Impacts of sea level rise on coastal erosion in the Changjiang River delta and north Jiangsu coastal plain

At present, approximately 36% of coasts are experiencing net erosion in the Changjiang River delta and the north Jiangsu coastal plain. Future sea level rise will accelerate the process of coastal erosion. According to the ratio of the calculated value of coast retreat by Bruun rule to the estimated value by using measured data, the proportion affected by sea level rise in total coastal erosion has been estimated in this paper. When sea level rises by 20cm, the proportion determined by sea level rise will increase from 1.0% at present to 2.2% in the future in the coasts of abandoned Huanghe River delta and from 8.5%–9.6% to 13.5%–15.2% in the north and south banks of the Changjiang River delta. This result is lower than that from the similar research in the world, and this phenomenon is related with the special development process of the coasts in this area. The mechanism of accelerating coastal erosion by sea level rise is that sea level is will increase the intensity of tidal current, wave and storm surge and decrease the ability to reduce the force of waves on the tidal flat and coastal wetland due to the loss of their areas. Therefore, the length of erosion coasts will increase, the sedimentation rate of accretion coasts will decrease or even turn accretion into erosion, the width of tidal flat will reduce and coastal slope will increase. So the project of coastal protection of this area must be reinforced. Project funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China and the Chinese Academy of Sciences.     

Causes of land loss in Tuvalu,a small island nation in the pacific

Studies on land loss in Tuvalu reveal the following findings. Although both sea level rise and coastal erosion can cause land loss in the tropic Pacific oceanic islands, their mechanisms are different. When sea level rises, the low elevation coastal zone submerges and the erosion datum plane rises, the beach process progresses normally as always, resulting in no beach sediment coarsening. When the sea level is stable, coastal erosion removes finer sediment from reef flat, beach and land, resulting in beach sediment coarsening. The human-induced coastal erosion in the tropic Pacific oceanic islands has the following features. 1) Erosion occurs or intensifies immediately after inappropriate human activities. 2) It occurs near the places having human activities and places related to the above places in sediment supply. 3) It often occurs on original prograding or stable coasts (on lagoon coasts for atolls) because there are more coastal engineering projects and other human activities on such coasts. 4) It is chronic, covering a long period of time. The coastal geological events in Tuvalu islands do not accord with the features resulted from sea level rise but do accord with the features resulted from coastal erosion, particularly from human-induced erosion. The land loss in Tuvalu is mainly caused by inappropriate human activities including coastal engineering and aggregate mining, and partly caused by cyclones. Moreover, all recent measurements (satellite altimetry,thermosteric sea level data and tide observations) so far have not been able to verify any sea level rise around Tuvalu islands.     

IMPACTS OF SEA LEVEL RISE ON COASTAL EROSION IN THE CHANGJIANG RIVER DELTA AND NORTH JIANGSU COASTAL PLAINO

（季子修）（蒋自巽）ＩＭＰＡＣＴＳＯＦＳＥＡＬＥＶＥＬＲＩＳＥＯＮＣＯＡＳＴＡＬＥＲＯＳＩＯＮＩＮＴＨＥＣＨＡＮＧＪＩＡＮＧＲＩＶＥＲＤＥＬＴＡＡＮＤＮＯＲＴＨＪＩＡＮＧＳＵＣＯＡＳＴＡＬＰＬＡＩＮＯ￥ＪｉＺｉｘｉｕ（ＮａｎｊｉｎｇＩｎｓｔｉｔｕｔｅ...     

