Morphodynamic evolution of the Xiaoqing River mouth: a Huanghe River-derived mixed energy estuary

In an estuary,tidal,wave and other marine powers interact with the coast in different ways and affect estuary morphology as well as its evolution.In the Huanghe(Yellow) River estuaries and nearby delta,there are many small sediment-affected estuaries with a unique morphology,such as the Xiaoqing River estuary.In this study,we investigated the special evolution and genetic mechanism of the Xiaoqing River estuary by analyzing graphic and image data with a numerical simulation method.The results show that NE and NE-E tide waves are the main driving force for sandbar formation.Sediment shoals have originated from huge amounts of sediment from the Huanghe River,with consequent deposition at the Xiaoqing River mouth.The lateral suspended sediments beyond the river mouth move landward.Siltation takes place on the northern shoreline near the river mouth whereas erosion occurs in the south.The deposits come mainly from scouring of the shallow seabed on the northern side of the estuary.Storm surges speed up deposition in the estuary.Development of the sediment shoals has occurred in two steps involving the processes of growth and further southward extension.Although the southward shift increases the river curvature and length,the general eastward orientation of the estuary is unlikely to change.Processes on the adjacent shorelines do not affect the development of the sediment shoals.The study presents a morphodynamic evolutionary model for the Xiaoqing River estuary,with a long-term series cycle,within which a relatively short cycle occurs.     

Temporal variations of water discharge and sediment load of Huanghe River, China

Based on the data from gauging stations,the changes in water discharge and sediment load of the Huanghe (Yellow)River were analyzed by using the empirical mode decomposition(EMD)method.The results show that the periodic oscillation of water discharge and sediment load of the Huanghe River occurs at the interannual,decadal,and multi-decadal scales,caused by the periodic oscillations of precipitation,and El Nio/Southern Oscillation(ENSO)affects water discharge by influencing precipitation distribution and contributes to periodic varations in precipitation and water discharge at interannual timescale.The water discharge and sediment load of the Huanghe River have decreased since the 1960s under the influence of precipitation and huamn activities,and human activities attribute more than precipitation to the reduction in the water discharge and sediment load,furthermore,water abstraction and water-soil conservation practices are the main causes of the decrease in water discharge and sediment load,respectively.The reduction in sediment load has directly impacted on the lower reaches of the Huanghe River and the river delta, causing considerable erosion of the river channel in the lower reaches since the 1970s along with River Delta changing siltation into erosion around 2000.     

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.     

Landscape change in response to multiperiod glacial debris flows in Peilong catchment,southeastern Tibet

High-magnitude glacial debris flows in small basins in Himalayas have a significant impact on landscape.The Peilong catchment,a tributary of the Parlung Zangbo river in southeastern Tibet,was chosen as a case study of topographic response to multi-period glacial debris flows.There are few large debris flow records in the catchment before 1983,but four large-scale glacial debris flows with peak discharge up to 8195 m3/s blocked the river during 1983–1985 and in 2015.A combination of field survey,examination of historical records and interpretation of multi-period remote sensing images was used to assess triggering factors and geomorphic impact of the events.The results show that the debris flows during 1983 and 1985 may be attributed to seismic events in 1981 and 1982,while the event in 2015 resulted from large amount of landslide deposits caused by glacier retreat during 1993~2013 and high precipitation in 2015.In the upper-midstream broad valley,erosion and accumulation of the debris flows changed the channel morphology,resulting in course diversion.In the lower-midstream narrow valley,lateral erosion of debris flows induced a large number of landslides but had little impact on the channel longitudinal profile.The ability of massive glacial debris flows to change valley topography is more than ten times that of regular water flows.The landscape of the accumulation fan at the outlet of the valley is controlled by the interaction between the sediment transportation capacity of debris flows and erosional capacity of the main river.The sediment transport capacity of the Peilong river is greater than the delivery capacity of the Parlung Zangbo river,resulting in continuous aggradation of the confluence zone.     

