The presence of man-made levees along the Lower Mississippi River (MR) has significantly reduced the River sediment input to the wetlands and much of the River's sediment is now lost to the Gulf of Mexico. The sediment load in the River has also been decreased by dams and river revetments along the Upper MR. Freshwater and sediment diversions are possible options to help combat land loss. Numerical modeling of hydrodynamics and sediment transport of the MR is a useful tool to evaluate restoration projects and to improve our understanding of the resulting River response. The emphasis of this study is on the fate of sand in the river and the distributaries. A 3-D unsteady flow mobile-bed model (ECOMSED; HydroQual 2002) of the Lower MR reach between Belle Chasse (RM 76) and downstream of Main Pass (RM 3) was calibrated using field sediment data from 2008 – 2010 (Nittrouer et al. 2008; Allison, 2010). The model was used to simulate River currents, diversion sand capture efficiency, erosional and depositional patterns with and without diversions over a short period of time (weeks). The introduction of new diversions at different locations, e.g., Myrtle Grove (RM 59) and Belair (RM 65), with different geometries and with different outflows was studied. A 1-D unsteady flow mobile-bed model (CHARIMA; Holly et al. 1990) was used to model the same Lower MR reach. This model was used for longer term simulations (months). The simulated diversions varied from 28 m3/s (1, 000 cfs) to 5, 700 m3/s (200, 000 cfs) for river flows up to 35, 000 m3/s (1.2x106 cfs). The model showed that the smaller diversions had little impact on the downstream sand transport. However, the larger diversions had the following effects: 1) reduction in the slope of the hydraulic grade line downstream of the diversion; 2) reduction in the available energy for transport of sand along distributary channels; 3) reduced sand transport capacity in the main channel downstream of the diversion; 4) increased shoaling downstream of the diversion; and 5) a tendency for erosion and possible head-cutting upstream of the diversion.

A 3-D numerical model of the Head of Passes and Bird’s Foot Delta of the Mississippi River- was developed. The model was based on Delft3D and simulates the hydrodynamics and salinity transport for Head of Passes area from RM 6.5 to Gulf of Mexico. The model was calibrated, validated, and used to predict the response of the river to certain stimuli, such as - channel closures, channel modifications and diversions. The model includes West Bay, Southwest Pass, South Pass, Pass-A-Loutre and Main Pass. Three basic cases were developed: existing conditions, closure of Southwest Pass with a levee of 1.5m with dredging of Pass-A-Loutre to 13.7 meter depth, and closure of Southwest Pass and South Pass with dredging of Pass-A-Loutre to 13.7 meter (45 ft) depth. Salinity has been added to the model. It has been proved that salinity intrusion has a significant impact on the model instantaneous discharge. For all passes except Southwest Pass instantaneous discharge decreases almost in half. Closure of Southwest Pass and dredging of Pass-A-Loutre leads to changes in flow speed and distribution. As a result Pass-A-Loutre becomes a main River channel.