Morphological Change in the Northern Red River Delta,Vietnam

Coastal erosion has become a worldwide concern, typically in the densely populated Asian mega-river deltas. Severe coastal erosion in the southern Red River Delta(RRD) has been intensively studied. Coastal morphological change in the northern RRD was examined in detail through DEM(Digital Elevation Model) analysis based on time series of bathymetrical maps(1965–2004) and Landsat images(1975–2015) in this study. The results show that the northern RRD is featured by rapid coastal accretion in the past few decades, although suspended sediment flux has dropped by roughly 60% after the completeness of Hoa Binh Dam(HBD) in 1988 and relative sea level rose at 1.9 mm yr~(-1). However, accretion at the outer part of subtidal shoals and platforms was observed to slow down quickly or even turned into erosion in the last two decades. The resuspended sediments from the erosion zone can be transported landward to replenish the inner coastal zone, keeping the latter accretion in the near future to compensate for the sediment discharge decrease from the river. However, this lag effect should be terminated soon if other adverse effects go worse, e.g., damming rivers, sea-level rising, strengthening storms, land reclamation and other poor-designed coastal engineering. Coastal planners and managers should pay full attention to these changes.     

Erosion processes in karst landscapes of the Russian plain northern taiga,based on digital elevation modeling

This paper considers the problems of the potential development of erosion processes in the natural landscapes of northern taiga in the Russian plain. It is considered that in forest ecosystems, erosion processes are slow and are weakly reflected in the terrain. However, the situation changes radically if the vegetation cover integrity is violated, which is inevitable with the modern methods of developing northern territories. Furthermore, global changes in average annual temperatures and the occurrence of karst processes may be the reason behind the development of erosion processes. The authors suggest a method for determining territories with a varying occurrence probability of erosional processes, based on digital elevation modelling. The territory of the Pinezhsky Nature Reserve (Arkhangelsk region) was chosen as the test plot. Direct field studies were previously used to detect exogenous geological processes in this territory. The authors were the first to suggest digital elevation modelling as a method that allows determining the potential danger of erosion in karst landscapes of the northern taiga. The geomorphometric studies resulted in the determination of areas with the greatest and lowest occurrence probability of erosion processes in the Pinezhsky Nature Reserve. It was established that the most significant erosion type was linear erosion, represented by incised river valleys and karst ravines. Sheet erosion is less significant and occurs as sinkholes, local declines, and chasms over the valleys of subterranean rivers.     

Coastal Erosion Along the West Coast of the Taiwan Strait and It’s Influencing Factors

Based on the field surveys and repeated cross-profile observations combined with the comparison of many years’ topog-raphic maps,this study shows the spatial variability and varying patterns of coastal erosion along the west coast of the Taiwan Strait.Regional differentiation in the Meso-Cenozoic coastal tectonics determined the irregular coastline and geological background for large-scale coastal erosion distribution.The intensity of coastal erosion on the west side of the Taiwan Strait is mild in the nort...     

ESTUARINE AND COASTAL CHALLENGES IN CHINA

Estuaries and coasts axe conjunctions of four spheres (atmosphere, lithosphere, hydrosphere and biosphere) and important matter and energy convergence/divergence zones, where devel-oped economy, dense population and highly intensive exploitation induce adverse environmental changes and serious destruction of resources, which have great impacts on coastal sustainable development, espe-cially as the highly intensive development in river basins has direct and pronounced effects on estuaries and their adjacent coasts. In the new century, China‘s estuaries and coast are faced with four main chal-lenges : sharp decrease of sediment discharge into the sea, rapid increase of pollution matter into the sea, loss of coastal wetland, and the impacts of global sea level rise on the coastal lowlands of China. There-fore, it is undoubtedly very important and urgent to carry out studies on estuarine and coastal environmen-tal changes, in order to resolve the issue of national sustainable development, especially that of rational use of coastal zone resources.     

