast who rely on its resources and beaches for their livelihood or recreation. Although rapid advances have been made in the measurement systems needed to understand and describe the forces and changes at work in the surf-zone environment, their potential for allowing more accurate and reliable planning and engineering responses has not been fully realized. This book assesses coastal data needs, instrumentation, and analyses, and recommends areas in which more information or better instrumentation is needed.
Along much of the shoreline of the world, tidal inlets play an important role in nearshore processes, providing links between the coastal oceans and protected embayments. Their study is of particular importance not only for the understanding of fundamental processes in coastal oceanography but also for engineering and the proper management of the delicate equilibrium of our shorelines. This volume, based on the International Symposium on Hydrodynamics and Sediment Dynamics of Tidal Inlets held at Woods Hole, MA, presents the reader with an overview of contemporary research on these important features. The coverage includes: - mathematical modelling, including a review of inlet hydrodynamics, - observations on hydrodynamics, - sedimentology and morphology, - tidal deltas, - processes and policies pertaining to sedimentation, and the - impacts of shore protection and dredging in beaches.
The U.S. Gulf Coast provides a valuable setting to study deeply connected natural and human interactions and feedbacks that have led to a complex, interconnected coastal system. The physical landscape in the region has changed significantly due to broad-scale, long-term processes such as coastal subsidence and river sediment deposition as well as short-term episodic events such as hurricanes. Modifications from human activities, including building levees and canals and constructing buildings and roads, have left their own imprint on the natural landscape. This coupled natural-human coastal system and the individual aspects within it (physical, ecological, and human) are under increased pressure from accelerating environmental stressors such as sea level rise, intensifying hurricanes, and continued population increase with its accompanying coastal development. Promoting the resilience and maintaining the habitability of the Gulf Coast into the future will need improved understanding of the coupled natural-human coastal system, as well as effective sharing of this understanding in support of decision-making and policies. Understanding the Long-term Evolution of the Coupled Natural-Human Coastal System presents a research agenda meant to enable a better understanding of the multiple and interconnected factors that influence long-term processes along the Gulf Coast. This report identifies scientific and technical gaps in understanding the interactions and feedbacks between human and natural processes, defines essential components of a research and development program in response to the identified gaps, and develops priorities for critical areas of research.
The exchange of water in a coastal embayment with seawater is forced by tidally driven and gravitational flows. Tidal flows oscillate temporally based on planetary motion, while gravitational flows like those found in rivers act in one direction from high to low altitude. These flows determine the residence time, or the time water will remain within an embayment. At the ocean boundary, many coasts contain barrier islands with inlets through which these flows propagate. The effect that inlets have on the exchange of inland water with the sea has been the subject of research for nearly a century. Residence time is a bulk parameter that can be used to indicate the efficiency of an inlet system to rid itself of contaminants and maintain good water quality. Because coastal embayments are often exposed to anthropogenic pollutants, understanding the processes that control residence time improves our ability to protect coastal ecosystems. Inlet systems, including lagoons and estuaries, are subject to processes of a wide range of spatial and temporal scales. As such, past efforts to identify which processes control the motion and transport of water often rely on assumptions that simplify the kinematics. Today, the rapid evolution of personal computing has enabled the creation of numerical models that resolve the Reynolds Averaged Navier Stokes Equations (RANS) for complex flows found in inlet environments. This dissertation focuses on utilizing such a model to examine the flow in tidal inlet systems and to identify the dominant processes that control exchange and residence time. First, modeling experiments of idealized lagoons are conducted with the aim of quantifying how the shape of an inlet affects residence time. Seventeen different inlet configurations are examined. Methods of quantifying residence time based on previous analytical models are applied to a numerical model for the first time. To better understand the mechanism of exchange, a simple transport model is also developed. In the transport model, a new definition of tidally driven exchange is presented and used to quantify how tidal exchange controls residence time in a lagoon. Residence time is found to be minimized for inlets that are restricted enough to produce energetic tidal flows, but broad enough to prevent a reduction in the tidal prism. To apply the methods derived from the idealized modeling to a real inlet system, a depth-averaged coupled Wave-Flow model of New River Inlet (NRI) in North Carolina is developed. NRI features a relatively narrow inlet that connects to an expansive estuary. The model is calibrated and verified with a collection of field observations obtained during the first ONR funded Inlet and River Mouth Dynamics Departmental Research Initiative (RIVET 1) field experiment. In situ flow, water level, wave and dye concentration observations are used to quantify model performance through a skill analysis. The methods developed to quantify residence time and tidal exchange in the idealized lagoon models are applied to the NRI model. The model is used to quantify residence time with parameters from each tidal cycle from May 1-20, 2012 to examine temporal variability. Through the modeling it is shown that residence time in an estuary is controlled primarily by the geometry of the system, and by the processes of tidal exchange and river flushing. Tidal exchange is further controlled by an assortment of factors including the geometry of the inlet, the magnitude of the tide, and any physical processes that draw water away from the inlet on both the ocean and estuary sides. The temporal variability of tidal exchange is attributed primarily to subtidal fluctuations of the tidal prism and secondarily to nearshore processes driven by wind and waves that produce longshore currents. The river flow at NRI, although weak, is shown to reduce the mean residence time by 14.6%. Future work is needed to develop an analytical expression for the mean residence time in an estuary that includes both the influences of tidal exchange and river flushing.
A new edition of a unique textbook that provides an exhaustive treatment of the world's different coasts—with focus on climate change sea-level rise Coastlines of the world are as diverse and complex as any geological setting on Earth, and understanding them is extremely important. Beaches and Coasts, Second Edition is an exciting and unique textbook that covers the world’s different coasts and details the highly varied processes that have shaped them. This new edition emphasizes the future susceptibility of coast to climate driven stresses and decreasing sediment supplies, and considers various aspects of coastal management that are and/or that need to be undertaken. Seeking to better educate students and readers about the sustainability of coast and coastal environments, this exciting and unique book offers enlightening coverage of: the Earth’s mobile crust; sediments of coastal environments; impacts of sea level change; weather systems and the effects of storms; the influence of wave energy and different tidal regimes; river deltas; coastal bays; estuaries and lagoons; tidal flats; coastal wetlands; beach and nearshore areas; coastal barriers; tidal inlets; glaciated coasts; and rocky coasts. Takes an extensive look at the world's varied coasts and covers the many processes that have shaped them over time Shows how coastal processes and landform evolution are expected to be impacted by climate change Includes new coverage of Hurricane Katrina and the 2005 flooding of New Orleans, Hurricane Sandy and its affect on New York and the earthquake and tsunami in the Indian Ocean and Tohoku Lavishly illustrated with over 400 color photographs and figures Draws on a wealth of author experience that broadens the content of chapters and provides for numerous and varied examples Beaches and Coasts, Second Edition is an excellent text for undergraduate and graduate students of coastal geology, coastal processes and coastal environments.
Along much of the shoreline of the world, tidal inlets play an important role in nearshore processes, providing links between the coastal oceans and protected embayments. Their study is of particular importance not only for the understanding of fundamental processes in coastal oceanography but also for engineering and the proper management of the delicate equilibrium of our shorelines. This volume, based on the International Symposium on Hydrodynamics and Sediment Dynamics of Tidal Inlets held at Woods Hole, MA, presents the reader with an overview of contemporary research on these important features. The coverage includes: - mathematical modelling, including a review of inlet hydrodynamics, - observations on hydrodynamics, - sedimentology and morphology, - tidal deltas, - processes and policies pertaining to sedimentation, and the - impacts of shore protection and dredging in beaches.