Prediction of ripple properties in shelf seas - Mark 2 predictor for time evolution - Final technical report

The work under this contract has developed a generic predictor for bedform existence, growth/decay, height and spacing, and temporal variability at a sandy seabed location (ripples in currents, waves and waves-plus-currents) as a function of: sediment characteristics, water depth, wave and current forcing, biological effects and time history of these processes. The work made use of existing data to underpin the ongoing SAX00 and SAX04 collection of specific sediment-acoustic data within the ONR Ripples DRI program. The present report relates to Phase 2 of the project, in which a time-evolving predictor for ripple properties generated by waves and/or currents (including bio-degradation) was developed. Information on the derivation of the predictor and some example applications are included. The Mark 2 Time-evolving Ripple Predictor is given in step-by-step algorithmic form in Appendix A. The predictor has been implemented and tested in an Excel spreadsheet "Ripple evolution waves + currents V2.0"