Taiwan Shoal Research Articles

Regeneration and anti-migration of sand waves associated with sand mining in the Taiwan Shoal

Regeneration and anti-migration of sand waves associated with sand mining in the Taiwan Shoal

Relict and Modern Sediments on the Continental Shelf of the Northern South China Sea: A Reconsideration

AbstractUnderstanding the temporal‐spatial patterns of modern and relict sediments is of importance for assessing changes in the Quaternary environment and sea‐level. Sedimentological and geochemical data is presented, along with in situ shell‐based accelerator mass spectrometry 14C ages of 30 samples from the surface sediments on the northern shelf of the South China Sea (NSSCS). The authors’ data show that the NSSCS surface sediments exhibit considerable diversity in composition. Modern sediments are primarily constrained to the NW inner shelf, which is fed by fluvial sands sourced from Coastal South China river systems and dominated by the Pearl River Estuary delivery. The transport and discharge of the terrestrial sediments to the NSSCS is highly influenced by the Guangdong Longshore Current and its secondary cyclonic eddies. Relict sediments dominated by well‐sorted, medium‐ and coarse‐grained sands were identified in the NW Shenhu and NW Dongsha areas of the outer NSSCS. The sedimentology and geochemistry of the relict sediments imply that they were deposited in a dry and cold environment either during the low sea levels of the late Pleistocene (∼40 ka) or the early Holocene (∼10 ka). To the east, the Taiwan Shoal and vicinity are dominated by a sand mixture, at which the relict sediments were reworked by terrigenous supply and modern hydrodynamic environment due to the compound action of the Guangdong Longshore Current, seasonal cyclones, and Kuroshio Intrusion. The present isobaths of ∼−90 m in the NSSCS might be the reflective of the early Holocene coastal delta or the last glacial maximum shoreline.

Seasonal variability in spatial patterns of sea surface cold- and warm fronts over the continental shelf of the northern South China Sea

Ubiquitous fronts are a key part of energy transfer from large scales to small scales and exert a great impact on material exchange and biogeochemical processes. The spatial pattern and seasonal variability of cold- and warm fronts over the wide shelf of the northern South China Sea (SCS) are investigated using a 20-year time series (2002−2021) of 1-km spatial resolution Group for High Resolution Sea Surface Temperature (GHRSST) images. Our analysis shows distinct spatial and temporal variability in the occurrence of the cold- and warm fronts. Over the inner shelf (depth <50 m), the band-shaped cold fronts are predominately observed during spring through autumn from east of Hainan Island to Taiwan Shoal, with the presence of the maximum intensity and probability in winter. The frontal formations are possibly associated with the joint effect of the Guangdong Coastal Current (GCC) and the South China Sea Warm Current. During summer, the inshore fronts have relatively low probability and gradient magnitude. The warm fronts mainly occur off the western Guangdong coast possibly due to the southwestward-flowing GCC, whereas the cold fronts dominate off the eastern Guangdong coast and the eastern Hainan Island largely because of the coastal upwelling. Over the outer shelf (depth >50 m), the finer-scale cold- and warm fronts are discretely observed, with relatively weaker intensity and lower probability. The frontal activities are very vigorous in winter but slightly quiescent in summer, apparently resulting from the influence of the rich submesoscale processes in the SCS. This study could help improve our understanding of the SCS oceanic multiscale dynamics.

Migrating sandwaves riding on relict dunes of Taiwan shoal, northern South China Sea

Sandwaves, a ubiquitous bedform commonly found in most coastal seas and sometimes in deep waters of continental slopes and submarine canyons, are often the subject of marine hazard studies because their frequent migration can pose potential threats to pipelines or other engineering structures in the ocean. Analyses of high-resolution bathymetric data collected along a 136-km multibeam bathymetric survey line demonstrate the co-existence of three different sizes of sandwaves: giant, primary dunes (∼10-15 m in height, up to 2,000 m in length); small, secondary sandwaves (∼1 m in height, ∼50 m in length) riding on the stoss side of the primary dunes; and mid-size dunes (∼5-10 m in height, ∼100-500 m in length) found in the trough of primary dunes. While the tidal current-driven, secondary sandwaves are migrating, the primary and mid-size dunes are immobile. Empirical model results suggest that the primary dunes are relict dunes that were most likely formed in geologic past when sea level was higher or the seabed elevation was lower, but water depth is probably not the only factor in limiting the formation of the primary dunes.

