Flux and its seasonal variation of suspended particulate matter in the Bohai Sea, Yellow Sea and East China Sea

Abstract

Transport and flux of suspended particulate matter (SPMs) are important but hotly debated topics in the Bohai Sea (BS), Yellow Sea (YS) and East China Sea (ECS). In this study, we calculated the sediment flux and its seasonal variation combining observed suspended sediment concentration (SSC) with numerically simulated currents. Field observations were conducted in the BS, YS and ECS at 43 stations in summer and 46 stations in winter along five transects. HYCOM/NCODA reanalysis data were used to calculate climatologically monthly averaged currents in January and July from 1998 to 2007. The results indicated that a high concentration of SPM moved out of the BS and moved southward into the YS and ECS in winter, with a net sediment flux of 0.12 t/s at the Bohai Strait and 4.37 t/s south of the Yangtze River. In summer, SSC increased from the surface to the bottom layer due to stratification. A southerly wind and stronger warm currents in summer transported SPM from the ECS to the YS and the BS, with a net northward sediment flux of 4.79 t/s at the boundary of the ECS and the YS, and a net sediment flux of 0.08 t/s input into the BS. This study can help to distinguish the contribution of the Yellow River-and Yangtze River-derived sediments to the mud-areas' generation on the continental shelves area of the Yellow Sea and East China Sea.

Unusual Cross‐Shelf Transport Driven by the Changes of Wind Pattern in a Marginal Sea

“…A full circulation map cannot be obtained from the very limited observations; however, 1/12° HYCOM/NCODA solution can provide additional information about the basin‐scale processes. We first examine the capability of the global HYCOM/NCODA system in reproducing the 2017 offshore cold tongue in the SYS, despite abundant successful applications in this region (Hu et al., 2019; Qiao et al., 2016; Wu et al., 2019; Zang et al., 2017). HYCOM/NCODA solution well reproduces the satellite SST in January of 2017 (Figure S5 in Supporting Information ).…”

Morphological and sedimentary features of sandy‐muddy transitional beaches in estuaries and bays along mesotidal to macrotidal coasts

“…Webster, ; Wang et al ., ), rainfall, waves, and coastal currents can fluctuate contemporaneously (Jan et al ., ; Wu et al ., ; Chien et al ., ; Figure a). Therefore, both the sediment loading capacity of rivers and the suspended particle flux of coastal waters (mainly derived from the Yangtze River and rivers surrounding the TS) display similar temporal variations (Liu et al ., ; Qiao et al ., ; Bulletin of Chinese River Sediment, ). Riverine coarse sands strongly influenced by waves are mostly deposited in the inner estuary, feeding the associated estuarine SMT‐Beaches (Horng and Huh, ; Qi, ; Ma et al ., ).…”

“…In particular, a large amount of Yangtze River-derived sediments, carried southward by the ZMCC, are then mixed with those derived from both Taiwan and Chinese mainland rivers (e.g. Xu et al, 2009;Huh et al, 2011;Qiao et al, 2016). Additionally, the strong tide may contribute to the characteristics and geomorphology of the TS seafloor sediments (Huang and Yu, 2003;Liao and Yu, 2005).…”

Variation in the Current Shear Front and Its Potential Effect on Sediment Transport Over the Inner Shelf of the East China Sea in Winter

“…Marginal seas are ideal areas for studying sediment source‐to‐sink transport processes because the sediment budget and transport pathways can be relatively easily defined (Z. F. Liu et al, ). Recently, some scientists have focused on the cross‐shelf transport of water masses and suspended sediment, among other factors, in the seas adjacent to eastern China with methods such as remote sensing image inversion (Yuan et al, , ; Yuan & Hsueh, ; Wu, ), observation data analysis (Li et al, ; Lim et al, ; Qiao, Huang, et al, ; Wu et al, ), and numerical simulation (Bian, Jiang, & Greatbatch, ; Liu et al, ; Wu, ; Zeng et al, ). This research has gained considerable attention because the cross‐shelf material transport and water exchange processes are important for marine ecology and material recycling (Dong et al, ; Su, ; Thomsd et al, ).…”