Alessandro Sabatino

Modelling wave–current interactions off the east coast of Scotland

Densely populated coastal areas of the North Sea are particularly vulnerable to severe wave conditions, which overtop or damage sea defences leading to dangerous flooding. Around the shallow southern North Sea, where the coastal margin is lying low and population density is high, oceanographic modelling has helped to develop forecasting systems to predict flood risk. However, coastal areas of the deeper northern North Sea are also subject to regular storm damage, but there has been little or no effort to develop coastal wave models for these waters. Here, we present a high spatial resolution model of northeast Scottish coastal waters, simulating waves and the effect of tidal currents on wave propagation, driven by global ocean tides, far-field wave conditions, and local air pressure and wind stress. We show that the wave–current interactions and wave–wave interactions are particularly important for simulating the wave conditions close to the coast at various locations. The model can simulate the extreme conditions experienced when high (spring) tides are combined with sea-level surges and large Atlantic swell. Such a combination of extremes represents a high risk for damaging conditions along the Scottish coast.

Landscape effects on demersal fish revealed by field observations and predictive seabed modelling

Nature conservation and fisheries management often focus on particular seabed features that are considered vulnerable or important to commercial species. As a result, individual seabed types are protected in isolation, without any understanding of what effect the mixture of seabed types within the landscape has on ecosystem functions. Here we undertook predictive seabed modelling within a coastal marine protected area using observations from underwater stereo-video camera deployments and environmental information (depth, wave fetch, maximum tidal speeds, distance from coast and underlying geology). The effect of the predicted substratum type, extent and heterogeneity or the diversity of substrata, within a radius of 1500 m around each camera deployment of juvenile gadoid relative abundance was analysed. The predicted substratum model performed well with wave fetch and depth being the most influential predictor variables. Gadus morhua (Atlantic cod) were associated with relatively more rugose substrata (Algal-gravel-pebble and seagrass) and heterogeneous landscapes, than Melanogrammus aeglefinus (haddock) or Merlangius merlangus (whiting) (sand and mud). An increase in M. merlangus relative abundance was observed with increasing substratum extent. These results reveal that landscape effects should be considered when protecting the seabed for fish and not just individual seabed types. The landscape approach used in this study therefore has important implications for marine protected area, fisheries management and monitoring advice concerning demersal fish populations.

Experimental investigation on statistical properties of wave heights and crests in crossing sea conditions

Some theoretical and numerical studies highlighted that the occurrence of rogue waves could increase in the presence of crossing sea. This sea state is characterized by the coexistence of two wave systems with different directions of propagations and is considered one of the most common causes of ship accidents in bad weather conditions. In particular, the angle between the two interacting wavetrains, Δθ, was found to be an important parameter that could lead to an enhanced probability of extreme events. We present an experimental investigation on wave heights and crest for surface elevation mechanically generated in different crossing sea conditions (10° < Δθ < 40°). The results of statistical analysis confirm that the probability of extreme events increases with the angle between the two systems, but does not exceed the values of the unidirectional case, which also presents waves with greater heights. Moreover, the correlation between the heights, crests, and troughs of consecutive waves assumes higher values for the case of 40°, when compared to the unidirectional case: this could mean that it is easier to find waves of the same height within a packet in the conditions Δθ = 40° with respect to the unidirectional or other Δθ conditions considered.