scholarly journals MORPHODYNAMIC OF BEACH SCARPS ON A MACROTIDAL COAST DURING EXCEPTIONAL WATER LEVEL EVENTS (NORMANDY, FRANCE)

2012 ◽  
Vol 1 (33) ◽  
pp. 11
Author(s):  
Yoann Bonte ◽  
Franck Levoy

Although there are numerous studies on the morphology and physical processes affecting the dune's scarp and many conceptual models describing beach scarps on microtidal and mesotidal environments (Sunamura, 1985a ; Short,1999), really quantitative informations about the beach scarp formation is lacking, especially along tidal environments where the tide controls the level of wave attack. However, Sherman and Nordstrom(1985) give a qualitative description of beach scarp formations and evolution based on field observations but without data set. The coast of Calvados (Normandy, France) is a fine example of a macrotidal coast, where beach scarps have been often observed. Along macrotidal beaches, the formation of a berm is classically observed during fair weather conditions which contribute to stabilize the coastline. During stormy conditions, the low atmosphere pressure, short waves and onshore winds cause an increase of the water level, which during spring tides, increases the high tide water level time action. Consequently, the natural berm protecting the dune foot, or sometimes a seawall foot, is threatened by erosion and often destroyed. The goal of this study is to quantify the beach scarp destruction (foot and crest scarp retreat speed, eroded volume...) in relation with the hydraulic and morphologic local conditions.

2021 ◽  
Vol 254 ◽  
pp. 01001
Author(s):  
Sergey Smirnov

Atmospheric electric field diurnal variation measured in fair weather conditions over the ocean surface has a typical form which is called a unitary variation. It is associated with the global time and occurs simultaneously all over the planet. However, the diurnal variation, measured over the ground, depends on many local factors. The diurnal variation maximum of the electric field potential gradient, measured at Paratunka observatory, has the maximum close in time to the unitary variation maximum. In the paper we show that this maximum is determined by local conditions and is associated in time with the sunrise. The diurnal variation maximum of the electric field potential gradient, measured at Paratunka observatory in fair weather conditions, has annual variation coinciding with the annual variation of local sunrise.


2005 ◽  
Vol 56 (7) ◽  
pp. 959 ◽  
Author(s):  
Do-Seong Byun ◽  
Yang-Ki Cho ◽  
In-Ae Huh ◽  
Deirdre E. Hart

During the summer rainy season, double thermoclines were observed in a small canyon-shaped reservoir. The physical processes leading to thermocline evolution are examined from the vertical temperature profile observed along the reservoir before and after rain. Observations show that their evolution is related to the inflow of runoff, which is colder than the reservoir surface water and post-rain fair-weather conditions. Tongue-like distributions of turbidity, conductivity and nutrient concentrations downstream from the headwater clearly reveal the presence of runoff-induced intermediate inflows. In addition to supplying nutrients, the inflow provides the oxygen-deficient intermediate layer with a rich supply of dissolved oxygen. Concurrently, in the upper part of the reservoir runoff-induced inflows may drive the oxygen-deficient bottom water to shift downstream along the layer beneath the runoff-induced inflow. The water mass between the two thermoclines may operate as a source of nutrients for algal development in early autumn when the upper thermocline is destroyed by the convective overturn owing to the surface cooling.


Atmosphere ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (8) ◽  
pp. 996
Author(s):  
Athanasios Karagioras ◽  
Konstantinos Kourtidis

The purpose of the present study is to investigate the impact of rain, snow and hail on potential gradient (PG), as observed in a period of ten years in Xanthi, northern Greece. An anticorrelation between PG and rainfall was observed for rain events that lasted several hours. When the precipitation rate was up to 2 mm/h, the decrease in PG was between 200 and 1300 V/m, in most cases being around 500 V/m. An event with rainfall rates up to 11 mm/h produced the largest drop in PG, of 2 kV/m. Shortly after rain, PG appeared to bounce back to somewhat higher values than the ones of fair-weather conditions. A decrease in mean hourly PG was observed, which was around 2–4 kV/m during the hail events which occurred concurrently with rain and from 0 to 3.5 kV/m for hail events with no rain. In the case of no drop, no concurrent drop in temperature was observed, while, for the other cases, it appeared that, for each degree drop in temperature, the drop in hourly mean PG was 1000 V/m; hence, we assume that the intensity of the hail event regulates the drop in PG. The frequency distribution of 1-minute PG exhibits a complex structure during hail events and extend from −18 to 11 kV/m, with most of the values in the negative range. During snow events, 1-minute PG exhibited rapid fluctuations between high positive and high negative values, its frequency distribution extending from −10 to 18 kV/m, with peaks at −10 and 3 kV/m.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Willemijn Pauw ◽  
Remco Hageman ◽  
Joris van den Berg ◽  
Pieter Aalberts ◽  
Hironori Yamaji ◽  
...  

