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Coast Sediment Dynamics: Historical Development, Current Situation and Perspectives

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A special issue of Water (ISSN 2073-4441). This special issue belongs to the section "Water Erosion and Sediment Transport".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 January 2025 | Viewed by 8660

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Special Issue Editors

Dr. Yunping Yang

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Guest Editor

Tianjin Research Institute for Water Transport Engineering, Tianjin 300456, China
Interests: sediment transport; river evolution; flood disaster; estuarine and coastal science
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Dr. Zhiming Chao

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Guest Editor

1. College of Ocean Science and Engineering, Shanghai Maritime University, Shanghai 210020, China
2. Institute of Water Sciences and Technology, Hohai University, Nanjing 211106, China
Interests: port, coastal and marine geotechnical engineering; soil mechanics; soft ground stability analysis; mechanical properties of the interface between soil and geosynthetics; application of artificial intelligence technology in geotechnical engineering

Dr. Hua Ge

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Guest Editor

Changjiang River Scientific Research Institute, River Research Institute, Wuhan 430010, China
Interests: flood control; river and lake regulation; sedimentation in cascade reservoirs; water and sediment transport; riverbed evolution

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Under the effects of global climate change and human activities, the process and development trends of material transport from river basin to ocean have been significantly changed. In order to cope with the new challenges brought by the changes in coastal environments, it is necessary to fully understand the source, transport, deposition process and development dynamics of coastal sediment. This Special Issue invites submissions pertaining to these challenges and encourages the use of multi-disciplinary research methods such as remote sensing surveys, measured big data, physical models and mathematical models, focusing on the new progress and development trends in the study of sediment transport from basin to ocean, estuarine sediment movement mechanics, coastal sediment movement mechanics, coastal geology, estuarine geomorphic evolution, coastal geomorphic evolution, and coastal ecology. We welcome contributions from scholars and engineers in the fields of river dynamics, environmental science, ecology, coastal science, port navigation and offshore engineering. We are particularly interested in the application of new technologies and methods in coast sediment dynamics and coastal ecological environments.

Dr. Yunping Yang
Dr. Zhiming Chao
Dr. Hua Ge
Guest Editors

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Keywords

coast dynamics
coast sediments
estuarine evolution
numerical simulation
coastal ecology

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Published Papers (8 papers)

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13 pages, 21078 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Shoreline Behavior in Response to Coastal Structures: A Case Study in Haikou Bay, China

by Yu Zhu, Weite Zeng, Yingtao Zhou and Juntong Zhang

Water 2024, 16(21), 3106; https://doi.org/10.3390/w16213106 - 30 Oct 2024

Viewed by 437

Abstract

The rapid development of coastal structures on sandy coastlines raises concerns about their impacts on the shoreline’s evolution and the sediment transport dynamics. This study utilized a numerical modeling approach to simulate the multi-year response of Haikou Bay’s coastline to various nearshore structures, including piers and a large artificial island. The LITLINE module of the MIKE21 (v2020) software was employed to analyze the sediment transport patterns across three distinct coastal segments. The simulation results indicated that the sediment transport directions varied significantly: from west to east in the western segment, from east to west in the middle segment, and convergence toward the center in the eastern segment, divided by a construction trestle. The net sediment transport rates were quantified as 2000 m³/year for the western segment, 8000 m³/year for the middle segment, and 13,000 m³/year (west) and 10,000 m³/year (east) for the eastern segment. Due to the conflicting sediment transport directions on each side of the breakwater, noticeable deposition occurred on both sides. The presence of the artificial island created notable deposition in its wave shadow area, while the overall impact on the shoreline changes diminished over time. These findings underscore the significant influence of human activities, particularly coastal structures, on the natural evolution of shorelines. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Coast Sediment Dynamics: Historical Development, Current Situation and Perspectives)

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16 pages, 7214 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Research on Water Content Spatial Distribution Pattern of Fine—Grained Sediments in Debris Flow—Taking Beichuan Debris Flow as a Case

by Qinjun Wang, Jingjing Xie, Jingyi Yang, Peng Liu, Wentao Xu, Boqi Yuan and Chaokang He

