ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Mar. Sci.
Sec. Coastal Ocean Processes
This article is part of the Research TopicInnovations in Coastal Morphodynamic ModelingView all 5 articles
Unravelling Bed Sediment Dynamics and Accumulation Rates in the Northern Arabian Gulf: A Synthesis of Modelling, Radiometric Techniques, and Field Data ✩
Provisionally accepted
- Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research, Kuwait City, Kuwait
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The Northern Arabian/Persian Gulf (NG) experiences complex sedimentary dynamics influenced by aeolian and fluvial inputs under highly variable hydrodynamic conditions. This study integrates numerical modelling (Delft3D-FM), radiometric dating, and field observations to quantify sediment accumulation rates and map cohesive bed sediments. Seasonal simulations for summer and winter reveal distinct sediment accumulation trends, with deposition exceeding 0.9 g/cm2/yr in the NG. Model validation against radiometric data shows strong agreement, with minor discrepancies in mid-range deposition zones (e.g., 0.24 vs. 0.48 g/cm2/yr). Wind-driven shear stress emerges as a key driver of bed sediments, particularly in winter, when higher variability and stronger bed shear stresses are observed compared to summer. These findings highlight the importance of combining field-based and numerical approaches to improve sediment transport predictions in arid coastal en-vironments. This study provides critical insights for sediment management and coastal resilience, particularly in the context of climate change, which is expected to reshape sediment budgets and pose significant challenges to the stability of coastal ecosystems in the NG.
Keywords: Cohesive sediments, Fine sediment deposition, hydrodynamic forces, marine sedimentology, NumericalValidation, Radiometric Dating
Received: 19 Nov 2025; Accepted: 12 Dec 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Alosairi, Aba, Al-Ragum, Al-Khaldi and Al-Houti. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Yousef Alosairi
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