The role of sediment transport processes in shaping offshore sand waves

Sand waves, large scale dynamic bedforms, which are found on sandy, shallow seabeds worldwide, present an immediate risk to offshore structures, raising a pressing need for predicting related bed level dynamics on decadal timescales. Numerical models can help us understand and predict sand wave dynamics, but have shown difficulties with preserving sand wave shapes. Using the process-based Delft3D Flexible Mesh model, we have found that the choice of sediment transport formulation has a significant effect on the stability of sand wave shapes. The widely used Van Rijn (1993) sediment transport formulation predicts relatively high bed load transport rates, thereby raising a need for more dominant slope-induced transport. The simulations revealed that the Van Rijn (2007) formulation, which predicts relatively lower transport rates, and thus allows for lower bed slope-induced transports, is better capable of preserving the steep slopes of sand waves, while limiting sand wave growth. By considering various shape characteristics in our model assessment, more insight is gained about the improvements as well as adverse effects of changes in the parameterization of physical processes. These characteristics show that only with the less dominant bed slope-induced transport the crest levels are stable, while trough levels still lower slowly over time. This indicates that local processes are responsible for limiting the growth of sand waves and the importance of slope-induced transport has been overstated in previous works. With the adapted, non-upscaled set-up, the evolution of sand waves over multiyear timescales is represented well in the model compared to bathymetric field data for two contrasting sand wave field sites.