Effects of wave-induced seabed liquefaction on sediment re-suspension in the Yellow River Delta

Abstract

This paper presented the results of wave flume experiments for the process of a silty sediment bed responded to wave action. Silty sediment was sampled from modern Yellow River Delta. In coastal areas, seabed liquefaction and sediment re-suspension were the most significant hydrodynamic processes the seabed sediment presented under wave action. However, few studies have focused on the internal response of sediment under wave action with regard to its role in liquefaction and sediment re-suspension. In this study, four wave height scenarios (5cm, 7cm, 10cm and 18cm) were tested. Results indicated that the movements of the suspended sediments were dominated by the re-suspension of surface sediment erosion at the initial stage of wave action, whereas the suspended sediments were transported from the internal seabed sediment upward due to wave-induced liquefaction and seepage at a later stage. The observations confirmed that waves enhanced sediment re-suspension by liquefying the soil bed through excess pore pressure accumulations, not simply by excess shear stress.