Discontinuity of sediment transport from the Bohai Sea to the open sea dominated by the wind direction

Abstract

The sediment transport of the Bohai Sea through the Bohai Strait is a key issue in coastal shelf research. Based on remote sensing data and numerical simulation results, the sediment transport from the Bohai Sea to the Yellow sea is temporally discontinuous, and the surface and bottom layers exhibit two distinct processes. Further analysis showed that discontinuities are caused by differences in stratification intensity due to wind directions. During strong northwesterly winds, suspended sediments from the Bohai Sea can be transported along the Laizhou Bay through the southern part of Bohai Strait. And northeasterly wind can strengthen the stratification by driving stronger the Yellow Sea Warm Current. Strong stratification significantly inhibited the upward diffusion of the bottom suspended sediments. Stratification with different intensities can affect the efficiency of sediment transport, which can overcome the limitations of the sediment transport mechanism in the Bohai Sea. The insights obtained in this study into the effect of stratification on sediment transport could benefit further exploration of other hydrological mechanisms in coastal shelf seas.