Water 2024, 16(18), 2640; https://doi.org/10.3390/w16182640 - 17 Sep 2024

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 597

Abstract

Due to being lightweight, fine-grained sediments easily flow with water and thus amplify the destructive effect of debris flow hazards. In such hazards, water content and shear strength are key inter-controlled factors relating to the stability of fine-grained sediments and thus control the density, scale, and danger of debris flow hazards. Although the correlation between water content and sediment stability has been studied, there are still some issues to be solved: what is the changing trend of shear strength with increasing water content? What is the water content spatial distribution pattern of fine-grained sediments in debris flow? What is the role/impact of this pattern on debris flow hazards prevention? Therefore, the objective of this research is to show the spatial distribution pattern of water content and establish a correlation between the water content and the shear strength of fine-grained sediments to provide a scientific basis for debris flow hazard prevention. Taking the Beichuan debris flow for our study, with a length of 37.6 km, and a 341 km² study area, the results show that (1) the average water content shows an increasing trend, from 9.9% in the upstream of the river (SP01–SP05) to 21.7% in the downstream of the river (SP13–SP15). (2) When unsaturated, the correlation between the water content and shear strength is determined by combining the cohesion, normal stress, and internal friction angle; when saturated, the water content is negatively correlated with shear strength. (3) Water content and shear strength are the key inter-controlled factors relating to the stability of fine-grained sediments, and the water content distribution pattern of this research indicates the key locations that require attention: locations with high water content in the downstream river or with high curvature, which is of some significance for debris flow hazard prevention. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Coast Sediment Dynamics: Historical Development, Current Situation and Perspectives)

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28 pages, 6251 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Estimating Shear Strength of Marine Soft Clay Sediment: Experimental Research and Hybrid Ensemble Artificial Intelligence Modeling

by Shuyu Hu, Zhikang Li, Haoyu Wang, Zhibo Xue, Peng Tan, Kun Tan, Yao Wu and Xianhui Feng

Water 2024, 16(12), 1664; https://doi.org/10.3390/w16121664 - 11 Jun 2024

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 924

Abstract

In the design of offshore engineering foundations, a critical consideration involves determining the peak shear strength of marine soft clay sediment. To enhance the accuracy of estimating this value, a database containing 729 direct shear tests on marine soft clay sediment was established. Employing a machine learning approach, the Particle Swarm Optimization algorithm (PSO) was integrated with the Adaptive Boosting Algorithm (ADA) and Back Propagation Artificial Neural Network (BPANN). This novel methodology represents the initial effort to employ such a model for predicting the peak shear strength of the soil. To validate the proposed approach, four conventional machine learning algorithms were also developed as references, including PSO-optimized BPANN, Support Vector Machine (SVM), BPANN, and ADA-BPANN. The study results show that the PSO-BPANN model, which has undergone optimization via Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO), has prediction accuracy and efficiency in determining the peak shear performance of marine soft clay sediments that surpass that offered by traditional machine learning models. Additionally, a sensitivity analysis conducted with this innovative model highlights the notable impact of factors such as normal stress, initial soil density, the number of drying–wetting cycles, and average soil particle size on the peak shear strength of this type of sediment, while the impact of initial soil moisture content and temperature is comparatively minor. Finally, an analytical formula derived from the novel algorithm allows for precise estimation of the peak shear strength of marine soft clay sediment, catering to individuals lacking a background in machine learning. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Coast Sediment Dynamics: Historical Development, Current Situation and Perspectives)

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19 pages, 2659 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Prediction of the Permeability Tensor of Marine Clayey Sediment during Cyclic Loading and Unloading of Confinement Pressure Using Physical Tests and Machine Learning Techniques

by Peng Cui, Jiaxin Zhou, Ruiqian Gao, Zijia Fan, Ying Jiang, Hui Liu, Yipei Zhang, Bo Cao, Kun Tan, Peng Tan and Xianhui Feng