Modelling the Effects of Land-use Change on Runoff and Sediment Yield in the Weicheng River Watershed,Southwest China

As a major sediment area in the upper Yangtze River, Jialing River basin experienced substantial land-use changes, many water conservancy projects were constructed from the 1980 s onward to promote water and soil conservation. The water and sediment yield at the watershed outlet was strongly affected by these water conservation works, including ponds and reservoirs, which should be considered in the modelling. In this study, based on the observed data of the Weicheng River catchment, the relationships between precipitation, runoff, vegetation, topography and sediment yield were analyzed, a distributed runoff and sediment yield model(WSTD-SED) was developed, and the hydrological processes of different land-use scenarios were simulated by using the model. The main results are summarized as follows: 1) there is an alternating characteristic in river channels and reservoirs in the Jialing River hilly area, with scour occurring in wet years and deposit occurring in dry years. 2) Most of the sediment deposited in river channels and reservoirs is carried off by the largest flood in the year. 3) The model yielded plausible results for runoff and sediment yield dynamics without the need of calibration, and the WSTD-SED model could be usedto obtain qualitative estimates on the effects of land use change scenarios. 4) The modelling results suggest that a 10% increase in cropland(dry land) reforestation results in a 0.7% decrease in runoff and 1.5% decrease in sediment yield.     

Construction of lake bathymetry from MODIS satellite data and GIS from 2003 to 2011

In recent years, sedimentation conditions in Dongting Lake have varied greatly because of significant changes in runoff and sediment load in the Changjiang （Yangtze） River following the construction of Three Gorges Dam. The topography of the lake bottom has changed rapidly because of the intense exchange of water and sediment between the lake and the Changjiang River. However, time series information on lake-bottom topographic change is lacking. In this study, we introduced a method that combines remote sensing data and in situ water level data to extract a record of Dongting Lake bottom topography from 2003 to 2011. Multi-temporal lake land/water boundaries were extracted from MODIS images using the linear spectral mixture model method. The elevation of water/land boundary points were calculated using water level data and spatial interpolation techniques. Digital elevation models of Dongting Lake bottom topography in different periods were then constructed with the multiple heighted waterlines. The mean root-mean-square error of the linear spectral mixture model was 0.036, and the mean predicted error for elevation interpolation was -0.19 m. Compared with field measurement data and sediment load data, the method has proven to be most applicable. The results show that the topography of the bottom of Dongting Lake has exhibited uneven erosion and deposition in terms of time and space over the last nine years. Moreover, lake-bottom topography has undergone a slight erosion trend within this period, with 58.2% and 41.8% of the lake-bottom area being eroded and deposited, respectively.     

Centurial Evolution of an Offshore Mud Deposition Area in the Changjiang (Yangtze) Estuary and Its Links to Environmental and Anthropogenic Activities

Large amounts of sediments originating from the Changjiang(Yangtze) River are deposited in the subaqueous delta and in the adjacent muddy area off the mouth and on the inner shelf of the East China Sea. The terrestrial sediments deposited in these areas not only contain information about the composition and environment of the source area, but they also record changes in anthropogenic activities. A sediment piston core(CJ0702) was extracted from the Changjiang subaqueous depocenter(31.00°N, 122.67°E) in a water depth of 22.0 m. The core was subsampled at 1 – 2 cm intervals and analyzed for grain size, clay mineralogy, and major element geochemistry. Results indicate a relatively high sediment accumulation rate of approximately 3.11 cm yr~(-1). These parameters exhibited only minor cyclical fluctuations in the core, which resulted from many factors. During the past 120 years, the Changjiang River-derived sediment is the primary source of sediment in the offshore mud area without evidence for the Yellow River-derived sediment increasing. After the trunk stream shifted from the North Branch to South Branch, the variations of proxies are controlled by the periodic fluctuation possibly linked to El Ni?o-Southern Oscillation(ENSO) and the Pacific Decadal Oscillation(PDO). In addition, anthropogenic heavy metal concentrations can be divided into three stages, which coincide well with economic development and environmental protection policies.     