Evolution of Yellow River Delta Coastline Based on Remote Sensing from 1976 to 2014, China

Coastal regions are threatened by natural processes, such as erosion driven by storm surges and the effect of jetties, as well as by human behavior. The coastline of the Yellow River Delta(YRD) was monitored using the general high-tide line method, which combines Remote sensing(RS) and geographic information system(GIS) technology, using multi-spectral scanner(MSS), thematic mapper(TM), and enhanced thematic mapper plus(ETM+) images of the YRD from 1976 to 2014 as a data source. The results demonstrated that the shape and length of the YRD coastline has changed dramatically since 1976. The course of the Diaokouhe channel has resulted in mainly inland erosion in the north, and is primarily marine erosion; therefore, it was termed an erosion-type estuary. However, the coastline of the Qingshuigou course has moved seaward, demonstrating an accretion stage, and was therefore termed an accretion-type estuary. The coastline advanced forward before 1997 and shrank after 2003 in the southern part of the river mouth, which was due to the shift in the river mouth in 1996. It has continually extended outward in the northern part of the river mouth from 2003 onward. The coastline in the southern part of the river mouth has moved randomly, with the occurrence of both erosion and sedimentation caused by land reclamation and sea wave intrusion. In most cases, the coastline has extended offshore, especially in the northern part of the river mouth. The YRD coastline has changed frequently and rapidly from 1992 to 2014. The river mouth channel, river water and sediments, and precipitation were the major factors affecting the YRD. The YRD coastline was mainly in an accretion stage during flow periods. The erosion rate decreased and tended to be stable during a dry period. The coastline was basically stable when dry periods occurred over a long period. The location of Yellow River ports and sea erosion were the main factors driving coastline changes. The coastline was mainly influenced by the flow path of the Yellow River, with recent human activity also becoming a factor.     

Three Gorges Dam controls sediment coarsening of the mud patch on the inner East China Sea shelf

The well-known Three Gorges Dam(TGD) within the Yangtze catchment launched its operation in 2003. The effect of the TGD operation on the sediment size on the East China Sea shelf is rarely known. High resolution(0.5 cm sampling) grain size analysis and 137 Cs and 210 Pb dating of the DH8-1 core were conducted with core collected from the distal part of a main sink for the modern Yangtze sediment entering the sea, the Min-Zhe Coastal Mud Deposits(MZCMD) on the inner East China Sea shelf. The 137 Cs dating results show that the core DH8-1 formed during 1946–2012 with a mean deposition rate of 0.65 cm yr~(-1), indicating that the 0.5 cm sampling for grain size analysis in this local area could reflect environmental changes generally on a one-year time scale. The mean grain size of DH8-1 core sediment that deposited after 2003 is significantly larger than that deposited during 1988–2002. After ruling out other possible factors, we infer that the sediment coarsening of DH8-1 core after 2003 is attributed to the TGD operation which causes the erosion of the Yangtze subaqueous delta. Specifically, the TGD operation significantly intensifies the declining trend of the Yangtze sediment loads to the sea despite no decreased water discharge, which results in extensive erosion of the Yangtze subaqueous delta. The relatively coarse sediment of the subaqueous delta is eroded and resuspended by ocean dynamics and then transported by coastal current, finally depositing on the MZCMD area. In addition, the general sediment fining of core DH8-1 that deposited during 1988–2002, comparing with 1946–1987, is mainly caused by dam construction and soil and water conservation within the Yangtze catchment. Our findings are helpful for better understanding the effects of such a huge dam as the TGD on a sediment sink like the MZCMD of such a large river as the Yangtze River.     

The hydrodynamical characteristics of nearshore waters and the discharging process of mud flats— A case study of the mud flats near Lianyungang,China

It is apparent that there is a difference between mud coasts and sand coasts in such aspects as sediment components, hydrodynamics of nearshore waters, and the formative process in configuration, and profile. The intensity distribution of waves affecting the mud flats in Lianyungang, and the conditions determining tidal water levels, are discussed in this paper. A mathematical model which describes the erosion process of mud flats has been derived on the basis of the results of tests for the mud process in seawater. The model is satisfactory for the actual mud flat profile change in Lianyungang with artificial mud discharges.     

