Hydrodynamic and ecological assessment of nearshore restoration: A modeling study

Along the Pacific Northwest coast, much of the estuarine habitat has been lost over the last century to agricultural land use, residential and commercial development, and transportation corridors. As a result, many of the ecological processes and functions have been disrupted. To protect and improve these coastal habitats that are vital to aquatic species, many projects are currently underway to restore estuarine and coastal ecosystems through dike breaches, setbacks, and removals. Understanding site-specific information on physical processes is critical for improving the success of such restoration actions. In this study, a three-dimensional hydrodynamic model was developed to simulate estuarine processes in the Stillaguamish River estuary, where restoration of a 160-acre parcel through dike setback has been proposed. The model was calibrated to observed tide, current, and salinity data for existing conditions and applied to simulate the hydrodynamic responses to two restoration alternatives. Model results were then combined with biophysical data to predict habitat responses within the restoration footprint. Results showed that the proposed dike removal would result in desired tidal flushing and conditions that would support four habitat types on the restoration footprint. At the estuary scale, restoration would substantially increase the proportion of area flushed with freshwater (<5 ppt) at flood tide. Potential implications of predicted changes in salinity and flow dynamics are discussed relative to the distribution of tidal marsh habitat.     

Modeling effects of a tidal barrage on water quality indicator distribution in the Severn Estuary

In this study, emphasis has focused on assessing the potential hydro-environmental impacts of a barrage across the Severn Estuary, with a numerical model being developed and applied to the estuary to assess the impacts of proposed Severn Barrage on the hydrodynamic, sediment transport and faecal indicator organism distribution within the estuary. The results show that the Severn Barrage has the potential to reduce the tidal currents in a highly dynamic estuary. This leads to the reduction of suspended sediment concentrations, which in turn affects the bacterial transport processes which is highly related to the sediment transport processes.     

Environmental and endogenous control of selective tidal-stream transport behavior during blue crab <Emphasis Type="Italic">Callinectes sapidus</Emphasis> spawning migrations

Selective tidal-stream transport (STST) is used by many estuarine organisms. Spawning blue crabs use a form of STST, ebb-tide transport (ETT), to migrate to high-salinity areas of the lower estuary and coastal ocean for larval release. In tidal estuaries, ETT is driven by a circatidal rhythm in vertical swimming with episodic ascents into the water column during ebb tide. This study examined vertical swimming behavior of migrating female blue crabs tethered in habitats they could encounter during migration. A combined bio-physical field study in the summer of 2009 simultaneously measured physical parameters of the water column and vertical swimming behavior of tethered ovigerous crabs using pressure-recording dataloggers. Tethering sites were in the tidal Beaufort Inlet drainage and the non-tidal Albemarle-Pamlico Estuarine System, North Carolina, USA. Crabs tethered in tidal areas swam primarily during ebb tides, both day and night. Swimming frequency increased as embryonic development progressed and ebb-tide swimming continued after larval release. Swimming frequency varied among habitats with the highest swimming frequency in the known migratory corridor. Swimming did not occur in the non-tidal habitat. Differences in swimming frequency among sites are hypothesized to be responses to environmental cues, including flow regime. Some habitats serve as migratory corridors while others serve as foraging stopovers. These areas are likely defined by a combination of environmental cues including flow regime.     

Modeling estuarine-shelf exchanges in a deltaic estuary: Implications for coastal carbon budgets and hypoxia

