Preprints
https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-2640
https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-2640
03 Sep 2024
 | 03 Sep 2024

Alongshore sediment transport analysis for a semi-enclosed basin: a case study of the Gulf of Riga, the Baltic Sea

Tarmo Soomere, Mikolaj Zbiegniew Jankowski, Maris Eelsalu, Kevin Ellis Parnell, and Maija Viška

Abstract. The properties of wave-driven sediment transport and the dimensions of single sedimentary compartments are often radically different in different parts of semi-enclosed water bodies with an anisotropic wind climate. The western, southern and eastern shores of the Gulf of Riga are a remote part of the more than 700 km long interconnected sedimentary coastal system of the eastern Baltic Sea from Samland in Kaliningrad District, Russia, to Pärnu Bay, Estonia. Even though shores of the gulf are generally straight or gently curved, the presence of small headlands and variations in the orientation of the coastline give rise to numerous fully or partially separated sedimentary compartments. We decompose sedimentary shores of this gulf into single compartments and cells based on the analysis of wave-driven potential sediment transport using high-resolution wave time series and the Coastal Engineering Research Centre (CERC) approach. The western shores of the Gulf of Riga form a large interconnected sedimentary system with intense sediment transport that is largely fed by sand transported from the Baltic proper. The southern shores have much less intense sediment transport and mostly accumulation areas. The south-eastern sector of the gulf is an end station of counter-clockwise sand transport. The eastern shore consists of several almost isolated sedimentary cells and contains a longer segment where clockwise transport predominates. The transport rates along different shore segments show extensive interannual variations but no explicit trends in the period 1990–2022.

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Tarmo Soomere, Mikolaj Zbiegniew Jankowski, Maris Eelsalu, Kevin Ellis Parnell, and Maija Viška

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  • RC1: 'Comment on egusphere-2024-2640', Anonymous Referee #1, 19 Nov 2024
  • RC2: 'Comment on egusphere-2024-2640', Anonymous Referee #2, 29 Nov 2024
Tarmo Soomere, Mikolaj Zbiegniew Jankowski, Maris Eelsalu, Kevin Ellis Parnell, and Maija Viška
Tarmo Soomere, Mikolaj Zbiegniew Jankowski, Maris Eelsalu, Kevin Ellis Parnell, and Maija Viška

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Short summary
Seemingly interconnected beaches are often separated by man-made obstacles and natural divergence areas of sediment flux. We decompose the sedimentary shores of the Gulf of Riga into five naturally almost isolated compartments based on the analysis of wave-driven sediment flux. The western, southern and eastern shores have quite different and fragmented sediment transport regimes. The transport rates along different shore segments show extensive interannual variations but no explicit trends.