Dissertations / Theses: 'Coastal geomorphology'

1

Alsheeb, Ali I. M. "Coastal geomorphology of the Qatar Peninsula." Thesis, Swansea University, 1988. https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa43167.

Full text

Abstract:

This study concerns the geomorphology of the coastline of the Qatar Peninsula. In all, the coastline is approximately 750kg long and is dominated by Tertiary and Quaternary limestone rocks. Since little previous work has been carried out into the coastal geomorphology of the Arabian Gulf in general and Qatar in particular, a fundamental task was to undertake a classification of the coastal types. There are: 1) sand dunes and sheets; 2) sabkhas; 3) cliffs; 4) coral reefs; 5) beaches and 6) mangroves. A second task in this study was to investigate the processes responsible for the different coastal types. This was achieved using different field and laboratory techniques. Aerial photo interpretation enabled the nature of forms to be better understood and photos of different dates enabled temporal change to be investigated. Both Abeny level and Dumpy level were used to show the forms of the different coastal types. Particle size analysis was used to differentiate the origin of sediments. Laboratory experiments of salt weathering on rocks of the Qatar shoreline indicated the effectiveness of this process. SEM analysis showed the mix of aeolian and beach transport histories in the coastal sediments. The study shows that the following factors are particularly important in producing the distinctiveness of the Qatar coastline: these are warm sea temperatures leading to rapid chemical weathering; the prevailing NW ('shamal') wind, which influences strongly sand supply at the coast and longshore drift direction; and a low tidal range.

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

2

Abuodha, Joseph Zedekia Odhiambo. "Geomorphology of the Malindi Bay coastal sand dunes." [S.l. : Amsterdam : s.n.] ; Universiteit van Amsterdam [Host], 2000. http://dare.uva.nl/document/55857.

Full text

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

3

Coleman, Daniel J. "The Role Of Suspended Sediment In Assessing Coastal Wetland Vulnerability." W&M ScholarWorks, 2020. https://scholarworks.wm.edu/etd/1593091737.

Full text

Abstract:

Coastal wetlands sequester carbon, attenuate waves and storm surge, filter out nutrients and pollutants, and act as nursery habitat for important fisheries. The value of these ecosystems is underscored by their vulnerability to climate change, especially sea level rise. To persist under the threat of rising sea level, coastal wetlands must build elevation vertically. Delivery of sediment to the marsh during tidal flooding is a key component in the ecogeomorphic feedbacks that lead to elevation gain. Despite the importance of suspended sediment to assessing coastal wetland vulnerability, many questions remain unanswered. This dissertation addresses the impact of suspended sediment concentration on wetland geomorphology from fine-scale processes to global patterns and from thriving systems to those experiencing significant environmental change. In Chapter I, I explore alterations to sediment transport and geomorphology caused by an acute vegetation disturbance in a Georgia saltmarsh. My results showed that the loss of vegetation was reversed the trajectory of the site from a prograding marsh to an eroding marsh. In Chapter II, I investigate how suspended sediment travels across the marsh platform using high frequency, long-term measurements in the Plum Island Estuary, Massachusetts. In contrast to the current paradigm, I found that sediment supply in the marsh interior is largely decoupled from channel sediment supply. Chapter III focuses on the role of sediment transport in mangrove encroachment into salt marshes in Australia. My work suggests that mangroves do not inhibit the ability of salt marsh to accrete vertically and that the removal of mangroves to preserve salt marsh would be ineffective. In Chapter IV, I analyze the relationship between suspended sediment concentration, tidal range, and accretion in salt marshes from around the world. My work emphasizes the importance of mineral accretion and marsh elevation when making predictions about marsh response to sea level rise. These results help bridge the gap between numerical models which predict marshes are capable of surviving high rates of relative sea level rise and field studies which suggest drowning at much lower rates. As a whole, my dissertation demonstrates that physical processes and the ways in which biology mediate these processes are critical to the ability of coastal wetlands to persist. As the rate of sea level rise continues to accelerate, it is increasingly important to understand the controls on vertical elevation growth in coastal wetlands at the scale of several meters to thousands of kilometers and in pristine systems to degraded environments.

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

4

McKenna, John. "Morphodynamics and sediments of basalt shore platforms." Thesis, University of Ulster, 1990. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.481098.

Full text

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

5

Brownell, Andrew. "Morphological Changes Associated with Tropical Storm Debby in the Vicinity of Two Tidal Inlets, John's Pass and Blind Pass, West-Central Florida." Scholar Commons, 2013. http://scholarcommons.usf.edu/etd/4869.

Full text

Abstract:

Tropical Storm Debby affected the Gulf coast of Florida in late June, 2012. The storm's southerly approach temporarily reversed the annual net southward longshore sediment transport. The energetic conditions associated with Tropical Storm Debby can be seen in the wind, wave and tidal measurements taken from both onshore and offshore weather stations around the dual tidal inlets system of John's Pass and Blind Pass, approximately 25 kilometers north of the mouth of Tampa Bay. The energetic and persistent southerly forcing, in addition to higher storm induced water levels and wave heights, resulted in atypical beach erosion and sediment deposition on the ebb tidal deltas of the two inlets and the surrounding beaches. The John's Pass ebb delta gained 60,000 cubic meters of sediment and the Blind Pass ebb delta gained 9,000 cubic meters as a result of the storm. Shoreline position, beach profile and offshore bathymetric surveys conducted before and after Tropical Storm Debby illustrate the changes in the coastal morphology such as the development of an offshore bar south of Blind Pass and erosion of the dry beach north and south of John's Pass. The Coastal Modeling System (CMS) was used to simulate wave and tide-driven current fields during the passage of the storm. The modeled wave field qualitatively illustrated the shadowing effect of the Tampa Bay ebb delta in reducing the southerly approaching storm wave energy arriving at the study area during the storm. The tidal flow patterns through the inlets and over the ebb tidal deltas were considerably different during the storm, as compared to normal tidal cycles.

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

6

Griffith, Adam D. "Planning for Coastal Resilience| The Intersection of Theory and Practice." Thesis, The University of North Carolina at Charlotte, 2018. http://pqdtopen.proquest.com/#viewpdf?dispub=10978695.

Full text

Abstract:

In the face of accelerating sea-level rise, people continue to live near and develop the coast. In the United States, we have chosen adaptation and protection, via coastal defenses, over retreat from the coast despite the unsustainable nature of efforts to rebuild our towns after storms. Coastal resilience has emerged as the dominant post-disaster narrative and has reinvigorated efforts to help our coasts recover from storms, but the application of theory-based principles of coastal resilience remains unclear. Here, I show that coastal resilience plans incorporate theory-based elements of coastal resilience significantly more than beach management plans. I reviewed over 3,000 pages in 22 planning documents and recorded use of 27 management techniques in five categories associated with coastal resilience. A Mann-Whiney U test found that resilience plans (n = 10) contained significantly more (p < 0.05) techniques than beach management plans (n = 12) overall, but none of the differences in plan scores was significant when examined by category of technique. This research uncovers inadequacies of the current level of adaptation for sea-level rise, challenges the current process of coastal land use planning, and suggests improvements municipalities can implement to maximize impacts of coastal resilience planning such as developing holistic, diverse plans that include socioeconomic resilience and collaboration between practitioners and theorists.

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

7

Torres, Julie A. "Geomorphic and temporal evolution of a Mississippi delta flanking barrier island: Grand Isle, LA." ScholarWorks@UNO, 2019. https://scholarworks.uno.edu/td/2649.

Full text

Abstract:

Optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) dating beach ridge sediments is one method for resolving barrier island growth at intermediate scales (decades-centuries), information that is lacking for Louisiana. This research combines OSL, GPR, aerial imagery, and cores to document temporal and spatial evolution of a Louisiana barrier island. Grand Isle is composed of beach ridges organized in distinct, unconformable sets that began forming 0.75 ka until 0.575 ka when deposition ceased, the ridges were partially eroded, and deposition resumed in a more eastward direction. The central ridges formed between 370±30 and 170±10 years ago at a rate of one ridge every 11.6 years with sand from the eroding Caminada headland that, with flanking barriers, forms the Bayou Lafourche transgressive depositional system. Grand Isle’s lithosome (92,600,000 cubic meters) requires an annual longshore transport of 128,625 cubic meters. The lithosome thickness (10 meters) and steady sediment supply stabilize the island relative to other Louisiana barriers.

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

8

Bondurant, Allen C. "Processes Controlling Thermokarst Lake Expansion Rates on the Arctic Coastal Plain of Northern Alaska." Thesis, University of Alaska Fairbanks, 2017. http://pqdtopen.proquest.com/#viewpdf?dispub=10615802.

Full text

Abstract:

Thermokarst lakes are a dominant factor of landscape scale processes and permafrost dynamics in the otherwise continuous permafrost region of the Arctic Coastal Plain (ACP) of northern Alaska. Lakes cover greater than 20% of the landscape on the ACP and drained lake basins cover an additional 50 to 60% of the landscape. The formation, expansion, drainage, and reformation of thermokarst lakes has been described by some researchers as part of a natural cycle, the thaw lake cycle, that has reworked the ACP landscape during the course of the Holocene. Yet the factors and processes controlling contemporary thermokarst lake expansion remain poorly described. This thesis focuses on the factors controlling variation in extant thermokarst lake expansion rates in three ACP regions that vary with respect to landscape history, ground-ice content, and lake characteristics (i.e. size and depth). Through the use of historical aerial imagery, satellite imagery, and field-based data collection, this study identifies the controlling factors at multiple spatial and temporal scales to better understand the processes relating to thermokarst lake expansion. Comparison of 35 lakes across the ACP shows regional differences in expansion rate related to permafrost ice content ranging from an average expansion rate of 0.62 m/yr on the Younger Outer Coastal Plain where ice content is highest to 0.16 m/yr on the Inner Coastal Plain where ice content is lowest. Within each region, lakes vary in their expansion rates due to factors such as lake size, lake depth, and winter ice regime. On an individual level, lakes vary due to shoreline characteristics such as local bathymetry and bluff height. Predicting how thermokarst lakes will behave locally and on a landscape scale is increasingly important for managing habitat and water resources and informing models of land-climate interactions in the Arctic.

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

9

Rowan, Elaine Sian. "An evaluation of SAR interferometric coherence for the classification and monitoring of coastal geomorphology." Thesis, University of Dundee, 1999. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.326674.

Full text

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

10

Preston, John Ian. "Geomorphology of Viking and medieval harbours in the North Atlantic." Thesis, University of Edinburgh, 2018. http://hdl.handle.net/1842/31430.

Full text

Abstract:

The aim of this thesis is to understand the role of geomorphological change in the abandonment of Norse harbours in the North Atlantic. Nodes of maritime activities that were established by Norse settlers during the Scandinavian Viking Age often developed into important towns and cities. Some of these, however, disappeared for unknown reasons. Norse harbours in the North Atlantic varied in scale. They ranged from small landing beaches used by small boats for local use through to much larger anchorages handling considerable trade and being important nodes on the transatlantic trading network. Changes in coastal geomorphology necessitated a response from seafarers. In this thesis, a conceptual framework for the formation, recovery and stability of headland-dominated sandy beaches in high-energy environments is established, based on empirical observation and on the use of the MIKE21 numerical sediment transport model. Under persistent calm climatic conditions, nearshore seabed gradient is a weak control on beach formation and persistence in embayments. However, under persistent stormy conditions, nearshore sea bed gradient becomes the prominent control. Embayments with nearshore gradients of > 0.025 m/m inhibit beach recovery on a sub-annual timescale, while gradients < 0.025 m/m promote beach recovery. These ideas are assessed in the Shetland Islands, using numerical modelling, geomorphology and OSL dating on sand blow deposits. In the late Norse era beach landing sites in Unst became prone to depletion and destruction because of increased storminess. Numerical modelling (MIKE21) supports the idea that the recovery time of different sandy beaches on Unst is dependent on average nearshore slope. The beach at Sandwick has shallow nearshore gradients and recovers quickly in the face of storminess, but beach stability at Lunda Wick is more uncertain, and thus Lunda Wick represents a more problematic landing place. The Norse harbour of The Bishop's seat at Garðar in the Eastern Settlement of Greenland is assessed to evaluate the impacts of gradual long term geomorphological change on coastlines that lack soft-sediment. A high resolution, near shore bathymetric survey shows that, due to relative sea level rise of 1 m/500 years, the landing site became more difficult to access during the later period of Norse settlement and key onshore infrastructure was disrupted. The possible role of terrestrial supplies of sediment in changing the viability of landing places is assessed through an evaluation of the Norse trading centre of Gásir in northern Iceland. Geomorphological mapping and analysis of fluvial connectivity indicate that the delta on which Gásir is located is prone to aggradation from large, irregular pulses of sediment derived from landslides in the catchment. Written sources and geomorphological mapping indicate geomorphological changes around the same time that trade was shifting to the use of boats with a deeper draft. Cultural change and environmental changes would have reinforced each other in rendering the harbour site nonviable. Geomorphological forces acting on varying spatial and temporal scales have the potential to disrupt the use of landing sites. Whether environmental changes led to the abandonment of a landing site was strongly influenced by the seafarers' competence and available technology. Higher levels of competence would enable more problematic landing sites to be used, but there are limits to this adaptation. Technological changes, such as the use of larger and deeper draft boats, would have changed the geomorphic requirements for harbour sites, and thus may have led to a passive abandonment of the site over time rather than active abandonment such as that in the face of a catastrophic change of the shoreline. Coastal geomorphology was a critical factor affecting the use of Norse harbours, as it interacted with the wider cultural and economic developments in the North Atlantic realm. This thesis demonstrates that numerical sediment transport analysis is a powerful tool in coastal archaeological research as it can illuminate processes driving observable changes in the empirical record.

