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We present multi-sensor measurements from satellites, unmanned aerial vehicle, marine radar, thermal profilers, and repeated conductivity–temperature–depth casts made in the Kara Gates strait connecting the Barents and the Kara Seas during spring tide in August 2021. Analysis of the field data during an 18-h period from four stations provides evidence that a complex sill in the Kara Gates is the site of regular production of intense large-amplitude nonlinear internal waves. Satellite data show a presence of a relatively warm northeastward surface current from the Barents Sea toward the Kara Sea attaining 0.8–0.9 m/s. Triangle-shaped measurements using three thermal profilers revealed pronounced vertical thermocline oscillations up to 40 m associated with propagation of short-period nonlinear internal waves of depression generated by stratified flow passing a system of shallow sills in the strait. The most intense waves were recorded during the ebb tide slackening and reversal when the background flow was predominantly supercritical. Observed internal waves had wavelengths of ~100 m and traveled northeastward with phase speeds of 0.8–0.9 m/s. The total internal wave energy per unit crest length for the largest waves was estimated to be equal to 1.0–1.8 MJ/m.

Background Marine and intertidal organisms face the rhythmic environmental changes induced by tides. The large amplitude of spring tides that occur around full and new moon may threaten nests of ground-nesting birds. These birds face a trade-off between ensuring nest safety from tidal flooding and nesting near the waterline to provide their newly hatched offspring with suitable foraging opportunities. The semi-lunar periodicity of spring tides may enable birds to schedule nest initiation adaptively, for example, by initiating nests around tidal peaks when the water line reaches the farthest into the intertidal habitat. We examined the impact of semi-lunar tidal changes on the phenology of nest flooding and nest initiation in Snowy Plovers ( Charadrius nivosus ) breeding at Bahía de Ceuta, a coastal wetland in Northwest Mexico. Results Using nest initiations and fates of 752 nests monitored over ten years we found that the laying season coincides with the lowest spring tides of the year and only 6% of all nests were flooded by tides. Tidal nest flooding varied substantially over time. First, flooding was the primary cause of nest failures in two of the ten seasons indicating high between-season stochasticity. Second, nests were flooded almost exclusively during the second half of the laying season. Third, nest flooding was associated with the semi-lunar spring tide cycle as nests initiated around spring tide had a lower risk of being flooded than nests initiated at other times. Following the spring tide rhythm, plovers appeared to adapt to this risk of flooding with nest initiation rates highest around spring tides and lowest around neap tides. Conclusions Snowy Plovers appear generally well adapted to the risk of nest flooding by spring tides. Our results are in line with other studies showing that intertidal organisms have evolved adaptive responses to predictable rhythmic tidal changes but these adaptations do not prevent occasional catastrophic losses caused by stochastic events.

In this study, monsoon-induced surge during high tides at the Southeast coast of Vietnam was analyzed based on the observed tide data at the Vung Tau station in the period between 1997—2016. Specifically, the surge was determined by removing the astronomical tide from the observed total water level. The two-dimensional Regional Ocean Model System (ROMS 2D) was applied to simulate the surge induced by monsoons during spring tide. The surge observations showed that the change of peak surge did not follow a clear trend, of either an increase or decrease, over time. A peak surge of over 40 cm appeared mainly in October and November, although the peak of the astronomical tide was higher in December. ROMS 2D was validated with the observational data, and the model could sufficiently reproduce the wind-induced surge during high tides. This study therefor ere commends for ROMS 2D to be used in operational forecasts in this area.

Here we show how major rivers can efficiently connect to the deep-sea, by analysing the longest runout sediment flows (of any type) yet measured in action on Earth. These seafloor turbidity currents originated from the Congo River-mouth, with one flow travelling >1,130 km whilst accelerating from 5.2 to 8.0 m/s. In one year, these turbidity currents eroded 1,338-2,675 [>535-1,070] Mt of sediment from one submarine canyon, equivalent to 19–37 [>7–15] % of annual suspended sediment flux from present-day rivers. It was known earthquakes trigger canyon-flushing flows. We show river-floods also generate canyon-flushing flows, primed by rapid sediment-accumulation at the river-mouth, and sometimes triggered by spring tides weeks to months post-flood. It is demonstrated that strongly erosional turbidity currents self-accelerate, thereby travelling much further, validating a long-proposed theory. These observations explain highly-efficient organic carbon transfer, and have important implications for hazards to seabed cables, or deep-sea impacts of terrestrial climate change. This paper analyses the longest sediment flows measured in action on Earth. These seabed flows were caused by floods and spring tides, and flushed prodigious sediment and carbon volumes into the deep sea, as they accelerated for a thousand kilometres.