The export of wetland-derived materials to the coastal ocean (i.e., the “Outwelling” hypothesis) has received considerable attention over the past several decades. While a number of studies have shown that estuaries export appreciable amounts of nutrients and carbon, few studies have attempted to estimate the importance of estuarine sources for the coastal carbon budgets in river-dominated coastal ecosystems. A novel tidal prism model was developed to examine estuarine-shelf exchanges in the Barataria estuary, a deltaic estuary located in the north-central Gulf of Mexico. This estuary has been the site of a massive wetland loss, and it has been hypothesized that carbon export from the eroding coastal wetlands supports the development of a large hypoxic zone in the coastal Gulf of Mexico. The model results show that the Barataria estuary receives nitrogen through the tidal passes and releases carbon to the coastal ocean. The mean calculated tidal water discharge of 6930 m³ s⁻¹ is equivalent to about 43% of the lower Mississippi River discharge. The annual total organic carbon (TOC) export is 109 million kg, or 57 gC m² yr⁻¹ when prorated to the total water area of the estuary. This carbon export is equivalent to a loss of 0.5 m of wetland soil horizon over an area of 8.4 km², and accounts for about 34% of the observed annual wetland loss in the estuary between 1978 and 2000. Compared to the lower Mississippi River, the Barataria estuary appears to be a very small source of TOC for the northern Gulf of Mexico (2.7% of riverine TOC), and is unlikely to have a significant influence on the development of the Gulf's hypoxia.     

Turbulence measurements in a small subtropical estuary under king tide conditions

In natural waterways and estuaries, the understanding of turbulent mixing is critical to the knowledge of sediment transport, stormwater runoff during flood events, and release of nutrient-rich wastewater into ecosystems. In the present study, some field measurements were conducted in a small subtropical estuary with micro-tidal range and semi-diurnal tides during king tide conditions: i.e., the tidal range was the largest for both 2009 and 2010. The turbulent velocity measurements were performed continuously at high-frequency (50Hz) for 60?h. Two acoustic Doppler velocimeters (ADVs) were sampled simultaneously in the middle estuarine zone, and a third ADV was deployed in the upper estuary for 12?h only. The results provided an unique characterisation of the turbulence in both middle and upper estuarine zones under the king tide conditions. The present observations showed some marked differences between king tide and neap tide conditions. During the king tide conditions, the tidal forcing was the dominant water exchange and circulation mechanism in the estuary. In contrast, the long-term oscillations linked with internal and external resonance played a major role in the turbulent mixing during neap tides. The data set showed further that the upper estuarine zone was drastically less affected by the spring tide range: the flow motion remained slow, but the turbulent velocity data were affected by the propagation of a transient front during the very early flood tide motion at the sampling site.     

流域河口湿地生态健康与湿地发育关系研究

河口湿地作为一个独立的＂活体＂,有着其自身的地理发育、成熟和衰老的生长过程。以大洋河河口湿地为例,运用面积积分曲线和分维度指数计算大洋河流域发育阶段及河口湿地生长过程,得出如下结论,（1）在河流流域地貌发育早期,河流底蚀、侧蚀、溯源侵蚀强烈,河流含沙量高,泥沙在河口地区沉降而易形成河口湿地;随着流域地貌发育到壮年期,河流泥沙含量输出稳定,河口湿地面积继续扩张;到流域地貌发育晚期,侵蚀减弱,河流含沙量减少,河口湿地缺乏稳定的泥沙供应,在河湾水动力作用下逐渐萎缩、直至消亡。（2）人类活动直接影响河口湿地环境的物理、化学和生物组份,改变了河口泥沙的输入量及沉积环境,人类活动实际上是直接或间接地缩短了河口湿地的发育时间,加速了其发育进程。（3）针对不同发育阶段的河流,在制定河口湿地保护政策和修复措施时,必须充分考虑其地质历史发育特征,政策的制定要符合其生长规律。     

Integrated modeling of flood flows and tidal hydrodynamics over a coastal floodplain

The interactions of physical processes between estuaries and upstream river floodplains are of great importance to the fish habitats and ecosystems in coastal regions. Traditionally, a hydraulic analysis of floodplains has used one- or two-dimensional models. While this approach may be sufficient for planning the engineering design for flood protection, it is inadequate when floodwaters inundate the floodplain in a complex manner. Similarly, typical estuarine and coastal modeling studies do not consider the effect of upstream river floodplains because of the technical challenge of modeling wetting and drying processes in floodplains and higher bottom elevations in the upstream river domain. While various multi-scale model frameworks have been proposed for modeling the coastal oceans, estuaries, and rivers with a combination of different models, this paper presents a modeling approach for simulating the hydrodynamics in the estuary and river floodplains, which provides a smooth transition between the two regimes using an unstructured-grid, coastal ocean model. This approach was applied to the Skagit River estuary and its upstream river floodplain of Puget Sound along the northwest coast of North America. The model was calibrated with observed data for water levels and velocities under low-flow and high-flood conditions. This study successfully demonstrated that a three-dimensional estuarine and coastal ocean model with an unstructured-grid framework and wetting-drying capability can be extended much further upstream to simulate the inundation processes and the dynamic interactions between the estuarine and river floodplain regimes.     