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

11

Bambrick, Beth Marie. "Large Woody Debris Mobility Areas in a Coastal Old-Growth Forest Stream, Oregon." PDXScholar, 2013. https://pdxscholar.library.pdx.edu/open_access_etds/658.

Full text

Abstract:

This study uses a spatial model to visualize LWD mobility areas in an approximate 1km reach of Cummins Creek, a fourth-order stream flowing through an old-growth Sitka spruce-western hemlock forest in the Oregon Coast Range. The model solves a LWD incipient motion equation for nine wood size combinations (0.1m, 0.4m, 1.7m diameters by 1.0m, 6.87m, 47.2m lengths) during the 2-year, 10-year, and 100-year discharge events. Model input variables were derived from a combination of field survey, remotely sensed, and modeled data collected or derived between June 2010 and July 2011. LWD mobility map results indicate the 2-year discharge mobilizes all modeled diameters, but mobile piece lengths are shorter than the bankfull channel boundary. Mobility areas for each wood size combination increases with discharge; 10-year and 100-year discharge events mobilize wood longer than average bankfull width within a confined section of the main stem channel, and mobilize LWD shorter than bankfull width within the main stem channel, side channels, and floodplain. No discharge event mobilizes the largest LWD size combination (1.7m / 47.2). Recruitment process was recorded for all LWD during June 2010, revealing that all mobile wood in the study reach was shorter than bankfull width. Based on these conflicting results, I hypothesize the distribution of wood in Cummins Creek can be described in terms of discharge frequency and magnitude, instead of as a binary mobile/stable classification. Mobility maps could be a useful tool for land managers using LWD as part of a stream restoration or conservation plan, but will require additional calibration.

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

12

Kirkland, Benjamin T. "Geomorphologic evolution of a rapidly deteriorating barrier island system with multiple sediment sources: Eastern Isles Dernieres, Louisiana, 1887 to 2006." ScholarWorks@UNO, 2012. http://scholarworks.uno.edu/td/1564.

Full text

Abstract:

Trinity, East, and Wine Islands make up the eastern half of the Isles Dernieres barrier arc in south-central Louisiana. Formed following the abandonment of the Lafourche delta complex, subsidence and storm erosion have led to rapid deterioration of the system. Since 1887, the land area of the islands has decreased seventy-seven percent, and the gulf shoreline has retreated landward more than a kilometer. Wave ravinement on the shoreface of the islands is responsible for the most sediment loss; liberated sediment travels longshore to tidal inlets. The dominant ebb tidal currents then transport the sediment to where it is deposited in ebb tidal deltas or carried to the west, out of the system. A large lobe of sediment bypassing Cat Island Pass is entering the system from the eastern lower shoreface, which helps replace some of the sediment lost through wave ravinement to the upper shoreface.

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

13

Millington, Jennifer A. "Pedogenesis on the Sefton Coastal Dunes, NW England." Thesis, University of Wolverhampton, 2010. http://hdl.handle.net/2436/116327.

Full text

Abstract:

This work examines the use of pedo-properties to identify dune soil system responses to environmental change on the Sefton coast, based on the development of conceptual pedogenic models. Previous environmental change and shoreline dynamics are determined through O.S. maps and aerial photographs, while present day processes are investigated through a dune-toe photographic survey and seasonal monitoring by fixed point photography. Topsoil (0-5 cm) physico-chemical characteristics are presented in a series of baseline GIS maps, displaying spatial pedo-property variation across the dune landscape. Combined with vegetation data, topsoil analysis identifies 10 distinct pedo-environments. Physico-chemical characteristics of associated National Soil Resources Institute (NSRI) soil profile classifications and an exposed stratigraphic section are presented graphically in a proposed sequence of development. Topsoil and soil profile samples are analysed for soil pH, soil organic matter (SOM) content, particle size, geochemical composition and mineral magnetism. Significant differences (p <0.05) are apparent for the suite of topsoil characteristics collated, indicating discrete dune environments are influenced by specific soil properties. Distinct down-profile variations in soil characteristics are also apparent between dune environments, highlighting pedological dynamism. Multivariate Factor analysis groups bare sand and mobile dune communities into ‘frontal dunes’ and fixed dune community, pasture, scrub, deciduous woodland and coniferous plantations into ‘hind dunes’, separating these topsoil environments from heath and slack communities. Factor analysis also identifies linkages between pedo-characteristics within soil profile horizons, suggesting pedogenesis on the Sefton dunes initiates as raw sand, progressing to sand-pararendzinas through leaching of nutrients. Desalinization and decalcification processes lead to brown earth development, followed by increased acidicification, subsequently, resulting in micro-podzol formation. Groundwater gley soils are associated with dune slacks, where drainage is inhibited and anaerobic conditions prevail. Analysis of buried soils suggests such pedo-environment formations are cyclic, responding to phases of shoreline regression/transgression, dune activity and stabilization. Conceptual models are designed to graphically demonstrate pedogenesis under both erosion and deposition regimes on the Sefton coast. Regression equations and correlation coefficients between pedo-properties and distance from mean high water are used as a proxy for soil age, which represent lateral soil maturity from the unstable frontal dunes to the stable hind dunes inland. The models simulate formation and process of the full array of soil properties, accounting for geomorphological impacts and anthropogenic influences. This has great implications for dune managers by raising awareness of pedogenesis as an integral part of nature and associated habitats, which could be incorporated in future shoreline management plans (SMPs).

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

14

Rehak, Katrin, Manfred Strecker, and Helmut Echtler. "DEM supported tectonic geomorphology : the Coastal Cordillera of the South-Central Chilean active margin ; [Poster]." Universität Potsdam, 2006. http://www.uni-potsdam.de/imaf/events/ge_work0602.html.

Full text

Abstract:

Fluvial systems are one of the major features shaping a landscape. They adjust to the prevailing tectonic and climatic setting and therefore are very sensitive markers of changes in these systems. If their response to tectonic and climatic forcing is quantified and if the climatic signal is excluded, it is possible to derive a local deformation history.
Here, we investigate fluvial terraces and erosional surfaces in the southern Chilean forearc to assess a long-term geomorphic and hence tectonic evolution. Remote sensing and field studies of the Nahuelbuta Range show that the long-term deformation of the Chilean forearc is manifested by breaks in topography, sequences of differentially uplifted marine, alluvial and strath terraces as well as tectonically modified river courses and drainage basins.
We used SRTM-90-data as basic elevation information for extracting and delineating drainage networks. We calculated hypsometric curves as an indicator for basin uplift, stream-length gradient indices to identify stream segments with anomalous slopes, and longitudinal river profiles as well as DS-plots to identify knickpoints and other anomalies. In addition, we investigated topography with elevation-slope graphs, profiles, and DEMs to reveal erosional surfaces.
During the first field trip we already measured palaeoflow directions, performed pebble counting and sampled the fluvial terraces in order to apply cosmogenic nuclide dating (¹⁰Be, ²⁶Al) as well as provenance analyses.
Our preliminary analysis of the Coastal Cordillera indicates a clear segmentation between the northern and southern parts of the Nahuelbuta Range. The Lanalhue Fault, a NW-SE striking fault zone oblique to the plate boundary, defines the segment boundary. Furthermore, we find a complex drainage re-organisation including a drainage reversal and wind gap on the divide between the Tirúa and Pellahuén basins east of the town Tirúa. The coastal basins lost most of their Andean sediment supply areas that existed in Tertiary and in part during early Pleistocene time. Between the Bío-Bío and Imperial rivers no Andean river is recently capable to traverse the Coastal Cordillera, suggesting ongoing Quaternary uplift of the entire range.
From the spatial distribution of geomorphic surfaces in this region two uplift signals may be derived: (1) a long-term differential uplift process, active since the Miocene and possibly caused by underplating of subducted trench sediments, (2) a younger, local uplift affecting only the northern part of the Nahuelbuta Range that may be caused by the interaction of the forearc with the subduction of the Mocha Fracture Zone at the latitude of the Arauco peninsula. Our approach thus provides results in our attempt to decipher the characteristics of forearc development of active convergent margins using long-term geomorphic indicators. Furthermore, it is expected that our ongoing assessment will constrain repeatedly active zones of deformation.

Interdisziplinäres Zentrum für Musterdynamik und Angewandte Fernerkundung
Workshop vom 9. - 10. Februar 2006

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

15

Udugbezi, Emmanuel. "Evaluating interferometric synthetic aperture radar coherence for coastal geomorphological changes." Thesis, University of Dundee, 2018. https://discovery.dundee.ac.uk/en/studentTheses/b127af25-c290-4fdf-ac44-96c77449fb59.

Full text

Abstract:

Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (InSAR) is an established technique which has been applied to Earth surface displacement analysis and topographic reconstruction. Two complex coherent SAR acquisitions of the same scene are combined to form an interferogram from which surface displacement or terrain measurements are made. The similarities between both SAR signals is captured in the coherence and its magnitude is determined by the spatial separation between acquiring antennas and the changes (if any) to the physical characteristics of the scattering target in the duration between both SAR acquisitions. Both of these products derivable from the interferometric process have been applied in this study with the aim of enhancing monitoring and assessing changes in the coastal environment, with emphasis on the coastal geomorphology. A combination of remote sensing data acquired for Montrose Bay, NE Scotland, has been used to analyze changes to the geomorphology of the beach and dune system in terms of sediment volume analysis, erosion and accretion processes and shoreline changes over a short-term period of 4 years. The interferometric coherence was applied to detect changes to the dune morphology, which have been actively eroding at the southern flank of the Bay. The interferometric analysis presented in this thesis was based on SAR data acquired by the Sentinel-1 SAR antenna and the results demonstrated the limitations of the sensor for terrain mapping and DEM reconstruction. In addition, the significance of the vegetation on the interferometric coherence was demonstrated. However, the results have shown that temporal baseline remained a significant consideration in the application of interferometric coherence in highly dynamic environments such as the coastal environment.

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

16

Ji, Wei. "SEDIMENTARY RESPONSES TO GROWTH FAULT SLIP AND CLAY SHRINK AND SWELL INDUCED ELEVATION VARIATIONS: EAST MATAGORDA PENINSULA, TEXAS." UKnowledge, 2017. http://uknowledge.uky.edu/ees_etds/49.

Full text

Abstract:

East Matagorda Peninsula in southwestern Texas is characterized geologically by active, regional-scale and near-surface growth faulting. Decimeter scale (up to 0.42 m) vertical displacement was recorded at the study site over a period of four years, not believed to be associated with growth faulting. This research tested the hypotheses that fault slip rates were correlated with sediment accumulation rates, and that the observed vertical displacement was produced by shrink-and-swell clays in near surface sediments. To quantify sediment accumulation rates, a suite of radionuclides (7Be, 137Cs, and 210Pb) were used. To understand the effects of shrink-and-swell clays, analyses including particle size distribution, X-ray diffraction (XRD), and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) were completed. Additionally, the free swell index test (FSI) was used to record the swelling potential of the sediment. Strong correlation (R2 = 0.99) indicates coupling between mean fault slip rates and mean sediment accumulation rates. Near surface sediment clay size fraction percentages ranged from 0.96 - 6.26% containing more than 90% smectite. Based on FSI results, maximum volume change in the top six cm was determined to be 208%. The presence and behavior of shrink-and-swell clay minerals in the region is an important contributor to the vertical displacement observed.

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

17

Browning, Trevor Nulton. "Assessing Vulnerability to Watershed Erosion and Coastal Deposition in the Tropics." The Ohio State University, 2020. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1586964925152273.

Full text

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

18

Rains, Bradley Jacob. "Effect of Barrier Height on Magnitude and Character of Hurricane Harvey Washover Fans, Matagorda Peninsula, TX." Thesis, University of North Texas, 2020. https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc1707228/.