Channel response to gravel mining activities in mountain rivers

The removal of bed material from active river channels usually affects the bed profile of the streambed, causing progressive degradation upstream and downstream of the extraction site. These effects can extend for kilometers affecting hydraulic structures located in the vicinity of the river reach. In this paper, the geomorphic effects of gravel mining are reviewed and summarized. Some cases in Venezuelan streams are presented to illustrate the problem. To describe the processes of erosion and sedimentation in a gravel extraction pit, a recent developed mathematical model for the simulation of flow and sediment transport in gravel-cobble bed streams is applied to a hypothetical case of gravel mining in a river channel. A simple rectangular dredge pit is imposed as initial condition in the channel bed, and changes in bed elevations and grain size distribution of bed material are calculated by using the numerical model. The process of deposition within the pit, and the downstream and upstream migration of the erosion wave are well simulated by the model and closely resemble the phenomena observed in laboratory experiments. The response of the friction coefficient to the changes in flow and bed elevations shows the importance in modeling adequately flow resistance and sediment transport in gravel-cobble bed streams.     

辽东湾海岸地貌近代演化特征

辽东湾海岸类型及其分布受区域地质构造控制。海岸类型可分为:港湾型基岩海岸、岛礁型基岩海岸、岬湾型沙质海岸、平原型淤泥质海岸等4类;潮间带地貌分为海滩、潮滩、岩滩3类;水下堆积地貌主要有水下三角洲及潮下浅滩。受河流输沙影响,淤积先从河口开始,然后向外围扩散。在湾顶部,地貌及内、外动力条件利于海岸淤涨,但受滨岸海洋水文条件制约,发展不均衡,可出现局部短时间的侵蚀后退现象。海岸工程可控制海岸的演化过程,滩涂地带引种植物可促进海岸持续淤涨。     

海岸带海陆交互作用过程及其生态环境效应研究进展

海岸带是地球表层物质、能量和信息流通交换最活跃区域之一,具有动态变化的盐度、溶解氧等地球化学梯度,其界面过程体现在大气降水-河水-海水-地下水-沉积物之间的物质循环和能量交换。在人类活动与气候变化双重影响下,海岸带面临着气候灾害、海岸侵蚀、海水入侵、滨海湿地退化、水体富营养化以及重金属、新型污染物等生态环境问题,成为地球科学和环境科学领域研究的热点。本文围绕海岸带水文-生物地球化学循环、人类活动影响下的海岸带环境问题、海岸带环境对气候变化的响应、海岸带海陆交互界面观测新技术新方法4个方面,综述了国内外研究进展与发展趋势,展望了海陆交互作用及其生态环境效应研究的未来发展方向。      

Numerical simulation of seawater intrusion from estuary into river using a coupled modeling system

One of the most important causes of the freshwater shortage in estuarine area is the increasing seawater intrusion into the river. To simulate seawater intrusion properly, two important factors should be considered. One is the bidirectional and time-dependent coupling effects between river discharges and tidal forces. The other is the three-dimensional and stratified structure of dynamic processes involved. However, these two factors have rarely been investigated simultaneously, or they were often simplified in previous researches, especially for the estuary connected with an upstream river network through multiple outlets such as the Pearl River Estuary (PRE). In order to consider these two factors, a numerical modeling system, which couples a one-dimensional river network model with a three-dimensional unstructured-grid Finite-Volume Coastal Ocean Model (FVCOM), has been developed and successfully applied to the simulation of seawater intrusion into rivers emptying into the PRE. By treating the river network with a one-dimensional model, computational efficiency has been improved. With coupling 1D and 3D models, the specification of up-stream boundary conditions becomes more convenient. Simulated results are compared with field measured data. Good agreement indicates that the modeling system may correctly capture the physical processes of seawater intrusion into rivers.     