Water 2024, 16(8), 1102; https://doi.org/10.3390/w16081102 - 12 Apr 2024

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1014

Abstract

In this study, a method was introduced to validate the presence of a Representative Elementary Volume (REV) within marine clayey sediment containing cracks during cyclic loading and unloading of confinement pressure. Physical testing provided the basis for this verification. Once the existence of the REV for such sediment was confirmed, we established a machine-learning predictive model. This model utilizes a hybrid algorithm combining Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) with a Support Vector Machine (SVM). The model was trained using a database generated from the aforementioned physical tests. The machine-learning model demonstrates favorable predictive performance based on several statistical metrics, including the coefficient of determination (R²), mean residual error (MSE), mean relative residual error (MRSE), and the correlation coefficient R during the verification process. Utilizing the established machine-learning predictive model, one can effortlessly obtain the permeability tensor of marine clayey sediment containing cracks during cyclic loading and unloading of confinement pressure by inputting the relevant stress condition parameters. The original research cannot estimate the permeability tensor under similar loading and unloading conditions through REV. In this study, the physical model test was used to determine the REV of marine cohesive sediments with cracks by cyclic-constrained pressure loading and unloading. Referring to the results of physical tests, we developed a machine-learning prediction model that can easily estimate the permeability tensor of marine cohesive sediments with cracks under cyclic loading and constrained pressure unloading conditions. This method greatly saves time and computation and provides a direct method for engineering and technical personnel to predict the permeability tensor in this case. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Coast Sediment Dynamics: Historical Development, Current Situation and Perspectives)

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23 pages, 8903 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Compound Impact of Storm Surge and Flood Characteristics in Coastal Area Based on Copula

by Zhenglei Zhu, Wei Zhang and Wenjin Zhu

Water 2024, 16(2), 270; https://doi.org/10.3390/w16020270 - 12 Jan 2024

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1458

Abstract

In low-lying coastal areas, the interplay of various factors including precipitation, river flow, and storm surge can lead to greater influence on floods when they occur simultaneously. The copula method was used in this study to investigate the bivariate flood risk of compounding storm surge and river discharge events in the Pearl River Delta (PRD). Our results indicate that while the correlation between storm surge and flood peak (S-Q) was weak, there was a strong dependence between the pairs of storm surge–flood volume (S-V) and storm surge–flood duration (S-D). For these three pairs, the Clayton copula was the optimal function for S-Q, while the Frank copula was the optimal function for S-V and S-D, respectively. When the flood volume exceeds 2.0 × 10⁴ m³/s and the flood duration is more than 10 days, the bivariate hydrologic risk for S-V and S-D is observed to decrease rapidly. Furthermore, the failure probability (FP) would be underestimated when the combined impact of river flow and storm surge is ignored in coastal flood risk assessment. Such bivariate hydrologic risk analysis implies that when determining design values in coastal flood risk assessment, the combined impact of river flow and storm surge should be taken into account. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Coast Sediment Dynamics: Historical Development, Current Situation and Perspectives)

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17 pages, 3598 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Batch Settling and Low-Pressure Consolidation Behaviors of Dredged Mud Slurry: Steady-State Evaluation and Mechanism Study

by Shufeng Bao, Lingfeng Guo, Zhiliang Dong, Ruibo Zhou, Shuangxi Zhou and Jian Chen

Water 2024, 16(1), 7; https://doi.org/10.3390/w16010007 - 19 Dec 2023

Viewed by 1367

Abstract

Since the exploration of the characteristics of dredged mud slurry during batch settlement and low-pressure consolidation (less than 100 kPa) is still insufficient, the determination of the optimal time to start the vacuum preloading method (VPM) on dredged-fill foundations is still empirically oriented (due to a lack of enough scientific basis). To further explore the characteristics of dredged mud slurry during batch settlement and low-pressure consolidation, samples from typical dredged-fill land projects were obtained and used to conduct batch sedimentation model experiments and low-pressure (less than 100 kPa) consolidation tests. The results of experiments and analyses showed the following: (1) the clay (d < 0.005 mm) content is a main factor affecting the batch settlement and consolidation characteristics of dredged mud slurry, which is not conducive to the consolidation effect of dredged-fill foundations. (2) For dredged mud slurry whose clay content is within 40% to 60%, the cumulative change rate of the average porosity ratio of 60% to 75% is suitable for evaluating the steady state of its batch sedimentation process, i.e., the optimal starting time of VPM. Finally, based on the experimental analyses, a settlement prediction method that considers both the batch sedimentation and the low-pressure consolidation processes was developed and validated. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Coast Sediment Dynamics: Historical Development, Current Situation and Perspectives)

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17 pages, 3009 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Clogging Behaviors in PVD and Their Evaluation Criteria for Dredged Mud Slurry

by Shufeng Bao, Lingfeng Guo, Zhiliang Dong, Ruibo Zhou, Shuangxi Zhou and Jian Chen

