SEDIMENT PROPERTIES AND DYNAMICS IN THE TAIHU LAKE, CHINA

1 INTRODUCTION Large amounts of nutrients and contaminants such as trace metals are transported into large lakes frominflow rivers and then absorbed onto or associated with fine-grained sediment particles (Sheng and Lick,1979). The nutrients and contamina…     

Study on the simulation of transparency of Lake Taihu under different hydrodynamic conditions

It was indicated in this study that there were negative relations between the concentrations of suspended solid (SS) and transparency according to the analysis of measured data of Lake Taihu. Their relations in pervious studies were reviewed, which showed that the changes of transparency in Lake Taihu could be reflected by simulating suspended solid concentration (SSC). Measured data showed that the changes of SSC with wind speed were similar at different water depths. SSC increased with the increasing of wind speed. Both wave and lake current of Lake Taihu had positive relations with SSC. However, wave was the main factor affecting sediment suspension, while flow took the second place. In this study, a numerical model coupling lake current, wave and SSC of Lake Taihu was developed. In the SS model, the combined effects of wave and current were included. The amounts of suspended and deposited sediments near the lake bed surface layer were treated separately. The stochastic characteristics of turbulent flow pulsation near lake beds were also considered, and the start-up conditions of sediment suspension were introduced to the model. The model elucidated the mutual exchange processes between sediment particles in SS and active sediments within and on the bed surface layer. Simulated results showed that lake current had relatively significant effects on the SSC at littoral areas of Lake Taihu, while SSC at the central area of the lake was mainly influenced by wave. The changes of transparency with SSC were simulated for Lake Taihu using this model. Calculated results were validated by measured data with good fitness, which indicated that the model is basically suitable for the simulation and prediction of transparency of Lake Taihu.     

Effect of sediment resuspension on underwater light field in shallow lakes in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River: A case study in Longgan Lake and Taihu Lake

Based on three continuous in situ underwater light field measurement under different wind waves conditions in Longgan Lake, Meiliang Bay of Taihu Lake in July 2003 and littoral zone near TLLER in July 2004, respectively, the effects of sediment resuspension caused by wind waves on PAR diffuse attenuation, absorption coefficients and euphotic depths are analyzed. In Longgan Lake, PAR diffuse attenuation coefficients during small, middle and large wind waves were 1.74, 2.02 and 2.45 m^?1, respectively, and the corresponding PAR spectral diffuse attenuations ranged from 0.98 to 2.97, 1.34 to 3.95 and 1.80 to 5.40 m^?1, respectively. In Meiliang Bay, PAR diffuse attenuation coefficients were 2.63, 3.72, 4.37 m^?1 during small, middle and large wind waves. PAR diffuse attenuation coefficients increased by 41% and 66% from small to middle, large wind waves, respectively. Absorption coefficients integrated over the range of PAR of CDOM, phytoplankton were 0.26, 0.28 m^?1; 0.76, 0.49 m^?1, respectively during middle and large wind waves. Absorption coefficients integrated over the range of PAR of non-algal particulate matter and total suspended particulate matter increased from 0.94 to 1.73 m^?1, and from 1.70 to 2.22 m^?1, respectively during middle and large wind waves. Relative contributions of absorption coefficients of non-algal particulate matter to total absorption coefficient integrated over the range of PAR were 44.14%, 65.05%, respectively, during middle and large wind waves. PAR euphotic depths decreased by 0.40, 0.19, 0.20 m from middle to large wind waves in Longganhu Lake, Meliang Bay and littoral zone near TLLER. Significant correlations were found between transparency, PAR diffuse attenuation coefficients, euphotic depths and total suspended particulate matter, wind velocity, wave height. Most significant correlations were found between transparency, PAR diffuse attenuation coefficients, euphotic depths and inorganic suspended particulate matter but low correlations for chlorophyll a, dissolved organic carbon. Increase of total suspended particulate matter, especially inorganic suspended particulate matter caused by wind waves was the dominant factor affecting underwater light field in shallow lakes in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River based on observations at three stations.     

太湖波浪数值模拟

在太湖实际波浪观测的基础上,采用率定验证后的第三代动谱平衡方程,考虑实际水底地形、波浪折射、浅化、反射、破碎、湖流等条件下,对太湖波浪进行数值模拟,研究太湖波浪的主要影响因素.结果表明:SWAN模型可以较好地模拟风作用下太湖风浪的生成和传播过程,模型在太湖应用是合适的;波高、波长、波周期等波浪参数在太湖的分布与风速、风向、水深等因素密切相关;在相同风向、不同风速情况下,太湖波浪发展至稳定状态的时间不一样;在不同风向,相同风速持续作用下,有效波高达到稳定的时间差不多,变化趋势也比较相同.说明波浪的发展不光取决于风速的大小,还同风的持续吹的时间和风区长度有关.     

不同水动力扰动下太湖沉积物的悬浮特征

利用2002年7月及2003年4月分别在太湖乌龟山和梅梁湾的水动力观测资料,计算了波浪和湖流产生的湖底切应力,分析了二者对太湖沉积物悬浮的不同贡献.结果发现,在小扰动情况下,流切应力大于波切应力,但不能引起沉积物的悬浮;在强扰动情况下,底流对沉积物悬浮的影响可以忽略,且扰动越强,其作用越小,而波浪的影响却愈加突出;在中等扰动下,二者的相互作用产生沉积物的悬浮,但波浪的作用较为显著.该结论能为计算太湖水体悬浮物浓度和动态内源释放提供重要的参考依据.     