Full text

Abstract:

This study uses topographic profiles, washover fan volumes, and shoreline retreat rates to explore relationships between barrier types and Hurricane Harvey storm washover sedimentation. Pre- and post-Hurricane Harvey topographic profiles were created on 15 transects using Bare Earth LiDAR (2016) and surveyed elevations (2019). Depth and area of washover fan measurements were collected to estimate washover fan volumes. An inverse relationship was found between washover fan volume and pre- and post-storm barrier heights. Based on the topographic profiles, one section of shoreline had a scarp up to 3m high which blocked overwash, but appears to have increased shoreline erosion. In contrast, a low-lying section of shoreline generated relatively large washover fans, but experienced less shoreline retreat. Shoreline retreat was further quantified between 2014 and 2019 using Google Earth Imagery from 2014, 2016, 2017, and 2019 to track migration of the shoreline. The entire shoreline in the study area is undergoing relatively rapid retreat, but the results suggest that Hurricane Harvey increased erosional rates. The Colorado River Jetty borders the study area and may have acted as an anthropogenic barrier, likely reducing storm surge energy and contributing to marsh aggradation on transects in its close proximity. The study findings indicate that the identification and incorporation of other variables that influence washover magnitude would further the understanding of this complex natural system. The research results provide valuable information on the interaction of hurricane storm surge with natural and anthropogenic barriers, beach and dune erosion, and marsh aggradation along the coast of Texas.

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

19

Wipf, Martin Andreas. "Evolution of the western Cordillera and coastal margin of Peru : evidence from low-temperature thermochronology and geomorphology /." Zürich : ETH, 2006. http://e-collection.ethbib.ethz.ch/show?type=diss&nr=16383.

Full text

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

20

Merritts, Dorothy Jane. "Geomorphic response to late Quaternary tectonism: Coastal northern California, Mendocino triple junction region." Diss., The University of Arizona, 1987. http://hdl.handle.net/10150/184316.

Full text

Abstract:

Different patterns of uniform-uplift periods associated with passage of the Mendocino triple junction (MTJ) and a change in tectonic regime are based on altudinal spacing analyses of nine flights of marine terraces. Rates of uplift appear to increase from <1 m/ka to 4-5 m/ka, with periods of most rapid uplift that are progressively younger toward the triple junction. The MTJ was about 55 km to the south at about 1 ma ago, where uplift has been uniform at about 1.3 m/ka during the last 300 ka. Maximum uplift of about 4 m/ka is occurring 20-40 km south of the MTJ; prior to about 100-150 ka uplift was slow, being only 0.2-0.5 m/ka. Ten km to the north of the MTJ, accelerated uplift has occurred only during the last 60 ka. Relative strength of soil development in sandy marine deposits on five Pleistocene and Holocene (1.7 to 120 ka) marine terraces near the MTJ is one basis for relative age estimates and correlation of terrace soils. Organic carbon content in the upper 70 cm of the soil profile increases exponentially, and pH decreases exponentially; for both properties steady state is attained by 40 ka. Whole profile content of clay, total free iron oxyhydroxides (Fe(d)), and total free and para-crystalline aluminum oxyhydroxides increase nearly linearly until at least 120 ka. Comparison of these soils with four marine terrace soils (103-405 ka) 100-120 km to the south indicates that maximum percent values of clay and Fe(d) increase exponentially, with highest values reached at about 120 ka. Analysis of three-dimensional morphological properties of 25 coastal drainage basins that have evolved in areas of low (<1 m/ka), intermediate (1-3 m/ka), and high (>3 m/ka) rates of uplift near the MTJ identified channel slopes as the best indicator of tectonism in the landscape. Lower order tributaries reflect tectonically-controlled differences best. The largest streams examined, of third order, are able to adjust to most base-level change and maintain their profile form, whereas lower order streams farther upstream tend to accumulate the effects of net base-level fall, and have steepest profiles in the areas of highest uplift. Although first order streams are excellent indicators of highest uplift rate areas and regional differential tilting, they are less useful in distinguishing between low and intermediate uplift rate areas. Analysis of the longitudinal profile of the main trunk stream of 10 of the 25 drainage basins with the stream-gradient index (Hack, 1957) was useful to broadly categorize uplift rates, and to distinguish between low and intermediate uplift rate streams.

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

21

Johnson, Elizabeth. "Hydraulic and Geomorphic Effects of Large Woody Debris Additions in the Narraguagus River Watershed, Coastal Maine." Thesis, Boston College, 2009. http://hdl.handle.net/2345/996.

Full text

Abstract:

Thesis advisor: Noah P. Snyder
Thesis advisor: Gail C. Kineke
Maine coastal rivers host the last remaining runs of endangered anadromous Atlantic salmon in the United States, whose populations have decline from ~500,000 returning adults in the 1880s to only ~1000 in 2000. Restoration projects have focused on these coastal river systems to bring natural populations back to the area, and recent efforts involve adding large woody debris (LWD) to small tributaries to improve salmon rearing habitat. Large woody debris actively changes the hydraulics and geomorphology of small streams by acting as a barrier to flow and creating decreased velocity zones, scour pools, and sediment storage and sorting. I study the effects of LWD additions in early August 2008 on hydraulics and substrate in Baker Brook, a west-flowing tributary of the Narraguagus River. Hydraulically, I focus on the treatment reach nearest the confluence with the Narraguagus River (Baker1), and I also study changes in substrate in Baker1 and the upstream treatment location (Baker3). Both study locations are divided into two reaches, treatment (Baker1-T and Baker3-T) and control (Baker1-C and Baker3-C). In Baker1, the treatment and control reaches are further divided into four 50 m sub-reaches based on channel gradient (~1% in Baker1-C-Flat and Baker1-T-Flat; >2% in Baker1-C-Steep and Baker1-T-Steep). In Baker3, we use two 50 m sub-reaches of similar gradient (ranges from ~1% to 2%) to determine substrate changes. Significant post-LWD addition changes are determined by comparison with the control sub-reaches. Changes in the treatment sub-reaches must be larger than those in the control sub-reaches to be deemed significant. I seek to answer three research questions: (1) how much does mean velocity through the study sub-reaches change as a result of additions; (2) how much does hydraulic roughness change; and (3) does sediment storage and spatial sorting result from the LWD additions? I measured reach-average velocities (Ureach) in Baker1 using the salt dilution method in May, July and August 2008 and May 2009. I use rating curves to compare the post-treatment to the pre-treatment Ureach-stage relationship. A temporary decrease in Ureach occurred in October 2008 in Baker1-T-Flat, whereas the other sub-reaches experienced no change in Ureach. A localized change in cross-sectionally averaged velocity (U) measured with a flow meter, is also evident at Baker1-T-Flat, but this is because an added tree lies directly in the downstream cross-section where measurements are recorded. I assessed channel roughness changes by comparing roughness rating curves created using the Manning roughness parameter, n (back-calculated from velocity measurements) for each sub-reach. Because of the short-term decrease in Ureach, roughness increased in Baker1-T-Flat in October 2008 as well. No change in roughness is evident in the other sub-reaches because post-treatment values of n plot on the same decreasing trend with respect to stage as pre-treatment values. I quantified pre- and post-treatment sub-reach substrate median grain size (D50) with intensive clast counts in July 2008 and May 2009. In Baker1, analysis of pre-treatment substrate size show that the flat sub-reaches have a finer substrate size (34-38 mm) than the steep sub-reaches (88-134 mm). Baker3 pre-treatment grain size is similar to that of the flat Baker1 sub-reaches, with a median grain size of 38 mm in Baker3-T and 28 mm in Baker3-C. Two of the three treatment sub-reaches exhibited significant fining (D50 decreased by 37-54%) between the surveys, and the third changed less than measurement uncertainty. One of the three control sub-reaches coarsened significantly (D50 increased by 29%), one fined significantly (-42%), and one coarsened less than measurement uncertainty. In summary, I find that LWD additions in Baker Brook had little effect on reach-scale hydraulics during the flows we observed, but did influence bed-grain size during the 10-month study interval, underscoring the importance of floods on channel change
Thesis (MS) — Boston College, 2009
Submitted to: Boston College. Graduate School of Arts and Sciences
Discipline: Geology and Geophysics

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

22

Fetherston, Kevin L. "Pattern and process in mountain river valley forests /." Thesis, Connect to this title online; UW restricted, 2005. http://hdl.handle.net/1773/5563.

Full text

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

23

Wilkins, Benjamin Carleton. "Geomorphic comparison of two Atlantic coastal rivers: toward an understanding of physical controls on Atlantic salmon habitat." Thesis, Boston College, 2009. http://hdl.handle.net/2345/674.

Full text

Abstract:

Thesis advisor: Noah P. Snyder
Substrate size and mobility are important to Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) spawning and rearing success. Channel geometry is a control on bedload mobility in streams. It is believed that channel morphology in many Maine rivers has been altered by land use practices, creating wider and shallower channels, and lowering stream competence. If correct, these changes may be partially responsible for the limited number of returning salmon currently observed in Maine coastal rivers. To evaluate the magnitude of these changes, I performed a statistical comparison of channel morphology between two Atlantic coastal streams: the Narraguagus River in Downeast Maine and the Jacquet River in northern New Brunswick, Canada. Compared to the Narraguagus River, the Jacquet River has relatively healthy returns of adult salmon. Both watersheds have similar drainage areas (Narraguagus 588 km²; Jacquet 510 km²;) and mean annual precipitation (1244 mm; 1200 mm), but differing average channel gradients (0.16%; 0.51%) and longitudinal profiles. During the summer of 2007, I surveyed a 13.6-km section of the Narraguagus with a drainage area range of 129-247 km², and a 10.4-km section of the Jacquet with a drainage area range of 94-265 km². I made measurements of active and bankfull width and depth, and channel gradient at 100-m intervals, and performed grain-size counts at 200-m intervals. I also measured gradient and width in a GIS-based analysis. Results of my analysis show that channel gradient is likely the most influential factor on Atlantic salmon habitat as it relates to sediment size. The two rivers exhibit no significant difference in width-to-depth ratio, when low-gradient outliers in the Narraguagus River are removed. Predicted median riverbed grain sizes were calculated using two methods: (1) from the empirical relationship between basal shear stress and measured grain size; and (2) using the Shields parameter and remote sensing data only. Measured and predicted grain sizes reveal finer river-bed sediments on the Narraguagus River, however, Shields parameter calculations show that sediment should be mobile in both streams. I compare these predictions to field-based habitat mapping on the Narraguagus River. Based on predicted grain sizes, I expect nearly continuous Atlantic salmon spawning (28-95%) and rearing (95-100%) habitat on the Jacquet, and much less spawning (47-62%) and rearing (57-68%) habitat on the Narraguagus. This is likely because the Narraguagus River is segmented into reaches of steeper gradient (S < 0.002) with potentially good habitat, and flatter reaches (S < 0.0005) of poor habitat. The long flat reaches (several km) likely act as sediment sinks, preventing the continuity of downstream sediment transport and causing sediment to be sourced from localized glacial deposits
Thesis (MS) — Boston College, 2009
Submitted to: Boston College. Graduate School of Arts and Sciences
Discipline: Geology and Geophysics

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

24

Anorov, Julie Margaret, and n/a. "Integrated Study of Coastal Wetland Characteristics and Geomorphic Processes in a South East Queensland Catchment." Griffith University. Australian School of Environmental Studies, 2004. http://www4.gu.edu.au:8080/adt-root/public/adt-QGU20060223.153104.