Eight‐year ocean color observations between 2002 and 2009 from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) onboard the Aqua satellite are used to quantitatively assess the spring‐neap tidal effects on variability of ocean optical and biogeochemical properties in the Bohai Sea, Yellow Sea, and East China Sea. We demonstrate that spring‐neap tidal variation is one of important ocean processes that drive both the synoptic‐scale and mesoscale changes of the ocean optical, biological, and biogeochemical properties in the coastal region. Normalized water‐leaving radiance spectra (nLw(λ)), water diffuse attenuation coefficient at the wavelength of 490 nm (Kd(490)), and total suspended matter (TSM) concentration show significant spring‐neap variations in the coastal region within a lunar cycle of 29.53 days. In the open ocean, however, spring‐neap tidal effects on ocean color data are negligible. The entire areal coverage of the turbid waters (Kd(490) > 0.3 m−1) showing significant spring‐neap tidal variations is ∼4–5 × 105 km2. Similar coverage of moderately turbid waters (0.1 < Kd(490) ≤ 0.3 m−1) is also impacted by the spring‐neap tides. The magnitude of the spring‐neap tidal effects on the variations of the satellite ocean color properties, e.g., Kd(490) and TSM, is in the same order as the seasonal variations in the coastal region. Highest Kd(490) and largest turbid water coverage lag the new moon (or full moon) about 2–3 days, while the lowest Kd(490) and smallest turbid water coverage are also ∼2–3 days behind the one‐quarter (or three‐quarter) moon. This is attributed to the seawater inertia and the friction against the seabed as well as the sediment resuspension process. Key Points Evaluation of the spring‐neap tidal effects on variability of ocean properties Significant tidal effects on remote sensing products in coastal regions Phase shifts in tidal effects for Bohai Sea, Yellow Sea, and East China Sea

In order to examine the influence of forcing (river flow and tides) and anthropogenic activities (dredging and dam regulation) on stratification, a study was conducted over a period of 19 months (June 2008–December 2009) in the Gautami–Godavari estuary (G–GE) during spring and neap tide periods covering entire spectrum of discharge over a distance of 36 km from the mouth. The bathymetry of the estuary was recently changed due to dredging of ∼20 km of the estuary from the mouth for transportation of barges. This significantly changed the mean depth and salinity of the estuary from its earlier state. The variations in the distribution of salinity in the Godavari estuary are driven by river discharge during wet period (June–November) and tides during dry period (December–May). The weak stratification was observed during high discharge (July–August) and no discharge (January–June) periods associated with dominant fresh water and marine water respectively. The strong stratification was developed associated with decrease in discharge during moderate discharge period (October–December). Relatively stronger stratification was noticed during neap than spring tides. The 15 psu isohaline was observed to have migrated ∼2–3 km more towards upper estuary during spring than neap tide suggesting more salt enters during former than latter period. Total salt content was inversely correlated with river discharge and higher salt of about 400×10 6 m 3 psu was observed during spring than neap tide. Flushing times varied between less than a day and more than a month during peak and no discharge periods respectively with lower times during spring than neap tide. The flushing times are controlled by river discharge during high discharge period, tides during dry period and both (river discharge and tides) under moderate discharge period. This study suggests that modification of discharge, either natural due to weak monsoon, or artificial such as dam constructions and re-routing the river flow, may have significant impact on the stratification and biogeochemistry of the Godavari estuary.

Intra-tidal variability in the transport of materials through the Cochin estuary was studied over successive spring and neap tides to estimate the export fluxes of nutrients and chlorophyll a into the adjoining coastal zone. The results showed that there was a substantial increase in the freshwater flow into the estuary following heavy rains (~126 mm) prior to the spring tide observations. The estuary responded accordingly with a relatively larger export through the Cochin inlet during spring tide over neap tide. Despite an increased freshwater discharge during spring tide, the export fluxes of phosphate and ammonia were high during neap tide due to their input into the estuary through anthropogenic activities. The significance of this study is that the export fluxes from the Cochin estuary could be a major factor sustaining the spectacular monsoon fishery along the southwest coast of India.