Abstract Integrity of mooring system is of high importance in the offshore industry. In-service assessment of loads in the mooring lines is however very challenging. Direct monitoring of mooring line loads through load cells or inclinometers requires subsea installation work and continuous data transmission. Other solutions based on GPS and motion monitoring have been presented as solutions to overcome these limitations [1]. Monitoring solutions based on GPS and motion data provide good practical benefits, because monitoring can be conducted from accessible area. The procedure relies on accurate numerical models to model the relation between global motions and response of the mooring system. In this paper, validation of this monitoring approach for a single unit will be presented. The unit under consideration is a turret-moored unit operating in Australia. In-service measurements of motions, GPS and line tensions are available. A numerical time-domain model of the mooring system was created. This model was used to simulate mooring line tensions due to measured FPSO motions. Using the measured unit response avoids the uncertainty resulting from a prediction of the hydrodynamic response. Measurements from load cells in various mooring lines are available. These measurements were compared against the results obtained from the simulations for validation of the approach. Three different periods, comprising a total of five weeks of data, were examined in more detail. Two periods are mild weather conditions with different dominant wave directions. The third period features heavy weather conditions. In this paper, the data set and numerical model are presented. A comparison between the measured and numerically calculated mooring line forces will be presented. Differences between the calculated and measured forces are examined. This validation study has shown that in-service monitoring of mooring line loads through GPS and motion data provides a new opportunity for mooring integrity assessment with reduced monitoring system complexity.


2015 ◽  
Vol 3 (4) ◽  
pp. 587-598 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. K. Hillier ◽  
G. Sofia ◽  
S. J. Conway

Abstract. Physical processes, including anthropogenic feedbacks, sculpt planetary surfaces (e.g. Earth's). A fundamental tenet of geomorphology is that the shapes created, when combined with other measurements, can be used to understand those processes. Artificial or synthetic digital elevation models (DEMs) might be vital in progressing further with this endeavour in two ways. First, synthetic DEMs can be built (e.g. by directly using governing equations) to encapsulate the processes, making predictions from theory. A second, arguably underutilised, role is to perform checks on accuracy and robustness that we dub "synthetic tests". Specifically, synthetic DEMs can contain a priori known, idealised morphologies that numerical landscape evolution models, DEM-analysis algorithms, and even manual mapping can be assessed against. Some such tests, for instance examining inaccuracies caused by noise, are moderately commonly employed, whilst others are much less so. Derived morphological properties, including metrics and mapping (manual and automated), are required to establish whether or not conceptual models represent reality well, but at present their quality is typically weakly constrained (e.g. by mapper inter-comparison). Relatively rare examples illustrate how synthetic tests can make strong "absolute" statements about landform detection and quantification; for example, 84 % of valley heads in the real landscape are identified correctly. From our perspective, it is vital to verify such statistics quantifying the properties of landscapes as ultimately this is the link between physics-driven models of processes and morphological observations that allows quantitative hypotheses to be tested. As such the additional rigour possible with this second usage of synthetic DEMs feeds directly into a problem central to the validity of much of geomorphology. Thus, this note introduces synthetic tests and DEMs and then outlines a typology of synthetic DEMs along with their benefits, challenges, and future potential to provide constraints and insights. The aim is to discuss how we best proceed with uncertainty-aware landscape analysis to examine physical processes.


2008 ◽  
Vol 8 (5) ◽  
pp. 17939-17986 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Schaap ◽  
A. Apituley ◽  
R. M. A. Timmermans ◽  
R. B. A. Koelemeijer ◽  
G. de Leeuw

Abstract. To acquire daily estimates of PM2.5 distributions based on satellite data one depends critically on an established relation between AOD and ground level PM2.5. In this study we aimed to experimentally establish the AOD-PM2.5 relationship for the Netherlands. For that purpose an experiment was set-up at the AERONET site Cabauw. The average PM2.5 concentration during this ten month study was 18 μg/m3, which confirms that the Netherlands are characterised by a high PM burden. A first inspection of the AERONET level 1.5 (L1.5) AOD and PM2.5 data at Cabauw showed a low correlation between the two properties. However, after screening for cloud contamination in the AERONET L1.5 data, the correlation improved substantially. When also constraining the dataset to data points acquired around noon, the correlation between AOD and PM2.5 amounted to R2=0.6 for situations with fair weather. This indicates that AOD data contain information about the temporal evolution of PM2.5. We had used LIDAR observations to detect residual cloud contamination in the AERONET L1.5 data. Comparison of our cloud-screed L1.5 with AERONET L2 data that became available near the end of the study showed favorable agreement. The final relation found for Cabauw is PM2.5=124.5*AOD–0.34 (with PM2.5 in μg/m3) and is valid for fair weather conditions. The relationship determined between MODIS AOD and ground level PM2.5 at Cabauw is very similar to that based on the much larger dataset from the sun photometer data, after correcting for a systematic overestimation of the MODIS data of 0.05. We applied the relationship to a MODIS composite map to assess the PM2.5 distribution over the Netherlands. Spatial dependent systematic errors in the MODIS AOD, probably related to variability in surface reflectance, hamper a meaningful analysis of the spatial distribution of PM2.5 using AOD data at the scale of the Netherlands.