Sedimentary Environmental Evolution of the Western Taiwan Shoal Area since the Late Pleistocene

A new pollen analysis and major and trace element contents were conducted on a 40 m long gravity core recovered from the Taiwan Shoal (sand ridges), south of the Taiwan Strait, beginning in the Late Pleistocene. The changes in the pollen assemblage and concentration represent the climate change around the Taiwan Shoal and the strength of the Zhe-Min Coastal Current, whereas variations in major and trace element contents can imply the source of the sediments in the Taiwan Shoal, which are correlated with the rise or fall of the sea level with increased marine dinoflagellate cysts. The interval of 40–30 m was characterized by high pollen and spore concentrations, and evergreen Quercus was dominant taxon, which indicates a warm sedimentary environment, and the surrounding area of the Taiwan Shoal were covered by a tropical and subtropical broad-leaved forest. There were no pollen and spores from 30–24 m, which indicates a strong hydrodynamic sedimentary environment, and most of the Taiwan Shoal might have been experience subaerial exposure. The interval of 24–17 m was characterized by the reappearance of pollen and spores, as well as marine dinoflagellate cysts and foraminifera, suggesting the climate was warm and wet in the study area and an apparent marine sedimentary environment with relatively high sea level. Deciduous Quercus dominated the interval of 17–12 m, which indicated that the climate was relatively cool, corresponding to the end of Marine isotope stages3 (MIS3) to the Last Glacial Maximum accompanied by weathering and denudation. Above 12 m, the low pollen concentration with increased marine dinoflagellate cysts and foraminifera abundance suggested a marine sedimentary environment in the Taiwan Shoal. The high concentrations in Pinus corresponds to Holocene high sea level.

Submarine topography-related spatial variability of the southern Taiwan Strait sands (East Asia)

The Taiwan Strait serves as a link between the East China Sea and South China Sea in East Asia. Complex ocean dynamics, huge sediment inputs and distinct tectonic, climatic and bedrock lithological settings of the two sides of the strait make it ideal for sediment source-to-sink studying. While mud sediments in the strait have been well investigated, sand composition and provenance remain understudied. Here, we present framework petrography and heavy mineral data of sands from the southern Taiwan Strait and the adjacent representative rivers to characterize sand provenance and depositional mechanisms. As expected, the SE China river sands are dominated by quartz and feldspar, whereas sands from the westward-flowing mountainous rivers in Taiwan are rich in lithic fragments and heavy minerals of metamorphic origin. The southern Taiwan Strait sands show significant spatial variations in composition and texture of the framework grains and heavy minerals. Framework grain-based provenance modeling results show that sands in the southwest margin of Taiwan Strait (water depth of 30–60 m) are mainly supplied by SE China rivers. Taiwan mountainous rivers made prominent contributions to the central-western Taiwan Strait (40–60 m) and the south of Taiwan Shoal (below 50 m), both of which are far away from the Taiwan island (ca. 100–300 km away). Furthermore, sands from the Taiwan Shoal (20–30 m) show extremely high compositional maturity and are mainly composed of coarse, rounded quartz. These sands, previously proposed as relict sediments, have been intensely altered by modern high-energy hydrodynamic conditions and can also be interpreted as palimpsest sediments. These results demonstrate that modern river-derived sands are eventually deposited in relatively deep-water regions in the strait, rather than the shallow regions (Taiwan Shoal). We propose that the sand composition and distribution are closely related to the submarine topography of the Taiwan Strait. Combining previous mud belt investigations, we suggest that sands and muds tend to have different fates in shallow continental shelves with complex climate, ocean current and seafloor landform conditions. This study also highlights the importance of both modern and relict sands in the strait and our findings are important to better understanding of shelf sedimentary systems with huge river-sediment-input and high wave/tidal-current-energy.

