A Distribution of Suspended Sediment Concentration in Muddy Coast, China

Abstract

The muddy coast with fine cohesive sediment particles is an important form in the coastal area of our country. Sediment on the bottom of muddy coast start and enter the upper water body under the action of shear force caused by wave and tidal current, and then, advect and diffuse to the surrounding area in the main form of suspended sediment along with the tidal current. Many important ports in china are located on the muddy coast, so it is necessary to study the distribution of suspended sediment concentration, an important criterion of siltation of harbor and navigational channel. The study area involved in this paper is Lianyungang, a typical muddy coast in Northeast of Jiangsu Province, in where the terrain is gentle and parallel to the coastline. In this article, the hydrodynamic and sediment environment under different wind and wave conditions of Lianyungang are analyzed. The following main conclusions are drawn from the study. (1) Plane distribution law of suspended sediment concentration in Lianyungang area generally shows higher nearshore and lower offshore. (2) In normal weather, the vertical average suspended sediment concentration in Lianyungang is between 0.10~0.15kg/m3, while the annual average value is between 0.20~0.50kg/m3. (3) The typhoon Wipha makes the wave larger and the scouring effect on the nearshore stronger, so the value of suspended sediment concentration increases sharply and several times higher.