Principal Denudation Processes and Their Contribution to Fluvial Suspended Sediment Yields in the Upper Yangtze River Basin and Volga River Basin

This paper synthesized the principal land denudation processes and their role in determining riverine suspended sediment yields(SSY) in two typical geographical environments of the Upper Yangtze River Basin in China and the Volga River Basin in Eastern Europe. In the Upper Yangtze River Basin, natural factors including topography, climate,lithology and tectonic activity are responsible for the spatial variation in the magnitude of denudation rates.Human disturbances have contributed to the temporal changes of soil erosion and fluvial SSY during the past decades. On one hand, land use change caused by deforestation and land reclamation has played an important role in the acceleration of sediment production from the central hilly area and lower Jinsha catchment; On the other hand, diverse soil conservation practices(e.g., reforestation,terracing) have contributed to a reduction of soil erosion and sediment production since the late 1980 s.It was difficult to explicitly decouple the effect of mitigation measures in the Lower Jinsha River Basindue to the complexity associated with sediment redistribution within river channels(active channel migration and significant sedimentation). The whole basin can be subdivided into seven sub-regions according to the different proportional inputs of principal denudation processes to riverine SSY. In the Volga River Basin, anthropogenic sheet, rill and gully erosion are the predominant denudation processes in the southern region, while channel bank and bed erosion constitutes the main source of riverine suspended sediment flux in the northern part of the basin. Distribution of cultivated lands significantly determined the intensity of denudation processes.Local relief characteristics also considerably influence soil erosion rates and SSY in the southern Volga River Basin. Lithology, soil cover and climate conditions determined the spatial distribution of sheet, rill and gully erosion intensity, but they play a secondary role in SSY spatial variation.     

DEM分辨率对黄土侵蚀沟形态特征表达的不确定性分析

黄土侵蚀沟的地形表达是开展黄土沟谷侵蚀研究的基础工作,利用数字高程模型(DEM)定量描述侵蚀沟特征有助于研究侵蚀沟的形态变化和发育过程。基于DEM数据计算多种指标对黄土侵蚀沟特征进行描述是目前侵蚀沟研究中最为常用的方法。但是,受到格网DEM数据结构的限制,其计算结果会存在一定的不确定性。在侵蚀沟地形表达时,对形态特征的表达会受到DEM数据分辨率的影响,进而造成表达结果的不确定性。尤其在黄土高原地区,地形特征更为破碎,地形要素更为复杂,其表达结果受DEM分辨率的影响更为明显。本文以黄土高原典型样区为例,基于点云数据建立不同分辨率的DEM数据集,通过不同地形因子对侵蚀沟特征进行表达,分析DEM分辨率在黄土侵蚀沟形态特征表达时的不确定性。结果显示,分辨率的降低对主沟支沟比和纵比降等侵蚀沟形态特征因子产生了较大影响,且指标与分辨率多呈现线性变化关系。但是,随着侵蚀沟的横向扩张,DEM分辨率对其特征表达的影响逐渐被削弱。此外,在使用固定分析窗口进行侵蚀沟特征计算时,由于分辨率的降低,格网尺寸增大,其实际分析半径随之增大,使得计算范围内地表形态变化增加,导致沟谷切割深度随着分辨率的降低反而增加。同时,侵蚀沟主沟道区域受分辨率影响较小,沟头区域指标与分辨率的关系较弱。     

服务于海岸带环境与生态过程研究的e-Coastal Science平台系统架构设计

从海岸带环境与生态过程研究所面临的问题和需求角度出发,探讨了"e-Coastal Science"科研协同平台研发的必要性、框架结构、技术路线与支撑技术。即选择海岸带水域环境监测与模拟、入海河流流域空间水文与生态模拟、资源与环境胁迫下的海岸带管理决策三个密切相关的科学问题作为"研究单元"及平台系统研发的切入点,通过综合应用计算机科学和地球信息科学的基本理论与前沿技术,设计包含IT Infrastructure、GeoScience Platform和Coastal Science Platform的三个"宏观层面"系统平台,以及硬件平台、数据平台、模型模拟平台、协同与沟通平台和信息发布平台五个"技术单元"的系统框架,整个系统以Duckling1.2协同工作环境套件、Arc-GIS 9.3地理信息系统为主要支撑技术,并以专业模型工具研发及集成为技术特点。     

