Wave-Induced Seabed Dynamics and Liquefaction

Ocean waves impart cyclical loading on seabed soils through pressure fluctuations and flow shear, driving sediment transport, pore-water pressure development and localised instability. Wave-induced seabed dynamics encompass the generation of excess pore-water pressures within porous marine sediments, reductions in effective stress and consequent risk of liquefaction. These processes can lead to seabed subsidence, scour around subsea infrastructure and buoyant motion of buried pipelines. The interplay of hydraulic conductivity, soil stiffness, degree of saturation and wave characteristics—including amplitude, period and reflectivity—governs the depth and intensity of soil response. Accurate prediction of dynamic soil behaviour under wave action is fundamental to the design and safe operation of coastal and offshore structures such as breakwaters, monopiles and pipelines. Advances in analytical, numerical and experimental methods have deepened understanding of mechanisms driving momentary and cumulative liquefaction, enabling improved risk assessment and mitigation strategies in diverse marine environments worldwide.

Research from Nature Portfolio

Recent studies have derived analytical solutions for the dynamic response of a poroelastic seabed under partial standing waves, revealing that wave reflection strongly amplifies pore-pressure accumulation and liquefaction depth. Variations in wave phase lag, water depth and soil parameters such as permeability and shear modulus were shown to modulate both displacement and effective-stress fields across the seabed profile. Foundational experimental work on random-wave loading in silty sediment beds has demonstrated that long-wave components, though of smaller amplitude, contribute disproportionately to cumulative excess pore-water pressure and elevate liquefaction potential compared with short waves. These insights underscore the need to incorporate full wave spectra in stability design, particularly in regions subject to complex sea states.

Wave-Induced Seabed Dynamics and Liquefaction publication trend

The graph below shows the total number of articles in wave-induced seabed dynamics and liquefaction across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).

Technical terms

Liquefaction: A process by which cyclic loading leads to loss of soil stiffness and strength due to elevated pore-water pressures, causing a solid-like sediment to behave as a fluid.

Pore-water pressure: The pressure of water within the voids of a soil mass, which fluctuates under wave loading and influences effective stress.

Effective stress: The net stress carried by the soil skeleton, equal to total stress minus pore-water pressure, governing soil strength and deformation.

Permeability: A measure of the ease with which fluid can flow through a porous medium, affecting dissipation of excess pressures.

Poroelasticity: A theoretical framework coupling elastic deformation of a porous solid with fluid flow in its pores, used to model seabed dynamic response.

References

1. Dynamic response and liquefaction potential of porous seabed induced by partial standing ocean waves. Scientific Reports (2023).
2. Pore water pressure responses in silty sediment bed under random wave action. Scientific Reports (2019).
3. Experimental Investigation of Pore Pressure on Sandy Seabed around Submarine Pipeline under Irregular Wave Loading. Sensors (2024).
4. Wave-Induced Liquefaction and Floatation of a Pipeline in a Drum Centrifuge. Journal of Waterway Port Coastal and Ocean Engineering (2019).