Bed load transport of sediments and morphodynamics in the Topolobampo coastal lagoon system,Mexico

The Topolobampo coastal lagoon system, located on the eastern side of the Gulf of California, is a marine zone of considerable economic importance with vessel traffic, dredging operations and aquaculture development. Despite its relevance as a conservation site, this ecosystem has been poorly studied. Since life in marine substrates is abundant, we investigated the capability of tidal hydrodynamics in the lagoon to erode and to accumulate sediment. We calculated the morphodynamics caused by bed load sediment transport applying a two dimensional non-linear hydrodynamic finite difference model. Bed erosion and accretion patterns of sediment (for specific grain size: 170 μm) were determined from the divergence of sediment transport. After a year of numerical simulation of sediment transport the areas of noticeable changes on the bottom of the lagoon have been revealed. Most of sediment accretion took place in the narrow steeped channel connecting the Topolobampo and Ohuira sections. This area appears characterized by the presence of high tidal velocity gradients. Another finding was that accretion areas were coupled with erosion zones in an alternating form. This outcome suggests that sediment do not travel long distances but is deposited nearby the erosion sites. The results are strong evidence of the influence of tidal hydrodynamics on the sediments distribution in the Topolobampo coastal lagoon system and on the generation of substrates where marine life may find protection.     

Study of the dynamics of estuarine and coastal waters using remote sensing: the Tinto-Odiel estuary, SW Spain

This paper deals with the application of satellite images to characterize some aspects of the circulation dynamics of the Tinto-Odiel estuary using turbidity patterns as ‘natural tracers’. 15 images (Landsat TM and Spot HRV) were processed to provide synoptic, instantaneous views of the circulation patterns under different environmental conditions. In addition, a comparison was made between results of oceanographic field work, using biplanes and fluorescent tracers, and satellite image turbidity patterns used as ‘ground truth’ data for specific hydroclimatic situations. This approach allowed (1) the identification and mapping of dynamic processes of interest during a theoretical tidal cycle, (2) the elaboration of additional information on the ‘flow schemes’ at the mouth of the estuary with improved spatial and temporal resolution, and (3) the supply of basic data to improve the knowledge of exchange processes between estuarine and coastal waters. The results of this study are considered to be useful for the management of the estuarine system.     

Study of the dynamics of estuarine and coastal waters using remote sensing: the Tinto-Odiel estuary,SW Spain

This paper deals with the application of satellite images to characterize some aspects of the circulation dynamics of the Tinto-Odiel estuary using turbidity patterns as ‘natural tracers’. 15 images (Landsat TM and Spot HRV) were processed to provide synoptic, instantaneous views of the circulation patterns under different environmental conditions. In addition, a comparison was made between results of oceanographic field work, using biplanes and fluorescent tracers, and satellite image turbidity patterns used as ‘ground truth’ data for specific hydroclimatic situations. This approach allowed (1) the identification and mapping of dynamic processes of interest during a theoretical tidal cycle, (2) the elaboration of additional information on the ‘flow schemes’ at the mouth of the estuary with improved spatial and temporal resolution, and (3) the supply of basic data to improve the knowledge of exchange processes between estuarine and coastal waters. The results of this study are considered to be useful for the management of the estuarine system.     