Morphodynamic response of sand waves in the Taiwan Shoal to a passing tropical storm

Data from three repeated multi-beam echo-sounder surveys of pre-storm, post-storm, and one year after the storm were used to study the response of sand waves in the Taiwan Shoal to the tropical storm, Talim. The measurements showed significant decreases in wave height of giant sand waves between post-storm and pre-storm, and moderate increases in one year period after the storm. The maximum decrease in wave height is more than 2 m and the averaged decrease is 1.2 m along the measured profile. The linear regression analysis shows an increasing trend of wave height changes from northwest to southeast along the profile. The uneven evolution pattern was possibly caused by the asymmetry of the currents induced by the cyclone winds. The analysis based on the Morlet wavelet function showed that the storm smeared out small-scale sand waves and eroded the giant sand wave crests, and recovery of bedforms after the storm. Two-dimensional features of storm effects were analyzed using the imagery of a Digital Terrain Model processed in a 2D survey area for pre-storm, post-storm and one year after the storm. The analysis revealed sand wave migration processes during the storm and the growing-back feature of the eroded wave crests after the storm.

P-wave velocity structures of the crust across the Southern Taiwan Strait imaged by using air-gun data recorded from ocean-bottom seismometers

Ocean-bottom seismometers (OBSs) were deployed at a shallow water depth (< 50 m) and recorded data from air-gun shootings with a large volume of about 8000 in3 along HX07 (26 OBSs) in June 2015 and HX08 (12 OBSs) in June 2016 across Littoral Fault Zone and Taiwan Shoal in the southern Taiwan Strait. Travel times of the refracted and reflected waves from the hydrophone component of OBS data were picked and the travel-time errors (< 0.1 s) were reduced layer-by-layer to invert the P-wave velocity-interface models. Based on the OBS models along HX07 and HX08, the large lateral variations of P-wave velocity (4.8–5.8 km/s) in the upper crust, interpreted as normal faults, were imaged in Littoral Fault Zone and Dongshan Fault. These normal faults, extend to the middle crust, have caused two horst structures (Dongshan Platform, Taiwan Shoal) and a graben structure (Taiwan Strait Cenozoic Depression). In the southern Taiwan Strait, the shallowest depth of 4 km and 12.5 km respectively at the top and the bottom of the middle crust near Littoral Fault Zone became deep (8 km and 17 km) toward both sides below Taiwan Strait Cenozoic Depression and Dongshan Platform. The shallow middle crust near Littoral Fault Zone may have resulted from crustal bending. However, since the location of crustal bending is far from Taiwan orogeny, the crust might be bent by continental rifting. Based on the iso-depth maps consisting of 9 OBS models in the southern Taiwan Strait, the depth of the basement (1–2 km) and the bottom of the upper crust (about 5.5–6 km) became shallow below Taiwan Shoal. These structural highs have been affected by a loading of Taiwan orogen to conform the forebulge (the Taiwan Shoal) in a foreland basin system.

Seismotectonics of the Taiwan Shoal region in the northeastern South China Sea: Insights from the crustal structure

A cluster of earthquakes occurred in the Taiwan Shoal region on the outer rise of the Manila Trench. Although most were of small to medium magnitudes, one strong earthquake occurred on September 16, 1994. Several previous studies have provided important information to progress our understanding of this single earthquake. However, little is currently known about the earthquake cluster, and it is necessary to investigate the deep crustal structure of the Taiwan Shoal region to understand the mechanisms involved in controlling and generating it. This study presents a two-dimensional seismic tomographic image of the crustal structure along the OBS2012 profile based on ocean-bottom seismograph (OBS) data, which exhibits a high-velocity anomaly flanked by low-velocity anomalies in the upper crust beneath the Taiwan Shoal. In this study, 765 earthquakes (Richter magnitude ML > 1.5) occurring between 1991 and 2015 were studied and analyses of earthquake epicenters, regional faults, and the crustal structure provides an improved understanding of the nature of active tectonics in this region. Results of analyses indicate firstly that the high-velocity area represents major asperities that correspond to the location of the earthquake cluster and where stress is concentrated. It is also depicted that the earthquake cluster was influenced by fault interactions. However, the September 1994 earthquake occurred independently of these seismic activities and was associated with reactivation of a preexisting fault. It is also determined that slab pull is resisted by the exposed precollision accretionary prism, and the resistive force is causing accumulation of inplane compressive-stress. This may trigger a future damaging earthquake in the Taiwan Shoal region.