THE IMPACT OF HUMAN ACTIVITIES ON GROUNDWATER RESOURCES IN THE SOUTH EDGE OF TARIM BASIN，XINJIANG

In the modern times ,the population growth,development of industrial and agricultural production and the petroleum exploitation,brought about the unceasing expansion of artificial oasis and abrupt increase of water demand .The artificial hydraulic irrigation engineering took the place of the natural river systerm,the reservoirs took the placeof natural lakds,which in turn enhanced the space-time redistribution of surface water based on the natural evolution,and so did groundwater.The groundwater recharge reduced 26.2% in 46 years from 1950 to 1995 in the southern piedmont fold plain of Tarim Basin due to mean yearly population increase rate of 27.7‰ and associated with the water use rate increasing from 24.6% to 58.4%.At the same time the artificial water system seepage give primary play to groundwater recharge,which is up to 57.6% whilst that of the natural system reduce to 33.7%.As a result,groundwater level drop 3-5m widespread except some irrigation area and surrounding of plain reservoir.Sping water discharge also reduce about 37.6% and discharge some continuously move away to the north with the value of 0.5-1.2km in the past 40 years.     

Numerical Study on Seasonal Transportation of the Suspended Sediments in the Modern Yellow River Mouth Effected by the Artificial Water and Sediment Regulation

Since 2002, an artificial water and sediment regulation(AWSR) has been carried out, which largely reduced water and sediment discharged from the Yellow River into the Bohai Sea. Although the sediment transport in the Yellow River Mouth(YRM) has been observed and modeled intensively since AWSR, but preferentially for the non-storm conditions. In this study, a three-dimensional current-wave-sediment coupled model, DHI-MIKE numerical model, was used to examine the seasonal suspended-sediment transport in the YRM after the AWSR. Results show that the seasonal distribution of suspended-sediments in the YRM is dominated by wind and wave rather than river input. The major transport pathway of suspended-sediments is from the western Laizhou Bay to the Bohai Strait during the winter monsoon, especially in storm events. In addition, about 66% of the river sediments deposit within 30 km of the YRM, which is smaller than previous estimations. It suggests that the YRM has been eroded in recent decades.     

SEDIMENT DISCHARGE OF THE HUANGHE RIVER AND ITS EFFECT ON SEDIMENTATION OF THE BOHAI SEA AND THE YELLOW SEA

The Huanghe (Yellow) River, with annual sediment discharge about 11 ×108tons, contributes about 17% of the fluvial sediment discharge of world's 21 major rivers to the ocean because its middle reaches flow across the great Loess Plateau of China. Sediment discharge of the Huanghe River has a widespread and profound effect on sedimentation of the sea. The remarkable shift of its outlet in 1128-1855 A.D. to the South Yellow Sea formed a large subaqueous delta and provided the substrate for an extensive submarine ridge field.The shift of its outlet in the modern delta every 10 years is the main reason why with an extremely heavy sediment input and a micro- tidal environment, the Huanghe River has not succeeded in building a birdfoot delta like the Mississippi. The Huanghe River has consistently brought heavy sediment input to sea at least since 0.7 myr.B.P. Paleochannels, paleosols, cheniers and fossils on the sea bottom indicate that the Yellow Sea was exposed during the late Quaternary glacial low-sea l     

黄河三角洲海岸冲淤及泥沙输运模型数值模拟分析

黄河三角洲是陆海交界地带,陆地海洋相互作用显著,泥沙所引起的岸滩演变、港口航道的淤积、水动力环境的改变等问题比较复杂。该文采用三维HEM-3D数值模型对黄河三角洲海域流场变化、盐度、悬浮泥沙浓度及海岸冲淤分布进行了潮流周期内的数值模拟分析。结果表明,黄河三角洲海域的悬浮泥沙浓度分布与潮流场变化和河口泥沙输入有密切的关系,在三角洲北部受五号桩外强潮流区的影响,近岸海底的泥沙发生明显的再悬浮,并在涨潮流向南输送,含沙量达1.5 g/L左右。在三角洲南部(现行河口区域和莱州湾区域),受现行河口入海泥沙扩散的影响显著。海域年冲淤分布,在北部废弃三角洲区域,由于海洋动力作用强烈,浅水冲刷,海底侵蚀显著,形成了明显呈沿岸展布的侵蚀中心,在侵蚀中心以外,侵蚀快速减弱。在现行河口区域,以淤积为主,在羽状流扩散的控制下,泥沙入海后向南输运,至莱州湾区域逐渐减弱。数值模拟的结果与卫星遥感解译的岸线变化基本一致,效果良好。     

