Modeling Mud and Sand Transfers Between a Macrotidal Estuary and the Continental Shelf: Influence of the Sediment Transport Parameterization

Abstract

AbstractCoastal environments are directly influenced by terrigenous inputs coming from rivers through estuaries. Quantifying the amount of nutrients and contaminants transported by sediments from continental areas to the sea is crucial for marine resources protection. However, the complexity of estuarine dynamics makes it difficult to quantify sediment fluxes from field measurements alone and requires numerical modeling. Thus, using a realistic 3‐D hydrodynamic and sediment transport model, this study aims at evaluating the influence of model empirical parameters on sediment fluxes and estimating uncertainties on mud and sand transfers at a macrotidal estuary mouth. A sensitivity analysis, considering changes in sediment transport parameters, revealed that the system is sensitive not only to settling and erosion parameterizations but also to the spin‐up period and the sediment sliding process. Both estuarine circulation and tidal pumping induce a residual up‐estuary transport, which is balanced by seaward export during spring tides. Although more fine sediments are exported within the surface turbid plume during high river discharge, the net mud transport is directed up‐estuary due to increased baroclinic circulation. Besides, model results highlighted a strong seasonal variability in sediment fluxes with a short and high import during high river flow and a long and weak export during low river flow. Uncertainties associated with the simulated fluxes were about 93% for mud and 51% for noncohesive classes, based on the best performing parameter sets for surface suspended sediment concentrations. These results can be reliably extrapolated to similar macrotidal estuarine systems.