Bottom water hydrodynamic provinces and transport patterns of the northern South China Sea: Evidence from grain size of the terrigenous sediments

Sediment transport in the source-to-sink systems of the northern South China Sea (SCS) has been of increasing interest during the past few decades. However, the mechanisms for sediment redistribution remain unclear. Sources and transport patterns in the northern SCS were investigated in this study based on grain size analyses of 205 surface sediment samples. Detailed characterizations of hydrodynamic conditions and sediment transport have been made using the log-ratio method to partition grain size components of surface sediments in the northern SCS. Results reveal that sediment dispersal patterns in the region generally contain traction, saltation, graded and uniform suspension modes. Based on the spatial distribution characteristics, the study area can be classified into three hydrodynamic provinces. Province A contains high traction concentrations that are exposed to the longshore current and topographic features, which are distributed in the Taiwan Shoal, Dongsha Islands and extends from the Pearl River estuary to the southeast of Hainan Island. Province B is characterized by higher values of saltation and graded suspension, which are widespread along the northern slope of the SCS, and its formation is interpreted as the result of interactions between down- and along-slope processes. Province C reaches its greatest concentration in the abyssal areas, particularly in the vicinity of Luzon Island, which settles only under calm conditions. Combined with previous data concerning magnetic susceptibility distributions of surface sediments from the northern SCS, the sediment transport route near the mainland is traced. Furthermore, based on distribution pattern of sortable silts and hydrodynamic provenance of the terrigenous sediments, the sediment transport route in the deep water region of the northern SCS is outlined. It flows along marginal channels which cut across the continental slope along isobaths. Taken together, the combination of grain-size components and sortable silts of surface sediment used here is a promising tool to better assess the modern variability of hydrodynamic conditions and transport processes in marine environments.

Evaluation of Natural Radioactivity in Marine Sand Deposits from Offshore China

Natural radioactivity is very important for the assessment of the marine sand property and usability. By using gamma spectrometry, the concentration of the natural radionuclides 226Ra, 232Th and 40K have been measured in marine sand deposits from Liaodong Bay (LDB), North Yellow Sea (NYS), Zhoushan area (ZS), Taiwan Shoal (TS) and Pearl River Mouth (PR), offshore China, which are potential marine sand mining areas. The radiation activity equivalent (Raeq), indoor gamma absorbed dose rate (DR), annual effective dose (HR), alpha index (Ia), gamma index (Ig), external radiation hazard index (Hex), internal radiation hazard index (Hin), representative level index (RLI), excess lifetime cancer risk (ELCR) and annual gonadal dose equivalent (AGDE) associated with the natural radionuclides are calculated to assess the radiation hazard of the natural radioactivity in the marine sands offshore China. From the analysis, it is found that these marine sands are safe for the constructions. The Pearson correlation coefficient reveals that the 226Ra distribution in the marine sands offshore China is controlled by the variation of the 40K concentration. Principal component analysis (PCA) yields a two-component representation of the entire data from the marine sands, wherein 98.22% of the total variance is explained. Our results provide good baseline data to expand the database of radioactivity of building materials in China and all over the world.

