Abstract
The morphology and depositional history of wave-influenced deltas
reflects the interplay between the fluvial and coastal domains. Here we
present initial results of the coupling of stand-alone coastal and
terrestrial models within the Community Surface Dynamics Modeling System
(CSDMS) Component Modeling Tool (CMT), applied to study the evolution of
wave-influenced deltas. The coastal domain is modeled using the
Coastline Evolution Model (CEM), which simulates plan-view shoreline
evolution due to wave-driven alongshore sediment transport, with fluvial
influence incorporated by adding sediment along the coastline. The first
application involves one-way coupling of the climate-driven hydrological
transport model HydroTrend with CEM to investigate how fluctuations in
sediment input rates due to climate change may affect the plan-view
delta morphology and evolution. Simulations reveal that sediment
discharge variability can have a significant effect on delta morphology
if fluvial delivery of sediment temporarily exceeds the capacity for
alongshore sediment transport to remove sediment from regions proximal
to the river mouth. The second application involves two-way coupling of
CEM with a river with multiple active distributary channels. In this
case, changes to the coastline affect the apportionment of discharge
flowing out of coeval distributaries through a two-way feedback. Model
simulations where distributary length affects sediment discharge
demonstrate how the dynamics of one distributary can control the
sediment discharge of another. Wave-influenced deltas exhibiting strong
channel feedbacks may prograde delta lobes faster than those without
feedback. These preliminary model experiments demonstrate the capability
of CMT to bidirectionally couple models that represent different process
domains and were developed and designed independently (i.e. without the
intentions of such coupling), offering the potential for further
numerical studies of interactions taking place at the intersection of
different process realms.
Original language | English |
---|---|
Pages (from-to) | 21-29 |
Journal | Computers and Geosciences |
Volume | 53 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 1 Apr 2013 |
Externally published | Yes |