River inflow, estuarine salinity, and Carolina wolfberry fruit abundance: linking abiotic drivers to Whooping Crane food

The supply of freshwater to estuarine ecosystems is a critical factor in maintaining the overall health and organization of coastal marshes. Specifically along the Texas Gulf coast, the coupled effects of decreased freshwater inflows to the estuary and natural processes (e.g., precipitation, wind, and tides) can exert significant salt-stress on coastal marsh vegetation. In this project we sought to quantitatively link the inflow of freshwater to the estuary (San Antonio Bay) with Aransas National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) coastal marsh salinity and assess the influence of salinity and inundation on Carolina wolfberry (Lycium carolinianum Walt.) phenology (leaf and fruit abundance). The Carolina wolfberry is one of the more common high marsh plant species found at ANWR and has been shown to be a key food source for endangered Whooping Cranes which inhabit the coastal marshes of the ANWR each fall/winter. Results from our study show that periods of decreased freshwater inflows to the estuary correlated with increased marsh salinity at the ANWR. Wolfberry plants at ANWR marsh sites displayed increased fruit abundance during years which had lower mean summer time salinity (June, July, and August) in San Antonio Bay; conversely, during years of increased bay salinity during the same summertime months, wolfberry plants showed decreased fruit abundance. Through the continued validation of the relationship between inflows and coastal marsh salinity, we hope to provide additional insight into how wolfberry phenology varies inter-annually across both salinity and inundation regimes and how freshwater inflows may affect food availability for the endangered Whooping Crane.     

Marsh surface sediment deposition and the role of tidal creeks: Implications for created and managed coastal marshes

The need to understand the processes contributing to marsh sedimentation has become more urgent with the recent recognition of the role of tidal marshes as sea defences, as well as the many restoration efforts currently under way. This study was designed to build upon previous sedimentation work at Scolt Head Island by Combining techniques for measuring short-term sedimentation, with detailed assessment of hydroperiod, previously used only in comparison with longer-term accretion measurements or in micro-tidal systems. Measurements of water level, sediment deposition (at various distances from the creek margin) and suspended sediment concentration (SSC) (creek margin and an interior site) were made at Hut Marsh over three sequential over-marsh tides during May 1994. Sediment trap data show a significant trend of declining sediment deposition away from the creek when data from all three tides are combined. All tides show higher SSC on the flood tide than on the ebb tide at the creek margin location. There is little difference in flood and ebb SSCs at the interior site. An order of magnitude decrease in sediment deposition within 20 m on the creek shows the rapidity with which sediment is deposited on these marshes. Higher tides influence both the magnitude and pattern of marsh surface sediment deposition. Increased creek velocities on higher tides provide more potential for resuspension within the creek and increase the supply of sediment to the marsh surface. This study suggests that the design of tidal creeks may be essential for the development of sustainable coastal marshes in restoration projects.     

Mercury bioaccumulation in estuarine food webs

We tested for unintended mercury contamination problems associated with estuarine floodplain restoration projects of the Louisiana coastal zone, USA. Barataria Bay and Breton Sound are two neighboring deltaic estuaries that were isolated by levees from the Mississippi River about 100 years ago. These estuaries recently have been reconnected to the nutrient-rich Mississippi River, starting major river diversion (input) flows in 1991 for Breton Sound and in 2004 for Barataria Bay. We collected > 2100 fish over five years from 20 stations in these estuaries to test two hypotheses about Hg bioaccumulation: (H1) Background Hg bioaccumulation in fish would be highest in low-salinity upper reaches of estuaries, and (H2) recent river inputs to these upper estuarine areas would increase Hg bioaccumulation in fish food webs. For H1, we surveyed fish Hg concentrations at several stations along a salinity gradient in Barataria Bay in 2003-2004, a time when this estuary lacked strong river inputs. Results showed that average Hg concentrations in fish communities were lowest (150 ng/g dry mass) in higher salinity areas and -2.4x higher (350 ng/g) in low-salinity oligohaline and freshwater upper reaches of the estuary. For H2, we tested for enhanced Hg bioaccumulation following diversion onset in both estuaries. Fish communities from Breton Sound that had long-term (> 10 years) diversion inputs had -1.7x higher average Hg contents of 610 ng/g Hg vs. 350 ng/g background values. Shorter-term diversion inputs over 2-3 years in upper Barataria Bay did not result in strong Hg enrichments or stable C isotope increases seen in Breton Sound, even though N and S stable-isotope values indicated strong river inputs in both estuaries. It may be that epiphyte communities on abundant submerged aquatic vegetation (SAV) are important hotspots for Hg cycling in these estuaries, and observed lesser development of these epiphyte communities in upper Barataria Bay during the first years of diversion inputs may account for the lessened Hg bioaccumulation in fish. A management consideration from this study is that river restoration projects may unintentionally fertilize SAV and epiphyte-based food webs, leading to higher Hg bioaccumulation in river-impacted floodplains and their food webs.     