Morphology, sedimentary characteristics, and origin of the Dongsha submarine canyon in the northeastern continental slope of the South China Sea

The Dongsha submarine canyon is a large canyon belonging to a group of canyons on the northeastern South China Sea margin. Investigation of the Dongsha canyon is important for understanding the origin of this canyon group as well as the transport mechanism of sediments on the margin, and the evolution of the Taixinan foreland basin and the associated Taiwan orogenic belt. In this study, the morphology, sedimentary characteristics, and origin of the Dongsha canyon were investigated by integrating high-resolution multi-channel seismic reflection profiles and high-precision multibeam bathymetric data. This is a slope-confined canyon that originates in the upper slope east of the Dongsha Islands, extends downslope in the SEE direction, and finally merges with the South Taiwan Shoal canyon at a water depth of 3000 m. The total length and average width of the canyon are around 190 and 10 km, respectively. Eleven seismic sequence boundaries within the canyon fills were identified and interpreted as incision surfaces of the canyon. In the canyon fills, four types of seismic facies were defined: parallel onlap fill, chaotic fill, mounded divergent facies, and migrated wavy facies. The parallel onlap fill facies is interpreted as alternating coarser turbidites or other gravity-flow deposits and fine hemipelagic sediments filling the canyon valley. The chaotic fill facies is presumed to be debrites and/or basal lag deposits filling the thalwegs. The mounded divergent and migrated wavy seismic facies can be explained as canyon levees consisting mainly of overspilled fine turbidites and sediment waves on the levees or on the canyon-mouth submarine fans. Age correlation between the sequence boundaries and the ODP Site 1144 data suggests that the Dongsha canyon was initiated at approximately 0.9 Ma in the middle Pleistocene. Mapping of the canyon indicates that the canyon originated at the upstream portion of the middle reach of the modern canyon, and has been continuously expanding both upstream and downstream by retrogressive erosion, incision, and deposition of turbidity currents and other gravity transport processes. The ages of the sequence boundaries representing major canyon incision events are in good agreement with those of global sea-level lowstands, indicating that sea-level changes may have played an important role in the canyon’s development. The Dongsha canyon developed in a region with an active tectonic background characterized by the Taiwan uplifting and the development of the Taixinan foreland basin. However, no evidence suggests that the canyon formation is directly associated with local or regional faulting and magmatic activities. Turbidity currents and other gravity transport processes (including submarine slides and slumps) may have had an important influence on the formation and evolution of the canyon.

Cyclic steps along the South Taiwan Shoal and West Penghu submarine canyons on the northeastern continental slope of the South China Sea

Large-scale step-like features within the South Taiwan Shoal and West Penghu submarine canyons on the northeastern continental slope of the South China Sea are investigated by integrating high-resolution multibeam bathymetric data and multichannel seismic profiles. These step-like features, ranging from 1.2 to 10.0 km in wavelength and 5.4–80.9 m in wave height, are mostly interpreted as cyclic steps formed by turbidity currents flowing through the canyons, based on their characteristic step-like morphology, in-train alignment, large wavelengths and aspect ratios (ratio of wavelength to wave height), and typical upstream-sloping backset bedding, among others. A train of 19 continuous steps delineated along the thalweg of the South Taiwan Shoal canyon measures up to 100 km and may be the longest ever reported. Nine short trains of scours identified on a terrace of the South Taiwan Shoal canyon are oriented parallel to the distributaries draining over the terrace and roughly perpendicular to the main canyon thalweg, indicating a complicated flow pattern within the canyon valley. Two trains of scours separated by an intracanyon high in the steeper middle reach of the West Penghu canyon are interpreted as transitional bed forms between antidunes and cyclic steps, which develop downstream into a train of five net-depositional cyclic steps with typical backset bedding in the gentler-sloping lower reach of the canyon. Average slope gradients for the canyon reaches with cyclic steps range from 0.26° to 1.24°. Along each thalweg step train, a slope break is identified to separate the net-erosional cyclic steps in the steeper upstream segment from the net-depositional ones in the gentler downstream segment. Rough estimations indicate that the paleoflows are 100 to 300 m thick with maximum velocities of up to 10 m s–1. The estimated flow depths match well with those inferred from geomorphologic analysis. Estimated paleodischarges of ?7–23 × 105 m3 s–1 are equivalent to ten times the discharge of the modern Amazon River.