Full text

Abstract:

Coastal wetlands are dynamic ecosystems that are highly susceptible to change due to natural and human factors. The study area, located within the Native Dog Creek sub-catchment of the Logan River - which drains into Moreton Bay, south east Queensland - holds a detailed history of environmental change spanning most of the Holocene epoch. This history is preserved in the estuarine sedimentary record and is a valuable indicator of natural environmental change. More recently, human-induced changes within the study area have been superimposed on the natural process of environmental change. In order to develop a conceptual bio-geomorphic model of the coastal wetlands of Native Dog Creek, this thesis examined - on an integrated catchment basis - the evolution and connectivity of four coastal wetland community types (Melaleuca, Casuarina, saltmarsh and mangroves). The research consisted of four discrete studies within the study area: a geomorphic investigation that provided a framework for understanding how the wetlands evolved during the Holocene epoch; an acid sulfate soil (ASS) study that surveyed the distribution and concentration of sulfides; a palynological study that examined the natural directions of ecosystem change; and an investigation of the impact of specific human activities on these ecosystems. Detailed stratigraphic modelling found that the Logan River system (and its Native Dog Creek sub-catchment) has evolved from an infilling estuary since the peak of the Holocene transgression 6500 years before present. Recognition of the major controls that influenced geomorphic coastal development during the Holocene, provided important insights into the distribution and genesis of estuarine pyritic sediments which strongly influence the soils within the study area. In general, the estuarine central basin and fluvial delta sediments posed the greatest risk to the environment from acidification if disturbed. The major focus of the ASS study was to survey the distribution of ASS and to identify other areas most vulnerable to acidification. A predictive approach that combined chemical and stratigraphic analysis was used. Results showed that these areas are intrinsically related to their environment of deposition. The study found, for example, that the alternation of excessively wet and dry conditions - combined with high organic carbon levels and variations in microtopography - provided ideal conditions for the re-formation of pyrite in the stream channel within the Melaleuca wetlands. The palaeo-environmental study reconstructed the evolution of Holocene coastal wetland vegetation during the marine transgression and subsequent shoreline progradation. Pollen records from the four representative wetland communities (previously mentioned) were examined. The results found the mid-late Holocene vegetation history was controlled by the development of geomorphic features that have affected freshwater input, drainage and salinity. In response to the progradation of the shoreline after sea level stabilised, changes in fossil pollen from mangroves and saltmarsh taxa during the early-mid Holocene, to freshwater taxa during the late Holocene, are estimated to have taken 800 years. Thus, pollen analysis when used in combination with stratigraphic modelling, provided an important point of reference for rates of natural ecological change in response to evolutionary changes to the physical environment. The wetlands within the study area have suffered varying degrees of disturbance since European settlement in the 1820s. The most significant changes occurred during early European settlement, when vast areas of coastal lowlands were cleared for timber, sheep and cattle grazing and for agricultural purposes. A second period of change occurred from 1989 to 1995, when the Melaleuca community suffered dieback in response to hydrological modifications to Native Dog Creek for the development of a golf course. Results indicate that human-induced changes over the past 170 years have occurred at a rate far beyond the ability of the natural ecosystem to adapt or move to a more ecologically sustainable state, at least in the short-term. Hence the current environment is experiencing degradation through both decline in health and loss of indigenous species. The development of a conceptual bio-geomorphic model was based on the integration of results from all four studies, in an effort to provide a holistic understanding of the coastal wetland environment and of the impact of human-induced changes upon that environment. If these vulnerable ecosystems are to be maintained, successful and sustainable coastal management strategies must rely on a sound scientific understanding of the response of a coastal ecosystem to both human and environmental changes.

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

25

Anorov, Julie Margaret. "Integrated Study of Coastal Wetland Characteristics and Geomorphic Processes in a South East Queensland Catchment." Thesis, Griffith University, 2004. http://hdl.handle.net/10072/365955.

Full text

Abstract:

change due to natural and human factors. The study area, located within the Native Dog Creek sub-catchment of the Logan River - which drains into Moreton Bay, south east Queensland - holds a detailed history of environmental change spanning most of the Holocene epoch. This history is preserved in the estuarine sedimentary record and is a valuable indicator of natural environmental change. More recently, human-induced changes within the study area have been superimposed on the natural process of environmental change. In order to develop a conceptual bio-geomorphic model of the coastal wetlands of Native Dog Creek, this thesis examined - on an integrated catchment basis - the evolution and connectivity of four coastal wetland community types (Melaleuca, Casuarina, saltmarsh and mangroves). The research consisted of four discrete studies within the study area: a geomorphic investigation that provided a framework for understanding how the wetlands evolved during the Holocene epoch; an acid sulfate soil (ASS) study that surveyed the distribution and concentration of sulfides; a palynological study that examined the natural directions of ecosystem change; and an investigation of the impact of specific human activities on these ecosystems. Detailed stratigraphic modelling found that the Logan River system (and its Native Dog Creek sub-catchment) has evolved from an infilling estuary since the peak of the Holocene transgression 6500 years before present. Recognition of the major controls that influenced geomorphic coastal development during the Holocene, provided important insights into the distribution and genesis of estuarine pyritic sediments which strongly influence the soils within the study area. In general, the estuarine central basin and fluvial delta sediments posed the greatest risk to the environment from acidification if disturbed. The major focus of the ASS study was to survey the distribution of ASS and to identify other areas most vulnerable to acidification. A predictive approach that combined chemical and stratigraphic analysis was used. Results showed that these areas are intrinsically related to their environment of deposition. The study found, for example, that the alternation of excessively wet and dry conditions - combined with high organic carbon levels and variations in microtopography - provided ideal conditions for the re-formation of pyrite in the stream channel within the Melaleuca wetlands. The palaeo-environmental study reconstructed the evolution of Holocene coastal wetland vegetation during the marine transgression and subsequent shoreline progradation. Pollen records from the four representative wetland communities (previously mentioned) were examined. The results found the mid-late Holocene vegetation history was controlled by the development of geomorphic features that have affected freshwater input, drainage and salinity. In response to the progradation of the shoreline after sea level stabilised, changes in fossil pollen from mangroves and saltmarsh taxa during the early-mid Holocene, to freshwater taxa during the late Holocene, are estimated to have taken 800 years. Thus, pollen analysis when used in combination with stratigraphic modelling, provided an important point of reference for rates of natural ecological change in response to evolutionary changes to the physical environment. The wetlands within the study area have suffered varying degrees of disturbance since European settlement in the 1820s. The most significant changes occurred during early European settlement, when vast areas of coastal lowlands were cleared for timber, sheep and cattle grazing and for agricultural purposes. A second period of change occurred from 1989 to 1995, when the Melaleuca community suffered dieback in response to hydrological modifications to Native Dog Creek for the development of a golf course. Results indicate that human-induced changes over the past 170 years have occurred at a rate far beyond the ability of the natural ecosystem to adapt or move to a more ecologically sustainable state, at least in the short-term. Hence the current environment is experiencing degradation through both decline in health and loss of indigenous species. The development of a conceptual bio-geomorphic model was based on the integration of results from all four studies, in an effort to provide a holistic understanding of the coastal wetland environment and of the impact of human-induced changes upon that environment. If these vulnerable ecosystems are to be maintained, successful and sustainable coastal management strategies must rely on a sound scientific understanding of the response of a coastal ecosystem to both human and environmental changes.
Thesis (PhD Doctorate)
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
Australian School of Environmental Studies
Full Text

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

26

Sadio, Mamadou. "Morphodynamique et aménagement des flèches littorales de la côte du Sénégal." Thesis, Aix-Marseille, 2017. http://www.theses.fr/2017AIXM0539.

Full text

Abstract:

Cette thèse porte sur une étude de la morphologie et des processus morphosédimentaires qui régissent la formation, la dynamique et l'évolution des flèches littorales sableuses caractéristiques de la côte sous dominance de la houle du Sénégal. Elle insiste sur la singularité de la côte sénégalaise à fort développement de flèches par rapport aux littoraux d'Afrique de l'Ouest à cordons massifs. Ces flèches sont construites par la dérive littorale mais l'on sait très peu de leur dynamique, notamment les apports de sables, leur redistribution par la dérive littorale, les relations entre l’allongement de ces flèches et les écoulements fluviaux et tidaux sur des embouchures fluviaux ou lagunaires déviées par ces formes, et les conditions favorisant leur rupture, aspect très important en aménagement littoral. La thèse, à travers une approche combinant la télédétection, l'expérimentation in situ impliquant des mesures de topométrie à haute résolution et d'hydrodynamique, et la modélisation conceptuelle, distingue des flèches à dérive libre et à dérive entravée et les mécanismes d'allongement continu ou restreint et de courbure de ces flèches. Ces aspects morphodynamiques intègrent aussi la relation entre ces flèches et les embouchures des cours d'eau qu'elles barrent, notamment celle du delta du fleuve Sénégal. Les flèches de la côte sénégalaise jouent un rôle important en matière de protection du littoral et d'aménagement des embouchures, et sont un maillon essentiel du transit de sables le long de cette côte. Les schémas d'aménagement de ces flèches et les embouchures associées doivent mieux intégrer la façon dont ces formes fonctionnent et leurs conditions de rupture
This thesis is a study of the morphology and morphosedimentary processes that determine the formation, dynamics and evolution of the sand spits characterizing the wave-dominated coast of Senegal. The thesis insists on the singularity of the coast of Senegal, the numerous spits of which provide a contrast with the sandy coasts of West Africa that are characterized by massive beach-ridge complexes. These spits are constructed by longshore drift but little is known of their dynamics, notably sand supply patterns, the way sand is redistributed alongshore, the relationship between these spits and river and tidal flux at the river mouths or lagoon inlets they divert, and the conditions that favour spit breaching, a mechanism that has important implications for coastal management. Using an approach that combines remote sensing, field experiments aimed at acquiring high-resolution topometric and hydrodynamic data, and conceptual models, spits characterized by free drift are distinguished from those with limited elongation, and the mechanisms pertinent to each type and to spit lengthening and recurves are analyzed. These morphodynamic aspects also include a scrutiny of the relationship between these spits and the river mouths they divert, especially that of the Senegal River delta. The spits of the coast of Senegal play an important role in coastal protection and in the management of the river mouths. They are also an essential element in sand drift along this coast. Coastal zone management plans regarding these spits and their associated river mouths need to consider more closely how these spits work and the conditions that can lead to their breaching

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

27

Brodie, Katherine L. "Observations of storm morphodynamics using Coastal Lidar and Radar Imaging System (CLARIS): Importance of wave refraction and dissipation over complex surf-zone morphology at a shoreline erosional hotspot." W&M ScholarWorks, 2010. https://scholarworks.wm.edu/etd/1539616582.

Full text

Abstract:

Elevated water levels and large waves during storms cause beach erosion, overwash, and coastal flooding, particularly along barrier island coastlines. While predictions of storm tracks have greatly improved over the last decade, predictions of maximum water levels and variations in the extent of damage along a coastline need improvement. In particular, physics based models still cannot explain why some regions along a relatively straight coastline may experience significant erosion and overwash during a storm, while nearby locations remain seemingly unchanged. Correct predictions of both the timing of erosion and variations in the magnitude of erosion along the coast will be useful to both emergency managers and homeowners preparing for an approaching storm. Unfortunately, research on the impact of a storm to the beach has mainly been derived from "pre" and "post" storm surveys of beach topography and nearshore bathymetry during calm conditions. This has created a lack of data during storms from which to ground-truth model predictions and test hypotheses that explain variations in erosion along a coastline. We have developed Coastal Lidar and Radar Imaging System (CLARIS), a mobile system that combines a terrestrial scanning laser and an X-band marine radar system using precise motion and location information. CLARIS can operate during storms, measuring beach topography, nearshore bathymetry (from radar-derived wave speed measurements), surf-zone wave parameters, and maximum water levels remotely. In this dissertation, we present details on the development, design, and testing of CLARIS and then use CLARIS to observe a 10 km section of coastline in Kitty Hawk and Kill Devil Hills on the Outer Banks of North Carolina every 12 hours during a Nor'Easter (peak wave height in 8 m of water depth = 3.4 m). High decadal rates of shoreline change as well as heightened erosion during storms have previously been documented to occur within the field site. In addition, complex bathymetric features that traverse the surf-zone into the nearshore are present along the southern six kilometers of the field site. In addition to the CLARIS observations, we model wave propagation over the complex nearshore bathymetry for the same storm event. Data reveal that the complex nearshore bathymetry is mirrored by kilometer scale undulations in the shoreline, and that both morphologies persist during storms, contrary to common observations of shoreline and surf-zone linearization by large storm waves. We hypothesize that wave refraction over the complex nearshore bathymetry forces flow patterns which may enhance or stabilize the shoreline and surf-zone morphology during storms. In addition, our semi-daily surveys of the beach indicate that spatial and temporal patterns of erosion are strongly correlated to the steepness of the waves. Along more than half the study site, fifty percent or more of the erosion that occurred during the first 12 hours of the storm was recovered within 24 hours of the peak of the storm as waves remained large (>2.5 m), but transitioned to long period swell. In addition, spatial variations in the amount of beach volume change during the building portion of the storm were strongly correlated with observed wave dissipation within the inner surf zone, as opposed to predicted inundation elevations or alongshore variations in wave height.

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

28

Hoffmeister, Dirk Verfasser], Georg [Akademischer Betreuer] [Bareth, and Helmut [Akademischer Betreuer] Brückner. "Feasibility studies of terrestrial laser scanning in Coastal Geomorphology, Agronomy, and Geoarchaeology / Dirk Hoffmeister. Gutachter: Georg Bareth ; Helmut Brückner." Köln : Universitäts- und Stadtbibliothek Köln, 2013. http://d-nb.info/1048428486/34.

Full text

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

29

Hoffmeister, Dirk [Verfasser], Georg [Akademischer Betreuer] Bareth, and Helmut [Akademischer Betreuer] Brückner. "Feasibility studies of terrestrial laser scanning in Coastal Geomorphology, Agronomy, and Geoarchaeology / Dirk Hoffmeister. Gutachter: Georg Bareth ; Helmut Brückner." Köln : Universitäts- und Stadtbibliothek Köln, 2013. http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:hbz:38-54972.

Full text

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

30

Coombes, Martin Andrew. "Biogeomorphology of coastal structures : understanding interactions between hard substrata and colonising organisms as a tool for ecological enhancement." Thesis, University of Exeter, 2011. http://hdl.handle.net/10036/3103.