Ce travail de thèse apporte des éléments en vue d’une meilleure compréhension de la circulation et des processus de dispersion associés aux vagues à proximité des plages. Un outil de modélisation numérique opérationnelle a été développé, fondé sur le modèle spectral d’état de mer WAVEWATCH III R et le modèle hydrodynamique 3-D MOHID Water. Le code MOHID a été étendu à l’approche glm2z pour la représentation des interactions 3-D vagues-courant. Les développements théoriques permettant l’obtention des équations glm2z sont rassemblés et détaillés dans ce travail. L’implémentation de ces équations au sein de l’outil de modélisation est exposée. L’outil construit est validé sur deux cas académiques, où est mise en évidence sa capacité à reproduire la solution fournie par des modèles numériques de référence. Par la suite, la modélisation est combinée à des observations in situ pour étudier deux sites de la côte Sud Atlantique française. Ces sites correspondent à des configurations littorales complexes, associant une influence significative des vagues et une stratification haline notable de la colonne d’eau. La confrontation des résultats du calcul 3-D aux mesures fournit des résultats encourageants et apporte des éléments utiles pour la compréhension de la variabilité des courants et des profils de salinité observés. Une baie estuarienne semi-fermée est tout d’abord étudiée. La modélisation y suggère un effet significatif des vagues sur la dispersion des panaches estuariens, susceptible d’impacter la vidange globale de la baie à l’échelle d’un épisode de précipitations. Le second site d’application permet l’étude de la circulation intense induite par les vagues au-dessus d’un système barre/chenal, ainsi que la dispersion des eaux douces introduites par une rivière dans la zone de déferlement. Ce travail fournit finalement un outil de modélisation 3-D pour l’étude de la circulation et du transport sous l’effet de l’ensemble des forçages littoraux. / This work aimed at providing a better understanding of nearshore circulation and dispersion processes under the effect of waves. An operational numerical modeling tool was developed, based on the spectral wave model WAVEWATCH III R and the 3-D hydrodynamical model MOHID Water. The MOHID implementation was extended to the glm2z approach for 3-D wave-current interactions. Theoretical developments leading to glm2z equations are gathered and detailed in the present work. The numerical implementation of glm2z equations is described. The model is validated in academic cases, in which the obtained solution is shown to be consistent with that provided by reference numerical models. Both numerical modeling and in situ measurements are then used to study two nearshore environments, located on the French South Atlantic coast. These complex areas combine a significant effect of waves on dynamics and remarkable salinity stratification. Comparison of 3-D model results with field data are encouraging and offers interesting insights for current and salinity profile variability. Dynamics of a semi-enclosed estuarine bay is first studied. Modeling results suggest that waves may have a significant impact on river plumes, leading to a reduction of the global bay flushing during a raining event. The second study site allows the investigation of the intense circulation generated by waves over a ridge and runnel system, and the dispersion of reshwaters introduced in the surfzone by a small river. Finally, this work provides a 3-D numerical modeling tool for the study of the circulation and related transports under the effects of nearshore forcings.

In heavily settled areas, deformations induced by the tunnel excavation may cause serious damage to nearby structures. In this study it is aimed to model ground deformations induced by main tunnels and connection tunnels excavations as well as groundwater drainage. Therefore, it is necessary to study effective means of controlling tunnel induced deformations. The main parameters affecting the failure and deformation state of the soil around a circular underground opening are the physical characteristics of the soil, the diameter of the opening, and the support pressure. During the construction stage of Necatibey Station of Kizilay&Ccedil / ayyolu metro line (Ankara, Turkey), challenging ground conditions involving highly heterogeneous and locally water saturated foundation soils have been encountered. Possibility of damage at the surface and/or on the underground structures can be estimated using finite difference method (FDM) of analysis. In this study, two geophysical methods namely Electrical Resistivity Imaging (ERI) and Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) were utilized to distinguish soil types at the study area. By correlating these geophysical survey results with the boring v logs, 3-Dimensional soil profile was revealed at the study area to build up a basis for numerical models. 3-Dimensional (3D) FDM analyses were conducted to assess tunneling induced deformations, along with movements around shallow soft ground main tunnels and connection tunnels. During sequential excavations, temporary and permanent shotcrete lining was also simulated. The soil behavior is assumed to be governed by an elastic-perfectly plastic constitutive relation based on the Mohr&ndash / Coulomb criterion. The computed deformations around these openings have been compared with the in-situ measurements. The results of the study revealed that the 3-D elasto-plastic analyses yield comparably good correlation with the in-situ measurements. Also, in this study, the effects of main tunnels excavations on each other and the effects of connection tunnels excavations on main tunnels were identified in terms of ground deformations. In order to simulate induced surface settlement due to groundwater withdrawal at the site 3-D fully coupled (fluidmechanical) numerical models were run using different time durations. The model studies revealed that deformations monitored at the ground surface are directly related with the tunnel construction practice. Pumping groundwater has very little or no effect on the measured deformations.