Internal tide generation, propagation, and dissipation are investigated in Luzon Strait, a system of two quasi-parallel ridges situated between Taiwan and the Philippines. Two profiling moorings deployed for about 20 days and a set of nineteen 36-h lowered ADCP–CTD time series stations allowed separate measurement of diurnal and semidiurnal internal tide signals. Measurements were concentrated on a northern line, where the ridge spacing was approximately equal to the mode-1 wavelength for semidiurnal motions, and a southern line, where the spacing was approximately two-thirds that. The authors contrast the two sites to emphasize the potential importance of resonance between generation sites. Throughout Luzon Strait, baroclinic energy, energy fluxes, and turbulent dissipation were some of the strongest ever measured. Peak-to-peak baroclinic velocity and vertical displacements often exceeded 2 m s−1 and 300 m, respectively. Energy fluxes exceeding 60 kW m−1 were measured at spring tide at the western end of the southern line. On the northern line, where the western ridge generates appreciable eastward-moving signals, net energy flux between the ridges was much smaller, exhibiting a nearly standing wave pattern. Overturns tens to hundreds of meters high were observed at almost all stations. Associated dissipation was elevated in the bottom 500–1000 m but was strongest by far atop the western ridge on the northern line, where >500-m overturns resulted in dissipation exceeding 2 × 10−6 W kg−1 (implying diapycnal diffusivity Kρ > 0.2 m2 s−1). Integrated dissipation at this location is comparable to conversion and flux divergence terms in the energy budget. The authors speculate that resonance between the two ridges may partly explain the energetic motions and heightened dissipation.

This study investigates the influence of tides on chlorophyll a (CHL) variability in the Brazilian Equatorial Margin using daily GlobColour and MODIS-Aqua CHL data from 2005 to 2021. The impact of the tides is assessed by comparing the spring with the neap tide signals (fortnightly signal, 14.7 d). Results show that, on the shallow Amazon shelf, significant fortnightly CHL variability is likely primarily driven by barotropic tide-induced friction on the shelf that produces significant vertical mixing. On the northwestern shelf, where the Amazon River plume prevails, CHL levels are higher during neap tides, resulting in a negative spring–neap tide CHL difference (GlobColour: −50 %; MODIS-Aqua: −84 %). Conversely, on the northeastern shelf, characterized by low-turbidity waters, CHL levels are higher during spring tides, leading to a positive spring–neap tide CHL difference (GlobColour: +30 %; MODIS-Aqua: +70 %). Offshore, baroclinic tides, also known as internal tides (ITs), seem to enhance the CHL along their pathways with a spatial structure of a wave-like pattern. The positive CHL peaks are spaced by mode-2 wavelengths (about 68 km), with peak values reaching +3.3 % (GlobColour) and +9.0 % (MODIS-Aqua). Analysis shows that the CHL wave-like pattern suggests contributions from mode-1 and mode-2 internal tides, with mode-2 components having higher spectral coherence with the original signal. A 1–3 d lag between higher CHL variability and tidal potential may indicate delayed nutrient mixing post-spring–neap tides. The effects of ITs on CHL are more pronounced than on sea surface temperature.

Coastal flooding is a major global hazard, yet few studies have examined the spatial and temporal characteristics of extreme sea level and associated coastal flooding. Here we analyse sea-level records around the coast of New Zealand (NZ) to quantify extreme storm-tide and skew-surge frequency and magnitude. We identify the relative magnitude of sea-level components contributing to 85 extreme sea level and 135 extreme skew-surge events recorded in NZ since 1900. We then examine the spatial and temporal clustering of these extreme storm-tide and skew-surge events and identify typical storm tracks and weather types associated with the spatial clusters of extreme events. We find that most extreme storm tides were driven by moderate skew surges combined with high perigean spring tides. The spring–neap tidal cycle, coupled with a moderate surge climatology, prevents successive extreme storm-tide events from happening within 4–10 d of each other, and generally there are at least 10 d between extreme storm-tide events. This is similar to findings from the UK (Haigh et al., 2016), despite NZ having smaller tides. Extreme events more commonly impacted the east coast of the North Island of NZ during blocking weather types, and the South Island and west coast of the North Island during trough weather types. The seasonal distribution of both extreme storm-tide and skew-surge events closely follows the seasonal pattern of mean sea-level anomaly (MSLA) – MSLA was positive in 92 % of all extreme storm-tide events and in 88 % of all extreme skew-surge events. The strong influence of low-amplitude (−0.06 to 0.28 m) MSLA on the timing of extreme events shows that mean sea-level rise (SLR) of similarly small height will drive rapid increases in the frequency of presently rare extreme sea levels. These findings have important implications for flood management, emergency response and the insurance sector, because impacts and losses may be correlated in space and time.