Modelling morphological changes and migration of large sand waves in a very energetic tidal environment: Banks Strait, Australia

Banks Strait, Tasmania, Australia, has been identified as a potential site for the deployment of tidal turbines. In this study, the characterization of sediment transport and large sand waves for this site is performed. Observations of bed level change collected from surveys in 2018 showed a migration of large sand waves over a period of nine months. Migration rates in an excess of one hundred meters for nine months were found, which are large compared to the rate reported at other coastal sites, by several meters per year. A validated hydrodynamic model is coupled with a morphodynamic model to perform sensitivity tests and identify what parameters influence migration to better understand sediment dynamic in the Banks Strait. Numerical analysis showed a constant shift of the sand waves profile in an eastward direction, consistent with the observations. This migration was strongly linked with tidal asymmetry, with a residual current flowing towards the east. The principal parameters driving the migration of sand waves in the Banks Strait were found to be sediment sorting, bed friction and residual current. This study gives new insights for the seabed of Banks Strait and provides an assessment of the natural variability of sediment for futures tidal farms deployments.