Water 2023, 15(24), 4206; https://doi.org/10.3390/w15244206 - 5 Dec 2023

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1335

Abstract

During the consolidation period of vacuum preloading drainage of dredged mud slurry, the clogging behaviors of the filter drainage structural layers and the core boards of prefabricated vertical drains (PVD) determine the drainage capacities of PVD. However, currently, there is a lack of comprehensive research on the evaluation criteria for these two clogging behaviors. Therefore, based on typical dredged mud slurry, typical geomembranes, and raw material core boards with different bending forms, relevant macro and micro-scale experimental studies have been carried out in this study. The research results show that (1) with the application of the gradient ratio test method, the clogging behaviors of filter membranes of PVD under graded vacuum preloading can be effectively simulated. Also, in the design of graded vacuum preloading, characteristics of equivalent pore sizes and pore structures should be emphasized to investigate the suitability of filtration and drainage performance of PVD filter membranes. (2) The compressive yield strength of core board grooves is a key factor influencing the reduction rate of flow capacity. The reduction rate of flow capacity and well resistance increment can be used as comprehensive indicators reflecting the clogging behaviors of core boards, while the bending angles and bending rates of core boards can be used as specific technical indicators. (3) The proposed clogging evaluation criteria for PVD are as follows: a filter membrane gradient ratio (GR) > 4.0, a core board bending rate >60% and a core board bending angle < 45°, or a reduction rate of flow capacity of bending drainage board > 90% or well-resistance increment > 9. Also, these criteria can be incorporated into the control indicators for drainage performance of PVD used in such types of foundations. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Coast Sediment Dynamics: Historical Development, Current Situation and Perspectives)

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32 pages, 17629 KiB

Open AccessCase Report

Engineering Regulation of the Weird Branches in a Branching Estuary and its Mechanics: Using the North Branch of the Yangtze Estuary as an Example

by Dechao Hu, Zhanfeng Cui, Xin Zeng, Jianyin Zhou and Yuan Yuan

Water 2024, 16(16), 2260; https://doi.org/10.3390/w16162260 - 11 Aug 2024

Viewed by 710

Abstract

Weird horizontal shapes of branches, in large branching estuaries, often cause significant flood risks and environment-related problems. People usually resort to engineering methods to improve the horizontal shape of the weird branches and solve related issues. The responses of the riverbed evolution of a branching estuary to anthropogenic activity are complicated because of complex estuarine hydrodynamics and sediment transports, especially when the project locates specially (e.g., at estuary outlets). The North Branch of the Yangtze Estuary has a narrow upper reach which is almost orthogonal to the South Branch and has a trumpet-shaped lower reach with a wide outlet. The weird horizontal shape of the North Branch brings significant flood risks to cities along this branch, the shrinkage of its entrance, and other problems. In this study, a regulation of the North Branch, which is launched at Guyuan Sand (GYS) just outside the exit of the North Branch, is taken as an example. The GYS regulation aims to improve the weird horizontal shape of the North Branch by building new layouts of outlets, by which people decrease the flood risk of the surrounding cities. The GYS regulation is studied using a 2D numerical model. The riverbed evolution of the Yangtze Estuary in a typical hydrological year is simulated, while the water/sediment fluxes at cross-sections of branches in the estuary during a spring/neap tide are quantitatively calculated. It is found that the regulation changes the rotational flows near the shore, and further reshapes the estuarine circulations of mass inside the outlets, especially exchanges of water/sediment between different branches. The regulation directly changes the riverbed evolution at the outlet of the North Branch, and meanwhile has significant indirect influences on the riverbed evolution of the entrance of the North Branch. The varying riverbed evolution at the entrance of the North Branch and the varying water/sediment fluxes, under different designs of regulations, are related and analyzed. An essential improvement for the weird horizontal shape of the North Branch by an engineering method is shown to be possible, while the regulation mechanism of the engineering method and the response of estuarine riverbed evolution to the regulation are clarified. This study provides a new insight for improving estuarine branches with weird horizontal shapes, by reshaping the tidal processes and the accompanying sediment transports in a branching estuary. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Coast Sediment Dynamics: Historical Development, Current Situation and Perspectives)

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