Full text

Abstract:

Urbanisation is increasingly recognised as a major ecological pressure at the coast. By 2035, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs will have to spend £1 billion each year on flood defence and erosion control infrastructure if current levels of protection are to be sustained in England and Wales; this represents a substantial commitment to building new hard structures. Ecological research has shown that structures like seawalls, breakwaters, and harbour and port infrastructure are poor surrogates for undisturbed rocky shores. This, alongside substantial international policy drivers, has led to an interest in the ways in which structures might be enhanced for ecological gain. Virtually all of this research has been undertaken by ecologists, while the contribution of geomorphological understanding has not been fully recognised. This thesis presents an assessment of the two-way interactions between colonising organisms and the materials used to build hard coastal structures under a framework of biogeomorphology. The influence of material type and small-scale surface texture on early colonisation is assessed alongside detailed observations of the ways in which biota are involved in the alteration of substratum properties and behaviours through weathering and erosion in the intertidal zone. The research demonstrates that biotic (organisms) and abiotic (material substrata) components of coastal structures are inherently linked at various spatial and temporal scales through complex biogeomorphic interactions and feedbacks. Importantly, these interactions have consequences for the subsequent operation of ecological and geomorphological processes that are of relevance to urban marine ecology, weathering and rock coast geomorphology, and engineering. This thesis demonstrates the considerable potential to manipulate substratum-biota interactions on artificial structures for ecological gain, both directly and indirectly. More broadly, the explicitly interdisciplinary methodological approach adopted shows the value and necessity of integrated research for achieving useful, applied outcomes.

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

31

Job, Thomas Anthony. "A systemic investigation of coastal acid sulfate soil acidification in the River Murray Estuary, South Australia." Thesis, University of Sydney, 2020. https://hdl.handle.net/2123/23474.

Full text

Abstract:

Extensive coastal acid sulfate soil (CASS) oxidation was observed in the River Murray Estuary (RME), South Australia, during an extreme drought (the Millennium Drought, 1996–2010). CASS oxidation causes significant surface water and porewater acidity, and the mobilisation of toxicants, negatively impacting proximal ecosystems and infrastructure. In this thesis I argue that the Millennium Drought acidification event provides a test case globally for how meteorological drought triggers extreme CASS oxidation, and how other variables can exacerbate the issue. I therefore present a systemic investigation of CASS acidification within the RME and identify the boundary conditions and exogenous variables that control acidification risk. Elements mobilised from oxidised CASS (Fe, Mn, Al, V, Cr, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, Cd, Pb, and REE) are accumulating in the sediments of the RME, and spatial patterns of enrichment and REE fractionation can be used as environmental tracers of acidic drainage. Transport and accumulation of these elements is controlled by hydrodynamic and geomorphic processes in the estuary. Multiple depositional regimes apparent in the sediment record show that hydrodynamic and geomorphic processes have, however, changed during the history of the RME in response to sea-level and anthropogenic impacts, impacting the formation of CASS and the likelihood of extreme acidification within the system. Adopting a systems approach, it is apparent that the extremity of the Millennium Drought acidification event was intensified by factors other than drought, and that the triggering of extreme CASS acidification often exhibits a non-linear relationship to boundary condition changes, meaning negative impacts can be sudden and disastrous. Wave-dominated estuaries are particularly vulnerable systems, and changes predicted for an anthropogenically heated future will likely shift estuarine systems closer to thresholds where severe acidification can be expected.

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

32

Lambert, Jeanne. "Coastal Processes and Anthropogenic Factors Influencing the Geomorphic Evolution of Weedon Island, Florida." Scholar Commons, 2006. http://scholarcommons.usf.edu/etd/3784.

Full text

Abstract:

Weedon Island, a peninsula located on the western inner shoreline of Tampa Bay, Florida, is the location of a collaborative geological and archaeological project that aims to relate the present day geomorphology to natural processes and human occupational activity during the middle to late Holocene. The area is known for extensive archaeological sites, which were originally investigated in the 1920s, although they have received relatively little scientific attention during most of the last century. We hypothesize that activities associated with pre-historic human occupation of Weedon Island at various times during the last ca. 5,000 years influenced the geomorphic evolution of the peninsula. An interdisciplinary approach, including geomorphic mapping, sediment-coring, and archaeological survey and excavation, is being used to test our hypothesis and is expected to reveal the extent to which natural processes and human activities interacted to shape the present-day configuration of the peninsula. More recent human impacts on the peninsula have impeded our efforts in some areas. During the twentieth century, dredging, mosquito ditching, and road construction, have disturbed the surface and portions of the upper sediment record in many locations. Sediments below obvious disturbances or in unimpacted areas of the peninsula, along with radiocarbon dating, have helped reconstruct the mid to late Holocene paleoenvironments and paleolandscape of Weedon Island.

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

33

Ellis, Jean Taylor. "Coherent structures and aeolian saltation." [College Station, Tex. : Texas A&M University, 2006. http://hdl.handle.net/1969.1/ETD-TAMU-1124.

Full text

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

34

Shi, Shaozhong. "Observational and theoretical aspects of tsunami sedimentation." Thesis, Coventry University, 1995. http://curve.coventry.ac.uk/open/items/0a4c8219-19e9-a6c2-4417-440b0e84702e/1.

Full text

Abstract:

This dissertation presents the detailed results of investigations into the coastal geomorphological effects and sedimentation processes associated with a recent large tsunami event which took place on the 12th December 1992 in Flores, Indonesia, and the stratigraphical and sedimentological study of a widespread sand layer preserved in coastal sedimentary sequences along the eastern coast of Scotland representing a low-frequency, high-energy marine event, which took place at circa 7,000 radiocarbon years B.P. With modern alalogues, established in this dissertation, of both tsunami and storm surge sedimentary characteristics and sedimentation processes as the key, together with high-resolution sedimentological evidence obtained from the circa 7,000 radiocarbon years B. P. event, competing hypotheses of the likely causes of the marine flooding by either a tsunami or storm surge event are tested. It is concluded that the circa 7,000 B. P. marine flooding event was a tsunami, believed to have been generated by one of the world's largest submarine landslides in the Norwegian Sea - the Second Storegga Slide. The particle size composition of tsunami sediments is found to vary from well sorted to poorly sorted and is controlled by both the characteristics of the source sedement (local coastal sediments) and sedimentation processes associated with tsunami inundation. Tsunami sediments deposited on land are believed to form continuous and discontinuous sedimentary sheets ascending up to levels distinctively higher than contemporary sea levels and to contain a general landward-fining trend and multiple sets of grading (fining-upward) sequences, reflecting spatial changes in particle size composition. A conceptual model of coastal tsunami sedimentation is established including processes of seaward and landward sediment movements, episodic rapid deposition, sediment accumulation and erosion.

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

35

Fallon, Kathleen Michelle. "Rip Current Formation and Beach Safety Implications for Several U.S. Atlantic Coast Beach Areas." FIU Digital Commons, 2017. http://digitalcommons.fiu.edu/etd/3382.

Full text

Abstract:

This dissertation combines seemingly different studies, which work together to describe the physical characteristics of rip current development and associated social implications at several locations. These fast-moving, concentrated flows of water travel offshore and can be found on any beach with sufficient wave action. Any event of increased wave steepness will erode a large quantity of sediment from the beach. The material deposited offshore eventually makes its way back; during this process, ocean water becomes trapped behind a shore-attached bar resulting in a ridge-and-runnel. These formations are seen at East Hampton, where rip-like currents form as concentrated water drains from the runnel through a breach in the ridge. Camera images from 2010-2016 captured ridge-and-runnel formations and the ensuing currents. These newly described rips behave similarly to bar-gaps; however, they are not directly related to wave action. Coastal scientists consider rip currents to be the number one hazard at most beaches. In Palm Beach County, two traditional rip types were studied: bar-gap and structurally-controlled. Lifeguard incident reports from 2011-2016 were used to correlate wind speeds and wave heights to rip related rescues at three beaches. This research was undertaken in an effort to determine under what conditions most beachgoers become caught in this hazard. Rip currents were seen to be the most dangerous to bathers on days with moderate wind and wave activity. The same beach states that lead to the strongest rips also tend to keep beachgoers from entering the ocean. A social survey at Miami Beach, from 2011 to 2012, quantified beachgoer’s rip knowledge and their recognition of hazards. A significant portion of the respondents showed insufficient knowledge, which indicated they are at-risk of being caught or drowning in a rip current. Frequent exposure to the beach, maturation, and residency were identified as the main contributors to one’s literacy whereas education was the only variable that influenced a beachgoer’s visual recognition of hazard. The information gathered by these surveys can aid in creating better rip current awareness campaigns targeted to demographics that were determined as the most at-risk. An understanding of the physical and social science of rip currents can mitigate the impact of these beach hazards.

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

36

Su, Haibin. "Derivation of Coastal Bathymetry and Stream Habitat Attributes Using Remote Sensing Images and Airborne LiDAR." University of Cincinnati / OhioLINK, 2011. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ucin1313688135.

Full text

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

37

Luiz, Amom Mendes 1987. "Diversity, distribution and conservation of anurans from coastal plains of São Paulo state, Southeastern Brazil." [s.n.], 2014. http://repositorio.unicamp.br/jspui/handle/REPOSIP/315722.

Full text

Abstract:

Orientador: Ricardo Jannini Sawaya
Texto em português e inglês
Dissertação (mestrado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Instituto de Biologia
Made available in DSpace on 2018-08-25T04:49:01Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Luiz_AmomMendes_M.pdf: 2403224 bytes, checksum: ec7b481911e3e7c360533c1254330aab (MD5) Previous issue date: 2014
Resumo: Indivíduos e espécies não são distribuídos aleatoriamente no espaço. Consequentemente, as metacomunidades formadas por tais organismos também apresentam uma organização espacial. Associado a isso, poucas espécies conseguem se distribuir na maioria dos ambientes possíveis. Portanto, as metacomunidades possuem uma variação em sua composição que pode ser espacialmente organizada, ou seja, existem locais que são mais similares em termos de composição de espécies do que outros. Robert Whittaker nomeou esse fenômeno como o componente beta da diversidade, ou simplesmente, diversidade beta. Entender quais processos geram e mantêm os padrões espaciais da diversidade beta é, portanto, uma questão central em ecologia de comunidades, além de auxiliar na proposição de formas apropriadas de manejo e conservação. O objetivo deste estudo foi descrever padrões de diversidade beta de anfíbios anuros das planícies costeiras do Sudeste do Brasil e investigar os possíveis processos que influenciam os padrões de diversidade detectados. A dissertação está dividida em dois capítulos. No primeiro capítulo, descrevo a diversidade beta de anuros da região de estudo e avalio como esses padrões estão protegidos atualmente, por unidades de conservação. No segundo capítulo, busco entender como múltiplos preditores poderiam estar relacionados com a variação na composição de espécies da região de estudo, dado o embasamento teórico e empírico da potencial influência de tais preditores sobre a diversidade de anuros. Os resultados do primeiro capítulo mostraram que existe um padrão claro de organização espacial na diversidade beta, estruturada em três áreas de forma congruente com a história geomorfológica da região. Os resultados evidenciam ainda, que a atual rede de unidades de conservação inclui padrões de diversidade beta semelhante às áreas não protegidas. No entanto, a representatividade dessas unidades em termos de área (~ 4000 km²) é pequena (11.3%). Os resultados do segundo capítulo demonstram a importância de diferentes preditores, incluindo clima, história geomorfológica e processos espaciais em diferentes escalas, para explicar a variação espacial da composição de espécies de anuros. Dentre esses preditores, as unidades geomorfológicas foram predominantemente importantes para explicar a diversidade beta. No entanto, outros processos que foram também importantes para a estruturação das comunidades, como o gradiente climático presente dentro das unidades geomorfológicas, possivelmente gerados pela estrutura geomorfológica da região e pela presença da Serra do Mar. Nossos resultados podem apresentar implicações práticas relacionadas à escolha de potenciais áreas para a conservação das planícies costeiras do Sudeste brasileiro. Tendo em vista a conservação dos padrões de diversidade beta e de seus processos subjacentes, associado à falta representatividade de em termos de tamanho de áreas protegidas na porção central do litoral paulista, sugerimos que tais áreas sejam priorizadas no planejamento e implementação de novas unidades de conservação
Abstract: Individuals and species are not randomly distributed in space. Hence, the communities composed by these species also show a spatial organization. Moreover, only few species can occur in many of the available environments. Therefore, the communities present a variation in their composition which can be spatially structured, that is, there are sites more similar each other in terms of species composition than other ones. Robert Whittaker named this phenomenon as the beta component of diversity or, simply, the beta diversity. The understanding of which processes generate and maintain beta diversity is a central question of the community ecology, also helping in the proposing and applying proper ways to its conservation and management. The aims of this study were to describe the anuran beta diversity patterns of coastal plains from southeastern Brazil and assess potential processes which influence such patterns. This study comprises two chapters. In the first one, I described aspects of the anuran beta diversity in the study region and evaluated how these patterns are protected in conservation units. In the second one, I seek to understand how multiple predictors could be related with the variation in species composition, given the theoretical and empirical framework on the influence of such predictors upon anuran diversity. The results of the first chapter showed a clear spatial pattern in the variation of species composition divided in three main areas that are congruent with the geomorphological history of the region. Still, we showed that the actual network of protected areas include similar beta diversity patterns to unprotected areas. However, the representativeness of these conservation units defined as the covered area (~ 4000 km²) is very small (11.3%). The results of the second chapter demonstrated the relative importance of distinct predictors, including climate, geomorphological history and spatial scales, to explain the spatial variation of the anuran species composition. The beta diversity is mainly associated with spatial structure of geomorphological units. However, other processes are also important in structuring anuran communities, such as climatic gradients possibly related to the geomorphological structure and the presence of Serra do Mar range and also broad scale processes. Our results have practical implications related to the choice of potential areas to coastal plains conservation in southeastern Brazil. In order to conserve the beta diversity patterns and their related processes, associated to unequal representativeness defined by the size area of protected areas, mainly on the central portions of São Paulo state coast, we suggested these areas as priorities in the planning and implementing of new conservation units
Mestrado
Ecologia
Mestre em Ecologia

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

38

Young, Elizabeth. "Variations and trends in the sensitivity of machair soils and coastal landforms to erosion, South Uist, Outer Hebrides." Thesis, University of Dundee, 2015. https://discovery.dundee.ac.uk/en/studentTheses/342e76bc-a762-4733-92c0-2bd3ae443af4.