日照市海岸带古河道分布特征研究

根据收集到的日照市海岸带浅地层剖面测量调查资料,把多条浅地层剖面中出露的古河道断面推测性地连接起来,重建了以往的古河道体系,综合分析了日照市海岸带古河道的分布特征。日照近海区域存在一个主干河道呈SW-NE走向的梳状河道网,古河道形成于距今约4.4万a的末次冰期。古河道的形成是河流的侵蚀、搬运、沉积及后期的海平面上升、潮汐改造等多种因素共同作用的结果。在末次冰期,研究区内气候湿润,河流流速较大,河流搬运泥沙的能力较强,长期侵蚀作用形成下切古河道,在古河道中容易形成淤积较多河流携带的砂体。古河道断面形态主要呈U形、V形、W形、箱形和倒梯形。主干河道北西侧,分支河道较密,南东侧分支河道较稀疏。主河道长约40km,横截面由南西向北东逐渐变宽,最宽处达4km。分支河道多数以NW向为主,少数为NE向,长度介于8~20km之间,宽度约为1~3km。古河道主要位于16~24m水深的闭合深度以外区域,对其中的砂体经过粒度筛选可作为将来进行人工抛沙的砂源。     

Distribution and provenance of detrital minerals in southern coast of Shandong Peninsula

Detrital minerals of 137 offshore and 22 river sediment samples collected from Qingdao coastal areas have been analyzed. Four mineral assemblage provinces can be classified by Q-mode cluster analysis. Factor analysis identifies two major factors that account for the total variability in most common minerals: 1) based on the relationship of quartz, hornblende, actinolite, micas, and authigenic pyrite, 41.55% of the variability is related to sediment sources; 2) based on the relationship of epidote, garnet, sphere, and ilmenite, 23.21% can be related to strong hydrodynamic conditions that control transport and sedimentation. By comparing mineral compositions of river waters in the study area, the following four mineral provenances can be identified. The Qingdao-Laoshan nearshore area has a quartz-feldspar-epidote-hornblende-limenite-limonite-sphene assemblage, which is largely attributed to relict sediment and coastal erosion. The Jimo-Haiyang nearshore area has a quartz-feldspar-hornblende-epidote-limonite-mica-actinolite assemblage, derived largely from the Wulong River and Rushan River, and is also affected by the Huanghe River, while the Qianliyan Island area in the deeper offshore area separated by a mud belt has a similar assemblage. The Haiyang-Rushan nearshore area has a quartz-feldspar-hornblende-epidote-micas-limonite assemblage, indicating multiple sources from the Rushan River, the Wulong River, the Huanghe River, and coastal erosion. The central area, located in an eddy center, has a mica-authigenic pyrite-hornblende-quartzfeldspar assemblage, indicating multiple sources dominated by Huanghe River distal sediments.     

Model of modern dynamic deposition in the east China Sea

Since the last rising of sea level, two branches of the Kuroshio, the Huanghai (Yellow Sea) coastal current (HCC; mainly cold water mass) and the Changjiang River outflow have controlled the modern dynamic deposition in the East China Sea. There are three depositing areas on the sea-bed under the above currents: a relict sand area un der the Taiwan Warm Current and the Huanghai Warm Current at the south-eastern area, the about 60 km² round mud bank under the Huanghai Coastal Current at the northern area and the large subaqueous delta of mainly fine sand and silt under the Changjiang discharge flow in its estuary and the large narrow mud bank under the Zhejiang-Fujian Coastal Current, another round mud bank under the Changjiang discharge flow off Hangzhou Bay. The relict sand area has a coarsesand block under the Taiwan Warm Current bypassing Taiwan at the northern part of the island. The two round mud banks were formed in relatively static states by an anticlockwise converging cyclonic eddy. The coarsesand block was formed by a clockwise diverging cyclonic eddy. This new dynamic deposition theory can be used to explain not only the dynamic deposition process of clay, but also the patchy distribution of sediments on the shelves of the world ocean s.