Sediment consolidation settlement of Chengbei Sea area in the northern Huanghe River subaqueous delta,China

One of the most important factors controlling the morphology of the modern Huanghe(Yellow) River delta is consolidation settlement, which is impacted by fast deposition, high water content, and low density of seafloor sediment. Consolidation settlement of the Huanghe River subaqueous delta was studied based on field data, laboratory experiments on 12 drill holes, and the one-dimensional consolidation theory. Results show that vertical sediment characteristics varied greatly in the rapidly forming sedimentary bodies of the modern Huanghe River subaqueous delta. Sediments in the upper parts of drill holes were coarser than those in the deeper parts, and other physical and mechanical properties changed accordingly. On the basis of the one-dimensional consolidation theory and drilling depth, the final consolidation settlement of drill holes was between 0.6 m and 2.8 m, and the mean settlement of unit depth was at 1.5–3.5 cm/m. It takes about 15–20 years for the consolidation degree to reach 90% and the average sedimentation rate within the overlying 50 m strata was at 5 cm/a to 12 cm/a. This study helps to forecast the final consolidation settlement and settlement rate of the modern Huanghe River subaqueous delta, which provides key geotechnical information for marine engineers.     

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。     

Inversion and Prediction of Consolidation Settlement Characteristics of the Fluvial Sediments Based on Void Ratio Variation in the Northern Modern Yellow River Subaqueous Delta,China

The modern Yellow River delta is formed near the estuary of the Yellow River with the characteristics of short formation time, efficient sedimentation rate and loose structure which make sediments prone to be compacted and consolidate under the geostatic stress and overburden stress. It is one of the key areas with land subsidence disasters in China, bringing a series of safety hazards to production and living. Based on the data of massive surface cores and ten drill holes ranging from 12 to 40 m obtained from the northern modern Yellow River subaqueous delta, the inversion method suitable for the calculation of consolidation settlement characteristics of the modern Yellow River subaqueous delta is discussed, and the consolidation settlement characteristics of the delta sediments are inversed and predicted in this paper. The actual void ratio of the delta sediments at the depth from 3 to 15 m shows a significant power function relationship with the depth, while the void ratio of the sediments below 15 m changes little with depth. The pre-consolidation settlement(from deposition to sampling) of the delta sediments is between 0.91 and 1.96 m, while the consolidation settlement of unit depth is between 9.6 and 14.0 cm m~(-1). The post-consolidation settlement(from sampling to stable) of the subaqueous delta sediments is between 0.65 and 1.56 m in the later stage, and the consolidation settlement of unit depth is between 7.6 and 13.1 cm m~(-1) under the overburden stress. The delta sediments with a buried depth of 3 to 7 m contribute the most to the possible consolidation settlement in the later stage.     

High resolution records of flood deposition in the mud area off the Changjiang River mouth during the past century

This paper presents a paleoflood study to determine the flood frequency of the Changjiang River, based on core cj0702, taken from the Changjiang River subaqueous delta. We identified flood deposits by means of high-resolution grain-size variation, sensitive population, geochemical indexes and magnetic susceptibility. The core covers a time span of 120 years by 210 Pb dating and was sampled at 1–2 cm intervals. Grain size, geochemical elements, and physical parameters were analyzed. The results indicate that the sediment of the core is mainly composed of silt and clay, as well as groups of interbedded silt, clay silt, and clay. Vertically, the grain size pattern was controlled by seasonal variations in water discharge and by the sediment input in winter from the abandoned Huanghe River delta. River flooding caused extreme values in all our measured parameters. We identified more than 20 flood events that occurred since 1887 using the physical parameter analysis method. The environmentally sensitive component of sediment grain size(14.32–96.39 μm) contribution30%, Zr/Rb ratio1.5, and magnetic susceptibility16 were selected as the criteria for flood identification generally. We also found that floods that had taken place in the upstream, midstream, or downstream parts of the river were clearly identified by these indexes while the large-scale floods that covered the whole drainage area did not leave clear indications in the sediment record. This study for identification of flood events is of great significance for understanding hyperpycnal current sedimentation as well as for forecasting of floods.