Morphological Characteristics of Sand Waves in the Middle Taiwan Shoal Based on Multi-beam Data Analysis

A DTM map of the study area in the Taiwan Shoal was drawn based on precise and high-density data acquired in a field survey by a multi-beam sounding system (R2Sonic2024). We identified sand waves in the study area at water depths of 13.89–49.12 m; the main sand waves had heights of 5–25 m, lengths of 0.1–2.0 km, and crest lines 0.1–6.5 km long. The spatial distribution of the sand waves on the seabed is dense in the north and sparse in the south and the directions range between 50°–80° and 90°–135°. Between the main sand waves, secondary sand waves develop with heights of 0.1–5.0 m and lengths of 10–100 m, which are difficult to detect by satellite remote sensing. By comparing the evolution structures of the secondary and main sand waves, we identified three evolution modes of the secondary sand waves: parallel, oblique, and divergent modes according to the relative crest directions. Suitable water depth, reciprocating current speeds between 40 and 100 cm/s, and abundant sediment supply create favorable conditions for the formation of linear sand waves. Comparing the DTM maps and profiles of the June 2012 and June 2013 surveys of the same area, we found that the shape and morphology of the sand waves remained mostly unchanged under normal hydrodynamic conditions.

Origin of Taiwan Canyon and its effects on deepwater sediment

The continental slope of the Taiwan Shoal, which has cultivated numerous submarine canyons, is located in a passive continental margin environment. However, the trend of the Taiwan Canyon, with its 45° intersection angle, is obviously different from that of the erosion valley downward along the continental slope. A distinct break is present in the lower segment of the Taiwan Canyon, which then extends from west to east parallel to the continental slope until finally joining the Manila Trench. By utilizing multiple-beam water depth data, high-resolution seismic data, and sediment cores, this study describes the topographic characteristics of the Taiwan Canyon and provides a preliminary discussion on the origin of the Taiwan Canyon and its effect on deepwater sediment. The terrain, landform, and sediment of the Taiwan Canyon exhibit segmentation characteristics. The upper segment is characterized primarily by erosion, downward cutting with a V shape, and wide development of sliding, slumping, and other gravity flow types. The middle segment is characterized mostly by U-shaped erosion-sedimentation transition and development of an inner levee. The lower segment is characterized primarily by sedimentation and development of a sediment wave. The bottom current has a significant reworking effect on the interior sediments of the canyon and forms reworked sands. The formation and evolution of the Taiwan Canyon is closely related to sediment supply, gravity sliding (slumping), faulting activities, and submarine impaling. Given the sufficient terrigenous clastic supply, the sediments along the continental shelf edge continuously proceed seaward; gliding and slumping in the front edge provide driving forces for the formation of the canyon. Faulting activities result in stratum crushing, and the gravity flow takes priority in eroding the relatively fragile stratum. Thus, the direction of the extension of the canyon crosses the surrounding erosion valley obliquely. Seamounts are formed through submarine impaling. Owing to seamount blocking, the lower segment of the canyon is turned toward the east-west direction. Large amounts of sediments overflow at the turning, forming sediment waves.

Sand wave deposition in the Taiwan Shoal of China

The Taiwan Shoal is the convex terrain in the southern Taiwan Strait, the largest strait in China. In 2006 and 2007, 21 samples and more than 200-km sub-bottom data as well as 80-km near shore side-scan sonar data were gotten, which gave an initial image of the boundaries of the Taiwan Shoal and revealed the internal structure of the sand waves in this area. The results showed that the major component of the sediment samples was sand, and sand waves occurred everywhere in this area, which closely followed the range of the Taiwan Shoal as we know. The western boundary of the Taiwan Shoal thus reaches the 30 m isobaths near the shore, and as a result, its area potentially covers approximately 12 800–14 770 km2. The sand waves have different shapes under the complex ocean dynamics, and the height of sand waves in the near shore is usually smaller than that in the Taiwan Shoal. The number of sand waves ranged from1–5 per kilometer, with more waves in the isobath-intensive area, suggesting the importance of topography for the formation of sand waves. The stratigraphic structure under the seabed has parallel bedding or cross bedding, and large dipping groove bedding can be seen locally in different parts, which may be the result of terrestrial deposition since the Late Pleistocene.