Author(s):  
J. Schachtschneider ◽  
C. Brenner

Abstract. The development of automated and autonomous vehicles requires highly accurate long-term maps of the environment. Urban areas contain a large number of dynamic objects which change over time. Since a permanent observation of the environment is impossible and there will always be a first time visit of an unknown or changed area, a map of an urban environment needs to model such dynamics.In this work, we use LiDAR point clouds from a large long term measurement campaign to investigate temporal changes. The data set was recorded along a 20 km route in Hannover, Germany with a Mobile Mapping System over a period of one year in bi-weekly measurements. The data set covers a variety of different urban objects and areas, weather conditions and seasons. Based on this data set, we show how scene and seasonal effects influence the measurement likelihood, and that multi-temporal maps lead to the best positioning results.


Formulation of the problem. Understanding that solar energy is the main source of the majority of biological, chemical and physical processes on Earth, investigation of its influence on different climatic fields allows us to define the features of its space and hour fluctuations. To define radiation and temperature regime of the territory it is necessary to determine climatic features of the spreading surface, which absorbs and will transform solar energy. Considering the fact that modern climatic changes and their consequences cover all components of the system, today there is a problem of their further study for comprehension of atmospheric processes, modeling weather conditions on different territories depending on the properties. The purpose of the article is to determine interrelations between indexes of solar radiation (the Wolf's number) and air temperature, atmospheric pressure on the territory of Ukraine during 1965-2015, their change in space and time. Methods. Correlative method is one of the main methods of a statistical analysis which allows us to receive correlation coefficients of solar radiation variability indexes, air temperature, atmospheric pressure on the territory of the research. This technique estimates the extent of solar radiation influence on temperature regime of the territory and distribution of atmospheric pressure. Results. Coefficients of correlation, which characterize variability of solar radiation indexes, air temperature and atmospheric pressure on the explored territory have been received by means of statistical correlation analysis method. This technique allows us to estimate the degree and nature of solar radiation influence on a temperature regime of the territory and distribution of atmospheric pressure. It has been defined that direct correlative connection between indexes of solar radiation is characteristic of air temperature and atmospheric pressure fields. Significant statistical dependence between incoming solar radiation on the territory of Ukraine and atmospheric pressure has been noted during the spring and autumn periods mainly at the majority of stations. Between indexes of solar radiation and air temperature the inverse correlative connection in winter will be transformed to a direct connection during the spring and summer periods. Scientific novelty and practical significance. Physical processes, which happen in the atmosphere, are characterized by complex interrelations. For further research it is important to define solar radiation value and the extent of influence on climatic conditions.


2007 ◽  
Vol 36 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Małgorzata Robakiewicz

Seasonal variability of hydrodynamics in the Vistula Estuary in 1994The Vistula Estuary is a coastal water body boasting free connection with the open sea, where mixing processes of marine and fluvial waters are maintained by local conditions. Based on results from a hydrodynamic model, applied to represent conditions in the year 1994, and using salinity as a tracer, it was found that fluvial water has a tendency to spread westward from the river mouth. This is in contradiction with the dominant wind direction in the region. Model results confirmed field observations of specific hydrological and meteorological conditions required to transport fluvial water northward, towards the Hel Peninsula.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Julia Rulent ◽  
Lucy M. Bricheno ◽  
Mattias J. A. Green ◽  
Ivan D. Haigh ◽  
Huw Lewis

Abstract. The interaction between waves, surges and astronomical tides can lead to high coastal total water level (TWL), which can in turn lead to coastal flooding. Here, a high resolution (1.5 km) simulation from a UK-focused regional coupled environmental prediction system is used to investigate the extreme events of winter 2013/4 around the UK and Irish coasts. The aim is to analyse the spatial distribution of coastal TWL and its components during this period by assessing 1- the relative contribution of different TWL components around the coast, 2- how extreme waves, surges and tide interacted and if they occurred simultaneously 3- if this has implications in defining the severity of coastal hazard conditions. The TWL components’ coastal distribution in winter 2013/4 was not constant in space, impacting differently over different regions. High (> 90th percentile) waves and surges occurred simultaneously at any tidal stage, including high tide (7.7 % of cases), but more often over the flood tide. During periods of high flood risk a hazard proxy, defined as the sum of the sea surface height and half the significant wave height, at least doubled from average over ¾ of the coast. These results have important implications for the risk management sector.


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