NW Iberian Peninsula coastal upwelling future weakening: competition between wind intensification and surface heating

Climate change will modify the oceanographic future properties of the NW Iberian Peninsula due to the projected variations in the meteorological forcing, that will intensify local winds and promote surface heating. The Delft3D-Flow model forced with atmospheric conditions provided within the framework of the CORDEX project under the RCP 8.5 greenhouse emission scenario was used to analyse changes in upwelling. Numerical experiments were conducted under high-extreme upwelling conditions for the historical (1976-2005) and future (2070-2099) period. This study also innovates through the exploitation of a numerical modelling approach that includes both shelf and estuarine processes along the coastal zone. Coastal upwelling will be less effective in the future despite the enhancement of upwelling favorable wind patterns previously predicted for this region. Upwelling weakening is due to the future sea surface warming that will increase the stratification of the upper layers hindering the upward displacement of the underlying water, reducing the surface input of nutrients.publishe

Unusual circulation patterns of the rias baixas induced by minho freshwater intrusion (NW of the Iberian Peninsula)

The Minho River, situated 30 km south of the Rias Baixas, is the most important freshwater source flowing into the Western Galician coast (NW of the Iberian Peninsula). The buoyancy generated by the Minho estuarine plume can reverse the normal circulation pattern inside the Rias Baixas affecting the exchange between the Rias and the ocean, changing the input of nutrients. Nevertheless, this inversion of the circulation patterns is not a well-monitored phenomenon. The only published results based on in situ data related to the presence of the Minho River plume inside the Rias de Vigo and Pontevedra correspond to an event measured on spring 1998. In this case unexpectedly higher inflow surface current velocities were found at the Ria de Pontevedra, located further away from Minho River. Thus, the main aim of this study is to research the main factors inducing this unusual pattern on the circulation of the Rias de Vigo and Pontevedra. A numerical model implementation of MOHID previously developed, calibrated, and validated for this coastal area was used. Several scenarios were performed in order to explain the individual effect of the Minho River, rivers discharging into each Rias, and estuarine morphology changes. According to the model results, the Minho River discharge is a key factor in the establishment of the negative circulation, while small rivers inside the Rias slightly attenuate this circulation. The negative circulation was stronger in Ria de Pontevedra independently of the distance of this coastal system from the Minho River mouth, showing that morphologic estuarine features are the main factor justifying the different local circulation patterns

Comparison of different wind products and buoy wind data with seasonality and interannual climate variability in the southern Bay of Biscay (2000-2009)

Ocean surface winds are essential factors in determining oceanographic and atmospheric processes that can affect ocean circulation and wave generation. Accurate surface wind datasets are needed, therefore, to enable the proper analysis of these processes. Wind data from six databases (National Centers for Environmental Prediction reanalysis (NCEP Reanalysis II), European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) re-analysis (ERA-Interim), Modern-Era Retrospective-analysis for Research and Applications (MERRA), NCEP Climate Forecast System Reanalysis (CFSR), QuikSCAT and Cross-Calibrated Multi-Platform (CCMP)) were compared with wind measured in situ by four ocean buoys at the southern limit of the Bay of Biscay. The study covered the period 2000-2009 in such a way that the extent of the time series reduced the margin of error and allowed the disaggregation of the wind data using velocity bins and direction sectors. Statistical results confirmed that datasets with finer spatial resolution (lower than 0.5°×0.5°) gave better results, especially in near-shore areas. A more complete analysis was, therefore, carried out using the finer resolution datasets (QuikSCAT, CCMP and CFSR). This comparison showed that all the datasets were less accurate at low wind speeds (<4ms-1) and more accurate at moderate wind speeds. The calculated mean wind speed errors were similar for the three datasets, and the lowest value (1.67ms-1) was from the CCMP dataset. The lowest mean error for wind direction (~37°) was also observed in the CCMP data. The lowest mean wind speed (and direction) bias was obtained from the QuikSCAT data, and the next lowest from the CFSR data. The seasonality for north and east wind components was also determined for the last decade and the results were consistent with forcing for the continental slope current seasonality and winter temperatures or Navidad by wind stress. Correlations between NAO and north and east wind components were low showing that NAO could not be used as a proxy for local wind stress in the southern Bay of Biscay

SPH modelling in coastal engineering

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A new open source solver for modelling fluid-structure interaction: case study of a point-absorber wave energy converter with power take-off unit

In this work, the capabilities of the open source code DualSPHysics coupled with the multiphysics library Project Chrono are shown. The framework is validated through an experimental campaign performed on a wave energy converter, which consists of a cylindrical heaving-buoy and a power take-off unit. The numerical model proves to correctly reproduce the hydrodynamic response of the wave energy converter under regular waves, and with three different damping coefficients of the power take-off. With this validated setup, the sensitivity of a wave energy converter to the lateral stiffness of the anchoring system is investigated. The outcomes of this numerical campaign show that the correct design of the anchoring structure should develop along with the design of the system. Enough lateral stiffness is able to avoid excessive displacements to limit the loss of efficiency. DualSPHysics is a toolbox ready to manage complex simulations, including mechanical constraints, high energetic sea states. Various scenarios along the lifespan of a floating structure can be investigated. More importantly, the model supports the preliminary studies that are of vital importance to design a test campaign