Shallow water depth retrieval from space-borne SAR imagery

Based on shallow water bathymetry synthetic aperture radar (SAR) imaging mechanism and the microwave scattering imaging model for oceanic surface features, we developed a new method for shallow water depth retrieval from space-borne SAR images. The first guess of surface currents and winds are estimated from the normalized radar crossing section (NRCS) profile of shallow water bathymetry SAR imagery, according to the linear theory and geophysical model function. The NRCS profile is then simulated by the microwave scattering imaging model. Both the surface currents and winds are adjusted by using the dichotomy method step by step to make the M4S-simulated NRCS profiles approach those observed by SAR. Then, the surface currents and the wind speeds are retrieved when a best fit between simulated signals and the SAR image appears. Finally, water depths are derived using the Navier–Stokes equation and finite difference method with the best estimated currents and the surface winds. The method is tested on two SAR images of the Taiwan Shoal. Results show that the simulated shallow water NRCS profile is in good agreement with those measured by SAR with the correlation coefficient as high as 85%. In addition, when water depths retrieved from the SAR image are compared with in situ measurements, both the root mean square and relative error are less than 3.0 m and 6.5%, respectively, indicating that SAR images are useful for shallow water depth retrieval and suggesting that the proposed method in this paper is convergent and applicable.

A detection model of underwater topography with a series of SAR images acquired at different time

underwater topography is one of oceanic features detected by Synthetic Aperture Radar. Underwater topography SAR imaging mechanism shows that tidal current is the important factor for underwater topography SAR imaging. Thus under the same wind field condition, SAR images for the same area acquired at different time include different information of the underwater topography. To utilize synchronously SAR images acquired at different time for the underwater topography SAR detection and improve the precision of detection, based on the detection model of underwater topography with single SAR image and the periodicity of tidal current, a detection model of underwater topography with a series of SAR images acquired at different time is developed by combing with tide and tidal current numerical simulation. To testify the feasibility of the presented model, Taiwan Shoal located at the south outlet of Taiwan Strait is selected as study area and three SAR images are used in the underwater topography detection. The detection results are compared with the field observation data of water depth carried out by R/V Dongfanghong 2, and the errors of the detection are compared with those of the single SAR image. All comparisons show that the detection model presented in the paper improves the precision of underwater topography SAR detection, and the presented model is feasible.

Underwater topography detection of Taiwan Shoal with SAR images

Under suitable conditions of tidal current and wind, underwater topography can be detected by synthetic aperture radar (SAR) indirectly. Underwater topography SAR imaging includes three physical processes: radar ocean surface backscattering, the modulation of sea surface short wave spectrum by the variations in sea surface currents, and the modulation of sea surface currents by the underwater topography. The first process is described usually by Bragg scattering theory because the incident angle of SAR is always between 20°–70°. The second process is described by the action balance equation. The third process is described by an ocean hydrodynamic model. Based on the SAR imaging mechanism for underwater topography, an underwater topography SAR detection model and a simplified method for its calculation are introduced. In the detection model, a two-dimensional hydrodynamic model — the shallow water model is used to describe the motion of tidal current. Due to the difficulty of determining the expression of SAR backscattering cross section in which some terms can not be determined, the backscattering cross section of SAR image used in the underwater topography SAR detection is pro-processed by the simulated SAR image of the coarse-grid water depth to simplify the calculation. Taiwan Shoal, located at the southwest outlet of Taiwan Strait, is selected as an evaluation area for this technique due to the occurrence of hundreds of sand waves. The underwater topography of Taiwan Shoal was detected by two scenes of ERS-2 SAR images which were acquired on 9 January 2000 and 6 June 2004. The detection results are compared with in situ measured water depths for three profiles. The average absolute and relative errors of the best detection result are 2.23 m and 7.5 %, respectively. These show that the detection model and the simplified method introduced in the paper is feasible.

Sedimentary Environment in the Taiwan Shoal

The Taiwan shoal sediments are well sorted, rounded, medium-coarse sands containing a large amount of shell and beach rock fragments and basalt gravels of deltaic, coastal, and aeolian origin. Underwater sand waves are formed by the combined tidal currents and remolded by storm waves.