Undular tidal bores: effect of channel constriction and bridge piers

A tidal bore may occur in a macro-tidal estuary when the tidal range exceeds 4.5–6 m and the estuary bathymetry amplifies the tidal wave. Its upstream propagation induces a strong mixing of the estuarine waters. The propagation of undular tidal bores was investigated herein to study the effect of bridge piers on the bore propagation and characteristics. Both the tidal bore profile and the turbulence generated by the bore were recorded. The free-surface undulation profiles exhibited a quasi-periodic shape, and the potential energy of the undulations represented up to 30% of the potential energy of the tidal bore. The presence of the channel constriction had a major impact on the free-surface properties. The undular tidal bore lost nearly one third of its potential energy per surface area as it propagated through the channel constriction. The detailed instantaneous velocity measurements showed a marked effect of the tidal bore passage suggesting the upstream advection of energetic events and vorticity “clouds” behind the bore front in both channel configurations: prismatic and with constriction. The turbulence patches were linked to some secondary motions and the proposed mechanisms were consistent with some field observations in the Daly River tidal bore. The findings emphasise the strong mixing induced by the tidal bore processes, and the impact of bridge structures on the phenomenon.     

Evaluating the effects of foraging habitat restoration on shorebird reproduction: the importance of performance criteria and comparative design

Coastal development and engineering projects preclude ecosystem processes that provide habitat for beach nesting birds. Management for coastal species may depend on actions that attempt to restore important habitat features and mitigate disturbance effects. However, species response to restoration or other management actions may be difficult to predict or measure. At Jones Beach State Park, on Long Island, New York, a 0.49 ha restoration project provided moist substrate foraging habitat for breeding Piping Plovers (Charadrius melodus) from 2002 to 2005. We examined whether foraging habitat restoration affected Piping Plover breeding population size, productivity, and fledgling production within 300 m of the restoration site. We found a positive relationship between habitat restoration and the number of fledglings produced per year. However, foraging habitat restoration did not significantly increase the number of Plover pairs breeding at Jones Beach. Our ability to evaluate restoration effects on Plovers depended on: 1) use of multiple performance criteria; 2) a design that allowed comparison of pre- and post-restoration data; and 3) a spatial control that allowed comparison of similar areas that were near and far from the restoration site. Despite the small size of the restoration project, there were measurable benefits to Plovers, indicating that foraging habitat restoration may be an effective tool for species recovery.     

Application of cluster analysis to the geochemistry zonation of the estuary waters in the Tinto and Odiel rivers (Huelva,Spain)

The combination of acid water from mines, industrial effluents and sea water plays a determining role in the evolutionary process of the chemical makeup of the water in the estuary of the Tinto and Odiel rivers. This estuary is in the southwest of the Iberian Peninsula and is one of the estuarine systems on the northwest coast of the Gulf of Cádiz. From the statistical treatment of data obtained by analyzing samples of water from this system, which is affected by industrial and mining pollution processes, we can see how the sampling points studied form two large groups depending on whether they receive tidal or fluvial influences. Fluvial input contributes acid water with high concentrations of heavy metal, whereas industrial effluents are responsible for the presence of phosphates, silica and other nutrients. The estuarine system of the Tinto and Odiel Rivers can be divided into three areas – the Tinto estuary, the Odiel estuary and the area of confluence – based on the physical – chemical characteristics of the water.     

