Variations of Bottom Boundary Layer Turbulence under the Influences of Tidal Currents, Waves, and Raft Aquaculture Structure in a Shallow Bay

High-frequency measurements of tides, waves, and turbulence were made using the bottom-mounted tripod equipped with the Nortek 6-MHz acoustic Doppler velocimetry during 20-23 February 2016 (winter) and 12-26 June 2017 (summer) in Heini Bay, Yellow Sea. The synchro-squeezed wavelet transform was applied for wave-turbulence decomposition, and an iterative procedure was developed to identify the turbulence inertial subrange in the bottom boundary layer. The analysis results reveal the dependency of the inertial subrange on the tidal current and turbulence intensities. The flood-ebb tidal flows are different between the summer and winter seasons, without and with the presence of dense raft aquaculture for kelp, respectively. In summer, the turbulent kinetic energy (TKE), turbulent Reynolds stress (TRS), and dissipation rate (e) of TKE increase smoothly with the increasing tidal flow magnitude, and e is approximately in balance with TKE production related to the vertical shear. The presence of heavy kelp aquaculture in winter causes the reduction in flow speeds and TRS, while keeping TKE and e at high levels.

Automated summary

High-frequency measurements of tides, waves, and turbulence were conducted in Heini Bay, Yellow Sea during winter and summer seasons. The wave-turbulence decomposition revealed the relationship between the inertial subrange and tidal current and turbulence intensities. The flood-ebb tidal flows varied between the two seasons, depending on the presence of dense raft aquaculture. In summer, the TKE, TRS, and e increased with the tidal flow magnitude, while in winter, the presence of heavy kelp aquaculture reduced flow speeds and TRS but maintained high TKE and e.