An observation system integrating satellite images, in situ water parameters and hydrodynamic measurements was implemented in a tidal inlet of the Venice Lagoon (Northern Adriatic Sea,Italy). The experimental infrastructure was developed to autonomously investigate suspended sediment dynamics in the two channels of the Lido inlet in relation to the longshore currents in the littoralzone and the tidal circulation along the lagoon channel network. It provided time series of turbidity atthe surface, water flow and acoustic backscatter, which was converted into turbidity along the verticalcolumn during different tidal phases and meteo-marine conditions. Accurate turbidity maps werederived from Sentinel-2 (Copernicus) and Landsat 8 (NASA) satellites. Long-term in situ data fromfield surveys enabled the calibration and intercalibration of the instrumental setup and validationof satellite-derived products. Time series from the instrumental network were analyzed in order toevaluate the temporal variability of suspended sediment in relation to tidal phases and the differentmeteo-marine conditions. The integration of available datasets with satellite images also permittedthe testing of the methodology for a 3-D reconstruction of the suspended sediment pattern in calmsea conditions, under the effect of the sole hydrodynamical forcing. Remotely sensed data provide asynoptic distribution of turbidity in the inlet area allowing the analysis of the surficial patterns ofsuspended sediment and the inferring of information on the transport processes at different spatialscales. In calm sea conditions, the results show that the transport is driven by tidal currents with anet seaward transport related to a larger export of materials from the northern basin of the Lagoon ofVenice. During typical northeasterly storms, materials mobilized on the beaches and in the shorefaceare transported into the inlet and distributed into the lagoon channel network, following the floodtidal currents and determining net import of materials. The multitude of information provided bythis system can support research on aquatic science (i.e., numerical simulations) and address end-usercommunity practices. The ecosystem management will also benefit operational purposes, such as themonitoring of morphological transformations, erosion processes and planning of coastal defense inthe future scenarios of sea level rise. The developed approach will also help to understand how theregulation of the inlet flow introduced by the operation of the flood barriers will affect the fluxes ofparticles and, in the long term, the lagoon morphodynamics.
Towards an Integrated Observational System to Investigate Sediment Transport in the Tidal Inlets of the Lagoon of Venice
Scarpa GM;Braga F;Lorenzetti G;Zaggia L
2022
Abstract
An observation system integrating satellite images, in situ water parameters and hydrodynamic measurements was implemented in a tidal inlet of the Venice Lagoon (Northern Adriatic Sea,Italy). The experimental infrastructure was developed to autonomously investigate suspended sediment dynamics in the two channels of the Lido inlet in relation to the longshore currents in the littoralzone and the tidal circulation along the lagoon channel network. It provided time series of turbidity atthe surface, water flow and acoustic backscatter, which was converted into turbidity along the verticalcolumn during different tidal phases and meteo-marine conditions. Accurate turbidity maps werederived from Sentinel-2 (Copernicus) and Landsat 8 (NASA) satellites. Long-term in situ data fromfield surveys enabled the calibration and intercalibration of the instrumental setup and validationof satellite-derived products. Time series from the instrumental network were analyzed in order toevaluate the temporal variability of suspended sediment in relation to tidal phases and the differentmeteo-marine conditions. The integration of available datasets with satellite images also permittedthe testing of the methodology for a 3-D reconstruction of the suspended sediment pattern in calmsea conditions, under the effect of the sole hydrodynamical forcing. Remotely sensed data provide asynoptic distribution of turbidity in the inlet area allowing the analysis of the surficial patterns ofsuspended sediment and the inferring of information on the transport processes at different spatialscales. In calm sea conditions, the results show that the transport is driven by tidal currents with anet seaward transport related to a larger export of materials from the northern basin of the Lagoon ofVenice. During typical northeasterly storms, materials mobilized on the beaches and in the shorefaceare transported into the inlet and distributed into the lagoon channel network, following the floodtidal currents and determining net import of materials. The multitude of information provided bythis system can support research on aquatic science (i.e., numerical simulations) and address end-usercommunity practices. The ecosystem management will also benefit operational purposes, such as themonitoring of morphological transformations, erosion processes and planning of coastal defense inthe future scenarios of sea level rise. The developed approach will also help to understand how theregulation of the inlet flow introduced by the operation of the flood barriers will affect the fluxes ofparticles and, in the long term, the lagoon morphodynamics.File | Dimensione | Formato | |
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Descrizione: Towards an Integrated Observational System to Investigate Sediment Transport in the Tidal Inlets of the Lagoon of Venice
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