Practical management of cumulative anthropogenic impacts with working marine examples

Human pressure on the environment is expanding and intensifying, especially in coastal and offshore areas. Major contributors to this are the current push for offshore renewable energy sources, which are thought of as environmentally friendly sources of power, as well as the continued demand for petroleum. Human disturbances, including the noise almost ubiquitously associated with human activity, are likely to increase the incidence, magnitude, and duration of adverse effects on marine life, including stress responses. Stress responses have the potential to induce fitness consequences for individuals, which add to more obvious directed takes (e.g., hunting or fishing) to increase the overall population‐level impact. To meet the requirements of marine spatial planning and ecosystem‐based management, many efforts are ongoing to quantify the cumulative impacts of all human actions on marine species or populations. Meanwhile, regulators face the challenge of managing these accumulating and interacting impacts with limited scientific guidance. We believe there is scientific support for capping the level of impact for (at a minimum) populations in decline or with unknown statuses. This cap on impact can be facilitated through implementation of regular application cycles for project authorization or improved programmatic and aggregated impact assessments that simultaneously consider multiple projects. Cross‐company collaborations and a better incorporation of uncertainty into decision making could also help limit, if not reduce, cumulative impacts of multiple human activities. These simple management steps may also form the basis of a rudimentary form of marine spatial planning and could be used in support of future ecosystem‐based management efforts.     

Tidal influences on the habitat use of Indo-Pacific humpback dolphins in an estuary

This paper offers the first study of diurnal variations in the use of an estuarine habitat by Indo-Pacific humpback dolphins. Passive acoustic data loggers were deployed in the Xin Huwei River Estuary, Western Taiwan, from July 2009 to December 2010, to collect biosonar clicks. Acoustic encounter rates of humpback dolphins on the riverside of the estuary changed significantly over the four tidal phases, instead of the two diurnal phases based on the recordings from 268 days. Among the tidal phases, the encounter rates were lowest during ebb tides. Additionally, circling movements associated with the hunt for epipelagic fish significantly changed in temporal and spatial presence over the four tidal phases, matching the overall pattern of encounter rate changes in the focal estuary. Our findings suggest that the occurrence pattern and habitat utilization of humpback dolphins are likely to be influenced by the tidal-driven activity of their epipelagic prey.     

Distribution and retention of the copepodEurytemora affinis hirundoides in a turbid estuary

The spatial and temporal distribution of the copepodEurytemora affinis hirundoides (Nordquist, 1888) in the Gironde estuary, southwest France, was investigated in 1976, and between 1981 and 1983. The distribution pattern of the population bore a clear relationship to the patterns of water circulation and transport of particulate matter. Laboratory experiments suggested thatE. affinis hirundoides is incapable of autonomous displacement against the direction of general circulation and behaves as passive particles. A major problem faced by species living in estuaries is that of the maintenance of endemic populations. Some authors have suggested that behavioural responses may play an important role in minimising population losses. Our study indicated that hydrodynamic processes are sufficient to explain the distribution and retention ofE. affinis hirundoides, whose populations are retained in the estuary in the same manner as the suspended sediment. Since the outflow of particulate matter from the Gironde estuary to the sea is very sporadic, we hypothesize that most of the production ofE. affinis hirundoides remains within the estuary, and does not fertilize the continental shelf, at least not in the form of particulate organic matter.     

Current knowledge in tidal bores and their environmental,ecological and cultural impacts

A tidal bore is a series of waves propagating upstream as the tidal flow turns to rising. It forms during the spring tide conditions when the tidal range exceeds 5–6 m and the flood tide is confined to a narrow funnelled estuary with low freshwater levels. A tidal bore is associated with a massive mixing of the estuarine waters that stirs the organic matter and creates some rich fishing grounds. Its occurrence is essential to many ecological processes and the survival of unique eco-systems. The tidal bore is also an integral part of the cultural heritage in many regions: the Qiantang River bore in China, the Severn River bore in UK, the Dordogne River in France. In this contribution, the environmental, ecological and cultural impacts of tidal bores are reviewed, explained and discussed.