Full text

Abstract:

The machair is a coastal grassland system found only in parts of northern and western Scotland and Ireland. Despite its limited geographic distribution, machair landscapes have high ecological, geomorphological, and cultural significance, as recognised by numerous conservation designations and legislation. In January 2005 a severe storm caused extensive damage in the Outer Hebrides, drawing attention to the sensitivity of the machair coast to erosion. The aim of this research was to investigate variations and trends in the sensitivity of three field sites within the South Uist machair to soil and coastal erosion, and to interpret measured change alongside analysis of historic climate data. Two of the sites selected, Cille Pheadair and Staoinebrig, experienced some of the most dramatic geomorphological changes associated with the 2005 storm, while the third site, Milton, appeared to be more resistant to change. A combination of fieldwork, laboratory tests, and archive work was used to obtain and analyse information about sediment budgets, shoreline indicator change, and sediment erodibility, along with contextual climatic information. A key result of this work is the provision of a detailed framework of short-medium term cyclical changes and fluctuations in the coastal change, which provides a context for interpreting and responding to longer term trends in erosion and/or accretion. Results indicated high spatial and temporal variability in the erodibility of machair soils and landforms, with no clear relationship between climatic factors and rates of erosion. Considerable short-term variations in beach volume and the position of dynamic shoreline indicators caution against the relaibility of using ‘snap-shot’ historic datasets to infer long-term rates of change. It is proposed that the machair landscape currently functions in a state of highly dynamic equilibrium, which has been maintained over the last ~130 years. While storm events such as the January 2005 storm have locally dramatic consequences, they do not appear to have disrupted the overally physical and ecological functions of the system. This contribution is particularly timely given current concerns for the future of the machair landscape under predicted sea-level and climate change scenarios, and the potential for inappropriate hard-engineering responses to the perceived risk.

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

39

Knights, Deon Hanley. "The Fate of Nutrients in Two Coastal Freshwater Systems." The Ohio State University, 2020. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu159494472722077.

Full text

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

40

Fechine, JosÃ Alegnoberto Leite. "AlteraÃÃes no Perfil Natural da Zona Costeira da Cidade de Fortaleza, CearÃ, ao longo do SÃculo XX." Universidade Federal do CearÃ, 2007. http://www.teses.ufc.br/tde_busca/arquivo.php?codArquivo=892.

Full text

Abstract:

FundaÃÃo de Amparo Ã Pesquisa do Estado do CearÃ
O objetivo deste trabalho Ã analisar as aÃÃes dos processos naturais, relacionados com as mudanÃas sociais impostas Ã Ãrea costeira de Fortaleza, Nordeste do Brasil, ao longo do sÃculo XX. O estudo estÃ individualizado em duas faixas: Sudeste/ Noroeste (SE/NO) e Leste/Oeste (L/O). A primeira parte da desembocadura do Rio CocÃ atÃ a Ponta do Mucuripe e a segunda da Ponta do Mucuripe atÃ Foz do Rio CearÃ, perfazendo um total de 23 km. Estas faixas sÃo feiÃÃes dinÃmicas que vÃm sofrendo com o avanÃo e recuo da linha de costa. A sua posiÃÃo no espaÃo geogrÃfico muda constantemente em vÃrias escalas temporais (diÃrias, sazonais, decadais, seculares e milenares). Desta forma, a faixa de praia de Fortaleza Ã afetada por um nÃmero muito grande de fatores, alguns de origens naturais e intrinsecamente relacionadas Ã dinÃmica costeira (erosÃo costeira, variaÃÃo relativa do nÃvel do mar, dispersÃo de sedimentos), outros relacionados com as intervenÃÃes humanas na zona costeira (obras de engenharia, drenagens, aterramento de praias, construÃÃo de espigÃes, muros de contenÃÃo). O impacto ambiental e as mudanÃas, naturais e sociais, nestas Ãreas, sÃo bastante considerÃveis. Por essas razÃes, Ã intenso o avanÃo da linha de costa na faixa SE â NO (Praia do Futuro, CaÃa e Pesca e Serviluz), ocorrendo engorda do perfil praial. Na faixa L/0, um recuo da linha de costa em direÃÃo ao continente (Praia do Meireles, Praia de Iracema, Pirambu, L/O e Barra do CearÃ) vem se intensificando. Estas aÃÃes se deram de forma mais intensa posteriormente Ã construÃÃo da grande obra o Porto do Mucuripe, na dÃcada de 1940, que veio alterar drasticamente toda a dinÃmica costeira da cidade de Fortaleza, colocando-se como um marco das mudanÃas ambientais da Ãrea ao longo do sÃculo XX
The objective of this dissertation is to present a synthesis of the natural processes related with the social changes of coastal area of Fortaleza city, Northeast of Brazil, along an area of 23 km, during the 20th century. The study area has been individualized in two bands: southeast/northwest and east/west. The first goes from the mouth of CocÃ river until the Mucuripe headland and the second, from this point until the estuary of CearÃ river. These bands are dynamic features that are suffering with the advance and recession of the shoreline. Its position changes constantly in many scales (daily and seasonal, but associated with centuries and millenniums). In such a way, the beach band of Fortaleza is affected by a very great number of factors, some of natural origins and related to the coastal dynamics (coastal erosion, relative variation of the sea level, dispersion of sediments), others related with human interventions in the coastal zone (workmanships of engineering, drainings, nourishement of beaches, construction of ridges and seawalls). The envirormental impact and the changes, natural and artificial, in these areas, are considerable. For these reasons there is an intense advance of the shoreline in the band southeast/northwest (Futuro beach, CaÃa e Pesca and Serviluz), with progradation of the beach profile. In the band east/west occurs an intense erosion of the shoreline in direction to the continent (Meireles, Iracema, Pirambu, Barra do CearÃ). These processes are more intense after the construction of the Mucuripe harbor, that modified drastically the coastal dynamics of the studied area and its a marker of the environmental chauges in the coast of Fortaleza city during the 20th century

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

41

DeJong, Benjamin D. "Using The Past As The Key To The Present: Informing Coastal Resource Management With Geologic Records." ScholarWorks @ UVM, 2015. http://scholarworks.uvm.edu/graddis/354.

Full text

Abstract:

Rising sea levels present an ongoing threat to communities and resources around the Chesapeake Bay, east coast, USA, where tide gauges indicate that the relative rise of sea level is approximately twice the rate of average, eustatic sea-level rise. This has significantly compromised the health and viability of salt marsh habitat on the Eastern Shore during the 20th century, and the biologists who are charged with managing coastal resources in the coming decades need to understand the nature and causes of high rates of regional sea-level rise to develop suitable adaptation plans. Dated geologic deposits and geophysical models suggest that sea-level rise is relatively high on mid-Atlantic coastlines because the land surface is subsiding due to a collapsing glacial forebulge following the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM). To fully understand this process, past sea-level indicators such as dated shoreline deposits are needed to reconstruct regional sea-level behavior in the past, but rigorous age control on geologic deposits is largely restricted to the Holocene and to marine isotope stage (MIS) 5, so the rates and timescales over which these processes operate remain unknown. This research provides long-term paleoenvironmental records from ancient environments under east-central Chesapeake Bay to place the current sea-level threats into the context of a long geologic history of sea-level fluctuations. First, the Pleistocene geologic framework of the region is reconstructed through borehole drilling. Sediments from boreholes provided material for interpreting depositional environments, and for establishing age control for deposits, so that the entire stratigraphy was constrained both in space and time. The geologic framework and ages indicate that Chesapeake Bay alternated between a deeply incised fluvial system and a filled estuary repeatedly in response to major climate fluctuations since at least the early Pleistocene, ~2 Ma. The ages and sedimentology indicate that the field area was submerged intermittently in a shallow estuary until nearly the end of marine isotope stage 3. Because global sea-level proxies suggest that sea level was ~40-80 meters lower than present at that time, these ages suggest that the penultimate glacial forebulge must have remained significantly lowered for nearly 100 ky following the retreat of ice. The implication of this time lag is that mid-Atlantic coastlines are still in a relatively early state of forebulge collapse, and subsidence following retreat of ice from the Last Glacial Maximum will likely continue for the foreseeable future. Ongoing subsidence will continue to exacerbate projected eustatic sea-level rise due to changing global climate, and coastal adaptation plans must remain focused on encouraging the migration of vital habitat toward higher elevations in the landscape.

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

42

Martins, Vanda Moreira. "Relação solo-relevo-substrato geológico na planíce costeira de Bertioga (SP)." Universidade de São Paulo, 2009. http://www.teses.usp.br/teses/disponiveis/11/11140/tde-24062009-093115/.

Full text

Abstract:

O conhecimento do relevo, geologia, cronologia e dos solos nos ambientes costeiros, constitui importante elemento para a interpretação, reconstituição e conservação dos mesmos. Em Bertioga-SP, alguns setores das unidades morfoestratigráficas pleistocênicas e holocênicas, que formam as planícies do litoral paulista, encontram-se preservados na paisagem. A busca pela compreensão da relação entre os solos, o relevo, a natureza e a cronologia dos sedimentos costeiros, acrescida do interesse em estudar os Espodossolos desenvolvidos sobre esses sedimentos direcionaram os objetivos deste trabalho. Para tanto, identificou-se e caracterizou-se os solos e os sedimentos sobre os quais eles se desenvolveram. A fotointerpretação, os trabalhos de campo, as análises químicas, geocronológicas (datações por TL, LOE e 14C) e a granulometria dos solos/sedimentos auxiliaram na identificação, delimitação espacial, bem como o desenvolvimento de teorias sobre a evolução dos solos sobre os depósitos sedimentares. Depósitos continentais, fluviais e marinhos foram identificados. Também foi registrada a influência das formas de relevo e da profundidade do lençol dágua na dinâmica evolutiva e distribuição espacial dos solos em cada unidade geomorfológica. Os Espodossolos, Neossolos, Organossolos, Gleissolos e Cambissolos foram as principais Ordens de solos identificadas. As diferenças topográficas, geomorfológicas e geológicas dos ambientes condicionam a quantidade de água, a fisionomia da vegetação e o conteúdo matéria orgânica nas seis principais unidades geomorfológicas identificadas na planície costeira: (a) depressões fluviolagunares caracterizadas por sedimentos orgânico-pelítico-psamíticos e Organossolos e Gleissolos; (b) terraços marinhos arenosos com predomínio de Espodossolos com ou sem horizontes cimentados (ortstein) e horizontes plácicos; (c) cristas praiais arenosas com Neossolos Quartzarênicos e Espodossolos destituídos de horizontes cimentados (ortstein); (d) rampas de colúvio, psamíticas, com Cambissolos; (e) planície fluvial de granulometria variada com Gleissolos e Neossolos Flúvicos e (f) planícies de maré, psamíticas e pelíticas, onde predominam os Organossolos e Gleissolos. Além dessas unidades, as praias recentes e os setores dominados pelos depósitos continentais colúvio-aluviais indiferenciados também foram abordados como unidades geomorfológicas individuais. A topografia das unidades geomorfológicas de origem marinha, além de indicar a cronologia dos depósitos, influencia no desenvolvimento de diferentes classes de Espodossolos. Os atributos físico-químicos e morfológicos dos Espodossolos podem auxiliar na diferenciação cronológica dos depósitos quaternários mais recentes (holocênicos). A área de ocorrência dos terraços marinhos pleistocênicos é mais extensa do que aquelas registradas nos documentos cartográficos existentes. Nos setores bem drenados dos remanescentes de terraços marinhos pleistocênicos altos, a influência das condições de relevo na pedogênese se reflete na formação dos Neossolos Quartzarênicos (RQ) a partir do desmantelamento dos Espodossolos, enquanto nos terraços marinhos holocênicos os RQ se desenvolvem, podendo evoluir para Espodossolos.
Knowledge of the chronology, relief, geology and soils in sedimentary coastal environments is relevant for their interpretation, reconstitution and conservation. In Bertioga, São Paulo State Brazil, several sections of the Pleistocene and Holocene morphostratigraphic costal plain units are preserved in the landscape. This thesis seeks the perception of the relationships between soils, geomorphology, relief and the chronology of Bertiogas coastal sand deposits as well as to study Podzols developed on them. Soils and the different sedimentary environments where these soils develop were thus identified and characterized. Photointerpretation, field work, chemical, physical and chronological (luminescence and radiocarbon dating) analysis supported the identification, spatial delimitation as well as the development of genesis theories of soils over continental, fluvial and marine deposits. Previous data additionally allowed the evaluation of the influence of relief forms and water table depth on the evolutionary dynamics of soils and on their spatial distribution pattern. The main identified orders of soils included Podzols, Arenosols, Fluvisols, Histosols, Gleysols and Cambisols. The topographic, geomorphologic and geologic differences of the environments had conditioned the amount of water, the vegetation features and the organic matter content of the following geomorphologic units: (a) lagoonal terrace depressions, characterized by organo-pelitic-psammitic sediments under Histosols and Gleysols; (b) marine terraces formed by fine to very fine sand under Podzols with and without hardpans (ortstein); (c) fine sandy beach ridges with a dominance of Arenosols and, on a secondary level, Podzols without hardpans (ortstein) and placic horizons; (d) psammitic colluvial slope deposits with Cambisols; (e) fluvial plains with varied texture and with Gleysols and Fluvisols and (f) psammitic and pelitic tidal flats, where Histosols and Gleysols predominate. Besides these units, modern beaches and sections dominated by non-differentiated colluvial-alluvial continental deposits were also analyzed as individual geomorphological units. Topography of geomorphological units from marine origin indicates the chronological sequence of deposits, in addition to influencing the development of different of Podzols, the physical, chemical and morphological properties of which allowed the chronological differentiation of modern Quaternary deposits (Holocene). The mapped area of the Pleistocene marine terraces occurrence was found to be larger than the one indicated on cartographic documents published up to the moment. In the well-drained sections of remnant soils from high Pleistocene marine terraces, the influence of the relief forms on pedogenesis is shown through the formation of Arenosols originated from the destruction of spodic horizons, whereas Arenosols in Holocene marine terrace tends to evolve into Podzols.

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

43

Furlan, Adriana Aparecida. "Falésias na Formação Barreiras: análise regional e proposta tipológica." Universidade de São Paulo, 2014. http://www.teses.usp.br/teses/disponiveis/8/8135/tde-15042015-151123/.

Full text

Abstract:

As formas naturais do relevo costeiro são resultantes da atuação e interação de processos continentais, oceânicos e atmosféricos. Dentre as diversas feições costeiras destacam-se as falésias e, nesta tese, serão discutidas estas feições esculpidas na Formação Barreiras, sendo esta uma vasta área sedimentar que se estende desde o estado do Rio de Janeiro até o estado do Amapá. Há um grande conjunto de elementos em interação atuando na morfogênese e evolução das falésias e estes são considerados dentro de uma perspectiva de análise sistêmica, sendo estes agrupados e caracterizados como elementos de um Sistema Natural, considerando-se o sistema como um conjunto formado por materiais, processos e formas, tratados, nesta tese, como um sistema geomórfico dinâmico com entrada (inputs) e saída (outputs) de energia e materiais identificáveis, dirigidos e controlados pelas condições ambientais, no qual inúmeros tipos de processos ocorrem simultaneamente. Estudos teóricos e de campo foram realizados em Beberibe-CE, Mucuri-BA e Tibau do Sul-RN e possibilitaram a observação e identificação de características e indícios da morfogênese e evolução das falésias, permitindo a proposição de uma classificação, dentro de um quadro regional da Formação Barreiras, destas feições em: 1) falésia precedida por praia; 2) falésia não precedida por praia.
Natural forms of coastal relief are the result of the action and interaction of continental, oceanic and atmospheric processes. Among various coastal features, cliffs stand out and in this thesis, we discuss these features carved into Formação Barreiras, which is a vast sedimentary area stretching from Rio de Janeiro to Amapá State. There is a large set of elements in interaction taking part in the morphogenesis and in the evolution of cliffs which are considered here within the perspective of a systemic analysis. These elements are classified and characterized as elements of a \"Natural System\", considered system as a whole formed by materials, processes and forms, treated, in this thesis, as a dynamic geomorphic system with inputs and outputs of strenght and materials identifiable, directed and controlled by environmental conditions, in which numberless types of material processes occur simultaneously. Theoretical and field studies performed in Beberibe-CE, Mucuri-BA and Tibau do Sul-RN, allowed us to observe and identify characteristics and evidences of cliffs morphogenesis and evolution, making possible we propose a classification of these features, within a regional framework of Formação Barreiras: 1) cliffs preceded by a beach; 2) cliffs not preceded by a beach.

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

44

Falcão, Plínio Martins. "Panorama da poluição costeira por pellets de plástico em praias de SP (Brasil): uma contribuição aos estudos de geografia do litoral." Universidade de São Paulo, 2015. http://www.teses.usp.br/teses/disponiveis/8/8135/tde-12012016-150123/.

Full text

Abstract:

O lixo marinho é um problema discutido desde a década de 1970, quando cientistas começaram a observar e quantificar materiais diversos nos mares e costas de alguns países, como por exemplo os plásticos. Nessa categoria se encontram os pellets de plástico, que constituem a matéria-prima de base para a produção da indústria mundial de insumos plásticos. Desde então o tema é tratado entre as formas de poluição marinha e costeira mais observadas. A pesquisa foi desenvolvida no litoral do Estado de São Paulo (Brasil), na qual se avaliou a presença de pellets e os mecanismos de sua distribuição, realizada em duas etapas: a primeira, em 55 praias de 15 municípios entre o Litoral Norte, a Baixada Santista e o Litoral Sul. A segunda, em 9 praias da Região Metropolitana da Baixada Santista. Pesquisa bibliográfica, documental, trabalhos de campo e de laboratório formaram as etapas da investigação, para a qual foram usados métodos de amostragem. Os resultados obtidos levaram à conclusão da maior concentração de pellets nas praias próximas às áreas consideradas pelo estudo como fontes emissoras do material no mar, como as zonas portuárias / industriais de São Sebastião, Santos e a de Paranaguá (Paraná). Ao longo das praias, foi constatado que os eventos extremos de ressacas / marés meteorológicas são os principais responsáveis pela distribuição dos pellets de plástico nas praias. A principal contribuição do trabalho foi a inclusão da temática da poluição costeira nos estudos de Geografia do Litoral, uma demanda desafiadora para a Geografia brasileira.
Marine debris is an issue discussed since the 1970s, when scientists began to observe and quantify different materials in the seas and coastlines of some countries, such as plastics. In this category are the plastic pellets, which are the basic raw material for the production of plastics industry worldwide inputs. Since then the issue is treated between forms of marine pollution and more coastal observed. The research was conducted in the São Paulo state coast (Brazil), in which it evaluated the presence of pellets and the mechanisms of its distribution, carried out in two stages: the first, on 55 beaches in 15 municipalities across the North Coast, the Baixada Santista and the South Coast. The second, on 9 beaches of Baixada Santista. Bibliographical research, documental, field work and laboratory formed the stages of the investigation, for which sampling methods were used. The results led to the conclusion of the higher concentration of pellets at the nearby beaches to areas considered by the study as sources emitting material at sea, such as port / industrial areas of São Sebastião, Santos and Paranaguá (Paraná). Along the beaches, it was found that extreme storm surge events are mainly responsible for the distribution of plastic pellets on beaches. The main contribution of this study was the inclusion of the issue of coastal pollution in the studies of Geography of the Coastline, a challenging demand for Brazilian Geography.

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

45

van, Gaalen Joseph F. "Longshore Sediment Transport From Northern Maine To Tampa Bay, Florida: A Comparison Of Longshore Field Studies To Relative Potential Sediment Transport Rates Derived From Wave Information Study Hindcast Data." Scholar Commons, 2004. https://scholarcommons.usf.edu/etd/1280.

Full text

Abstract:

This paper examines the regional longshore sediment transport pattern of the seaward coast of the United States and Gulf of Mexico from northern Maine to Tampa Bay, Florida. From previous studies it is known that along the coast there are variations in direction of sediment transport known as nodal zones as well as variations in sediment transport rate. Wave Information Study (WIS) hindcast data for the interval 1976 through 1995 (United States Army Corps of Engineers, 2003) provide a spatially continuous model of the regional longshore current directions in the study area. In chapter one, all available published field studies of longshore current direction and sediment transport directions and rates are compiled to create a description of the direction and, whenever possible, magnitude of longshore transport. A detailed compilation of regional and local published studies are provided in tables. An interpretation of sediment transport rates and directions is provided in eight regional maps of the study area. In chapter two the results of the literature compilations are compared with gross and net potential sediment transport directions and rates modeled using WIS hindcast data. The WIS deep-water wave characteristics are used to predict the directions and rate of longshore sediment transport at local outer coast positions using the method of Ashton et al. (2003a). The WIS-derived transport directions, including nodal zones, generally agree with the published field studies, although there are a few local inconsistencies particularly near inlets, shoals and irregular bathymetry. Trends in longshore transport rates, such as increases and decreases in gross transport rates are well represented by the WIS-derived potential transport rates. The discrepencies between the published field studies and WIS results are apparently primarily due to assumptions in the WIS model, such as assuming shore-parallel bathymetric contours.

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

46

Roig, i. Munar Francesc Xavier. "Blocs de tempesta i tsunami a les costes rocoses de les Illes Balears: anàlisi geomorfològica i morfomètrica." Doctoral thesis, Universitat de Barcelona, 2016. http://hdl.handle.net/10803/396603.

Full text

Abstract:

Un tsunami és un seguit d'onades al mar causades per una ona de gran període T (entre 5 i 60 minuts) i de longitud d’ona L molt llarga (fins a 800 km). A alta mar tenen una altura d'ona H molt baixa (difícilment més de 3 m), de manera que es tracta d'ones extremadament planes i difícilment apreciables en alta mar. L’aproximació d’aquestes ones de tsunami a les costes someres dona un procés d'augment d’alçada de l'onada. Aquest efecte fa créixer l'altura dels tsunamis dels no més de 3 metres a alta mar fins a més de 25 m al costat de la costa, mentrestant, la velocitat de l'onada va disminuint. Un cop aquest tsunami contacta amb la costa es donen uns fenòmens de caire geomorfològic a les costes rocoses, consistents en registres sedimentaris de deposició de blocs que presenten un patró característic, les orientacions i les imbricacions. Fins a dia d’avui destriar blocs de tsunamis de blocs de tempesta ha estat un tema força debatut, i fins i tot contradictori, tot i que sembla que ens els darrers quatre anys s’han establert certs patrons de deposició comuns de blocs a la mediterrània, no existint un treball exhaustiu a la costa del mediterrani occidental com és Catalunya, Balears i la resta de l’estat. Aquesta tesi doctoral s'emmarca dins l’àmbit de recerca de la geologia i geomorfologia litoral, i té per objectiu relacionar la presencia de blocs de grans dimensions a les costes rocoses de les illes Balears amb les fonts tsunamítiques conegudes al Mediterrani occidental. El treball parteix de la hipòtesis que molts dels blocs ubicats sobre les costes rocoses de les illes, i amb unes característiques geomorfològiques concretes, corresponen a dipòsits de tsunami, tot i que l’ample mostreig permet l’estudi simultani de fenòmens de tempesta i tsunami. Per l’estudi s’han identificat 50 àrees de mostreig, i amb la finalitat d’establir escenaris de deposició de blocs s’han caracteritzat geològica i geomorfològicament cadascuna de les àrees d’estudi, mitjançant cartografia i recollida de dades morfològiques. S’han pres mesures morfomètriques dels blocs i a aquests se’ls ha aplicat una triangulació per tenir un volum més real. Dels blocs s’han pres dades d’imbricació i orientació, fets determinants a l’hora de destriar blocs de tempesta i blocs de tsunami. Així mateix s’han establert 6 perfils tipus de costa que permeten relacionar dades morfomètriques i d’onatge. A cada àrea s’han aplicat un conjunt d’equacions que permeten establir, baix tres escenaris inicials d’arrabassament dels blocs; blocs submergits, blocs aïllats i blocs delimitats per juntes, les columnes d’aigua necessàries pel seu trasllat i deposició al llarg de la costa rocosa. D’aquestes àrees s’han identificat 8 sectors representatius al conjunt balear i s’han relacionat les dades morfomètriques de blocs, el tipus de perfil, l’onatge i les orientacions i imbricacions amb els resultats de les equacions aplicades i amb les fonts tsunamítiques provinents del N d’Àfrica, donant com a resultat una bona correlació entre trajectòries de tsunamis i morfometria de blocs. Els resultats més evidents són aquelles àrees ubicades sobre penya-segats verticals amb presència de grans blocs imbricats i amb morfologies de cordons on no hi arriben els onatges de tempesta, configurant-se com a àrees eminentment tsunamítiques i on les orientacions dominants indiquen el N d’Àfrica. La resta d’àrees, tot i que el seu perfil litoral pot ser afectat per les onades de tempesta, poden ser denominades mixtes, tot i que la morfometria de blocs i les distàncies dels cordons en relació a la cornisa de cada penya-segat invaliden en un alt grau les tempestes. La tesi doctoral conclou que l’anàlisi morfològica de la costa i l’anàlisi de la morfometria de blocs són un bon indicador, juntament amb l’aplicació de les equacions matemàtiques i la correlació de fonts tsunamítiques per destriar blocs de tempesta de tsunami. Les datacions realitzades sobre blocs a les diferents localitats han permès establir una cronologia d’episodis correlacionables amb tsunamis i terratrèmols enregistrats documentalment, tots ells ocorreguts en un període històric que es situa entre el segles XVII i XIX. La majoria de datacions de les localitats mesurades tenen poca dispersió i s’agrupen en una franja d’edat situada entre els anys 1700 i el 1850.
When tsunami waves hit the rocky coasts, geomorphological phenomenon take place. These phenomenon consist of the sedimentation of rocky blocks with a particular pattern: orientations and overlapping. This doctoral thesis is framed within the disciplines of geology and coastal geomorphology. Its aim is to link the presence of big blocks of rock in the rocky coasts of the Balearic Islands with the known tsunamic sources of the western Mediterranean Sea. The following hypothesis is at the origin of this study: many of the blocks of rock located on the rocky coasts of the Balearic Islands, all of them having some specific geomorphological features, are tsunami deposits. For this study, 50 sample areas where identified; they were afterwards characterised geologically and geomorphologically by means of cartography and morphology data collection. In each area, a combination of mathematical equations was applied in order to identify, under three initial stages ―submerged, isolated and edges of the joint blocks―, the water columns needed to transport them and to deposit them along the rocky coast. 8 representative sectors were been identified, and they were correlated in terms of shoreline profile, swell, and blocks of rock orientation and overlapping, with the results of the mathematical equations and the tsunamic sources coming from the north of Africa. The outcome of such correlation is that the path drawn by tsunamis is linked with the morphometry of the blocks of rock. The most obvious results of this study are the overlapped blocks with cord morphologies, located in vertical cliffs out of reach of storms’ swell. These areas are mainly tsunamic and are oriented towards the north of Africa. As regards the rest of the areas, although their shoreline profile can be affected by storm waves, they can be referred to as mixt. In the mixt areas, the morphometry of the blocks and the distance of the cords of blocks in relation to the cornice of the cliff, annuls most of the effects of storms. The conclusion of this doctoral thesis is that the morphological analysis of the coast and the morphometry of blocks of rock, as well as the mathematical equations and the correlation of tsunamic sources, are good indicators to distinguish those blocks which have resulted from a tsunamic storm and those who have not. The datings made to some blocks of rock in different spots allowed establishing a chronology of episodes which can be correlated to recorded tsunamis and earthquakes. These tsunamis and earthquakes took place between the 17th and the 19th centuries, and most of the results of the datings show that all the blocks were transported by high energy flows between the years 1700 and 1850.

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

47

Brutsché, Katherine Emily. "Evolution and Equilibration of Artificial Morphologic Perturbations in the Form of Nearshore Berm Nourishments Along the Florida Gulf Coast." Scholar Commons, 2014. https://scholarcommons.usf.edu/etd/5192.

Full text

Abstract:

Inlets and channels are dredged often to maintain navigation safety. It is beneficial to reintroduce the dredged material back into the littoral system, in the form of beach or nearshore nourishments. Nourishment in the nearshore is becoming an increasingly utilized method, particularly for dredged material that contains more fine sediment than the native beach. This research examines the morphologic evolution of two different nearshore nourishments. A nearshore berm was constructed at Fort Myers Beach, Florida using mixed-sized sediment dredged from a nearby channel. The nearshore berm was placed in water depths between 1.2 and 2.4 m with the berm crest just below MLLW in the shape of a bar. The nearshore berm migrated onshore while the system was approaching a dynamic equilibrium. Near the end of the fourth year, the beach profiles had returned to the equilibrium shape characteristic of the study area. Gaps in the berm allowed water circulation and should be considered as a design parameter. The fine sediment fractions in the original placed material was selectively transported and deposited offshore, while the coarser component moved onshore. The dry beach maintained the same sediment properties throughout the study period and was not influenced by the fine sediment in the initial construction of the berm. Another nearshore nourishment was placed along eastern Perdido Key, Florida in 2011-2012 using maintenance dredged material from nearby Pensacola Pass. Different from the Fort Myers Beach berm, the material was placed within the swash-zone, with a maximum elevation of +0.91 m NAVD88 (or 0.62 m above MHHW). The low constructed berm elevation allowed natural overwash processes to occur frequently, which resulted in net onshore sediment transport and growth of the active beach berm. Sediment volume gain west of the project area due to longshore spreading of the nourishment occurred mostly in the trough between the shoreline and the bar, rather than on the dry beach. The swash-zone berm evolved back to the natural equilibrium profile shape maintained in the study area within 8 months. The performance of the swash-zone nourishment was compared to two previous beach nourishments at the same location in 1985 and 1989-1991, with higher berm elevations, at +3 m and +1.2 m NAVD88, respectively. The 1.2-km 1985 nourishment performed the poorest with a shoreline retreat rate of 40 m/year. The 7.3-km 1989-1991 nourishment performed the best with a retreat rate of 11 m/year. This suggests that high berm elevations do not necessarily lead to better nourishment performance. Longshore extent of a nourishment may play an essential role. The distant passage of two tropical storms (Tropical Storm Debby and Hurricane Isaac) generated high waves for the study areas. The two berm nourishments responded differently to the storm. Response was also compared to a beach nourishment in Sand Key. The bar-shaped Fort Myers Beach berm was split into two smaller bars, while a storm berm developed for the swash-zone nourishment at Perdido Key. In both cases, the energetic storm conditions accelerated the evolution of the berm profiles toward equilibrium. As compared to the measured nearshore waves by this study, CMS-Wave accurately propagated the WIS Hindcast waves. SBEACH accurately captured the maximum water elevation, consistent with measured upper limit of morphology change. The model correctly predicted beach and nearshore erosion during the storms. The growth of the storm berm at the Perdido Key swash-zone nourishment was predicted reasonably well by the SBEACH model. However, the magnitudes of the storm-induced erosion and the locations of the offshore bar were not accurately predicted consistently.

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

48

Smith, Patrick Eugene. "Tectonic geomorphology of coastal mountain ranges along a transform plate boundary geomorphic evolution of fluvial terraces with implications for defining rates of crustal displacement and earthquake recurrence intervals /." Diss., UC access only, 2009. http://proquest.umi.com/pqdweb?index=152&did=1907173991&SrchMode=1&sid=1&Fmt=7&retrieveGroup=0&VType=PQD&VInst=PROD&RQT=309&VName=PQD&TS=1270496015&clientId=48051.

Full text

Abstract:

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of California, Riverside, 2009.
Includes abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 112-120). Issued in print and online. Available via ProQuest Digital Dissertations.

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

49

Cheng, Jun. "Multiple Scales of Beach Morphodynamic Processes: Measurements and Modelling." Scholar Commons, 2015. http://scholarcommons.usf.edu/etd/5924.

Full text

Abstract:

Multiple scales of beach morphodynamic processes ranging from those of wave-breaking induced turbulence, individual wave, storm, seasonal, to inter-annual are examined in this dissertation based on both laboratory and field data. These processes were simulated using process-based numerical models and data-driven models. At a microscale, separating turbulence from orbital motion under breaking waves in the surf zone is essential to understanding wave-energy dissipation. Velocity data under monochromatic and random waves in the large-scale sediment transport facility (LSTF) were analyzed. Moving averaging provides a simple method for extracting turbulence from velocity measurements under random breaking waves collected at a reasonably high frequency. Various moving averaging time intervals were examined. An optimum moving averaging interval of approximately 30° to 42° phase angle (relative to peak wave period) allows a reasonable extraction of turbulence. An adaptive moving averaging with variable averaging time at wave crest and trough are proposed to improve the effect of turbulence extraction. At a mesoscale, hydrodynamic conditions associated with onshore migration of a sandbar and the subsequent equilibrium state of a stable bar were examined in the LSTF. Wave and near bottom velocity across the surf zone were measured during the onshore sandbar migration. The near-bottom velocity skewness indicates that before the sandbar reached equilibrium, the velocity was skewed offshore in the nearshore region, and skewed onshore seaward of the bar. The velocity skewness pattern reversed when the beach profile reached equilibrium and the sandbar became stable. The peak onshore directed acceleration was greater than the peak offshore directed acceleration throughout the surf zone during the periods of both onshore migrating and stable sandbar. The macroscale portion of the study examines the beach processes, particularly the morphodynamics of nearshore bar, at storm and seasonal scales. The bar height and bar position were extracted from bimonthly surveyed beach-profiles spaced at 300 m along the 22-km long Sand Key barrier island, West-Central Florida from October 2010 to August 2015. Seasonal beach cycle in the study area is illustrated by onshore sandbar migration during the summer and offshore sandbar migration during the winter, while subaerial beach remains rather stable. Alongshore variations of onshore and offshore sandbar migration were observed over storm events. The water depth over the pre-storm sandbar crest, or the bar crest elevation, is a major factor controlling the onshore or offshore sandbar movement. The offshore moving sandbar tends to have a shallower pre-storm bar crest, while the onshore moving sandbar tends to have a deeper pre-storm bar crest. A dynamic equilibrium bar height of 0.5 m for the study area was identified. The sandbar tends to evolve toward this equilibrium height during the seasonal cycle. The energetic conditions associated with Tropical Storm Debby caused a deviation from the above dynamic equilibrium conditions. The sandbar at most of the profile locations became higher than the pre-storm bar height regardless of the initial height of being greater or less than 0.5 m. After the storm, the higher and shallower bar experienced substantial erosion, the eroded sand was deposited in the trough landward. This resulted in a lower sandbar height, returning to the dynamic equilibrium height of 0.5 m. The Unibest-TC model (Walstra et al., 2012) is able to capture the measured trend of bar migration. The Modelling results suggest that offshore bar migration is dominated by suspended sediment transport. While onshore bar migration is driven mainly by bedload transport. At megascale, a data-driven model was developed to predict beach-profile evolution at multiple-annual scale. Empirical Orthogonal Function analysis was conducted on a time-series beach profile (R61) to identify temporal and spatial trends. Trends in the temporal EOF are modeled using a simple curve fitting. In this case, logarithmic and linear trends were identified. After the trend in temporal EOF values are identified, the curve fitting can be calibrated with 14-month data. The calibrated temporal EOF curve yielded accurate reproduction of profiles. The close examination of multiple scales of beach processes provides a comprehensive understanding of nearshore morphodynamics.

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

50

Spizale, Jordyn A. "Geomorphic Evolution of Caminada Pass in Southeast Louisiana." ScholarWorks@UNO, 2013. http://scholarworks.uno.edu/td/1705.

Full text

Abstract:

Tidal inlets play a significant role in barrier island sustainability along the barrier islands of southern Louisiana. With increasing tidal prism, major changes are taking place within and adjacent to the inlets. The purpose of this thesis is to examine how Caminada Pass, a tidal inlet along the Caminada-Moreau headland, has evolved through time. Fundamental to this effort is evaluating which processes have contributed toward inlet evolution and what is the response of the inlet-bordering barrier island shorelines of Grand Isle and Elmer’s Island. This effort summarizes previous results and utilizes published bathymetric data, aerial photographs, vector shorelines, satellite images, and seafloor grab samples. The intent of this research is to document the variety of data that are available for future studies of Caminada Pass, an evaluation of long and short-term changes to the system, and an overall better understanding of the inlet dynamics of Caminada Pass.

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Coastal geomorphology'

Create a spot-on reference in APA, MLA, Chicago, Harvard, and other styles