Nutrient fluxes induced by disturbance in Meiliang Bay of Lake Taihu

A wave flume experiment was conducted to study nutrient fluxes at water-sediment interface of Meiliang Bay under different hydrodynamic conditions. The results reveal that hydrodynamics has remarkable effects on nutrient fluxes in this area. With a bottom wave stress of 0.019 N m^?2 (equivalent to disturbance caused by wind SE 5–7 m s^?1 at the sediment sample site of Meiliang Bay), the fluxes of TN, TDN and NH₄ ⁺-N were separately 1.92 × 10^?3, ?1.81 × 10^?4 and 5.28 × 10^?4 mg m^?2 s^?1 (positive for upward and negative for downward), but for TP, TDP and SRP, the fluxes were 5.69 × 10^?4, 1.68 × 10^?4 and ?1.29 × 10^?4 mg m^?2 s^?1. In order to calculate the released amount of nutrients based on these results, statistic analysis on the long-term meteorological data was conducted. The result shows that the maximum lasting time for wind SE 5–7 m s^?1 in this area is about 15 h in summer. Further calculation shows that 111 t TN, 32 t NH₄ ⁺-N, 34 t TP and 10 t TDP can be released into water (the sediment area was 47.45% of the whole surface area), resulting in concentration increase of 0.025, 0.007, 0.007 and 0.002 mg L^?1 separately. With stronger disturbance (bottom wave stress is 0.217 N m^?2 which is equivalent to disturbance caused by wind SE 10–11 m s^?1 at the same site), there has been significant increase of nutrient fluxes (1.16 × 10^?2, 6.76 × 10^?3, 1.14 × 10^?2 and 2.14 × 10^?3 mg m^?2 s^?1 for TN, DTN and NH₄ ⁺-N and TP). The exceptions were TDP with flux having a decrease (measured to be 9.54 × 10^?5 mg m^?2 s^?1) and SRP with flux having a small increase (measured to be 5.42 × 10^?5 mg m^?2 s^?1). The same statistic analysis on meteorological data reveal that the maximum lasting time for wind SE 10–11 m s^?1 is no more than 5 h. Based on the nutrient fluxes and the wind lasting-time, similar calculations were also made suggesting that 232 t TN, 134.9 t TDN, 228 t NH₄ ⁺-N, 42.7 t TP, 2.0 t TDP and 1.1 t SRP will be released from sediment at this hydrodynamic condition resulting in the concentration increases of 0.050, 0.029, 0.049, 0.009, 0.0004 and 0.0002 mg L^?1. Therefore in shallow lakes, surface disturbance can lead to significant increase of nutrient concentrations although some components in water column had negative flux with weak disturbance (e.g. TDN and SRP in this experiment). In this case, sediment looks to be a source of nutrients. These nutrients deposited in sediment can be carried or released into water with sediment resuspension or changes of environmental conditions at water-sediment interface, which can have great effects on aquatic ecosystem and is also the characteristics of shallow lakes.     

Estimation of internal nutrient release in large shallow Lake Taihu,China

Based on field investigation of wave, sediment suspension and the changes in nutrient concentration of the water column in Lake Taihu, China, we proposed two release models to quantify nutrient release under static and dynamic conditions, respectively. Under static conditions, nutrient release from sediments to the overlying water mainly depends on chemical diffusion induced by concentration gradient, in which the nutrient release is controlled by the temperature, dissolved oxygen concentration in the sediment-water interface, oxidation-reduction potential and the concentration difference between porewater and overlying water. Under dynamic condition (or disturbed condition), both dissolved and particulate nutrients in sediments are released into the water column because of wind-induced sediment suspension. The amount of nutrient release under dynamic conditions is larger than that under the static condition. The release of dissolved nutrients, however, does not increase because the wind induced turbulence made oxidation of metallic elements such as Fe (ferric iron), Mn which are capable of precipitating soluble reactive phosphate (SRP). Under dynamic conditions, therefore, the release of total phosphorus (TP) increases dramatically but the release of SRP is close to those under static conditions. In sediments of Lake Taihu, high Fe content leads to a high ratio of Fe to P contents in sediments (Fe:P ratio). Under dynamic conditions, therefore, nutrient release is controlled by the intensity of disturbance, sediment consolidation and nutrient content in sediments. As for dissolved nutrients, especially SRP, the release is also controlled by the intensity of dynamic re-oxidation, Fe content in sediments and nutrient concentration gradient between porewater and overlying water. Based on these two release modes, the release flux in Lake Taihu has been estimated. In the static condition (i.e. laboratory experimental condition), total release of NH₄ ⁺-N for whole lake is ca. 10,000 ton/a, and PO₄ ³⁻-P is ca. 900 ton/a. In the dynamic condition, nutrient release following sediment suspension was estimated according to three different intensities of wind forcing which were defined as “calm” (wind speed is less than 2 m/s), “gentle” (wind speed is greater than 2 m/s and less than 6 m/s) and “gust” (wind speed is greater than 6 m/s). The release rate in the condition of “calm” was estimated in terms of the nutrient release in the laboratory experimental static condition; whereas the release rate in conditions of “gentle” and “gust” was estimated in terms of measurement during sediment resuspension conducted in flume experiments. With the observation of wind velocity and frequency in 2001, each type of wind forcing took the frequency of 12%, 82% and 6% for “calm”, “gentle” and “gust”, respectively. The yearly release of nitrogen was 81,000 ton and phosphorus was 21,000 ton, which is about 2–6 folds of annual external loading, respectively.

     

太湖梅梁湾冬季湖流特征

2003年元月在盛行西北偏北风的情况下,对位于太湖北部的梅梁湾进行了面上湖流调查,发现梅梁湾湾口的湖流较为稳定,以向南流为主,且流速相对较大,最大达8cm/s,梅梁湾西岸有稳定的向北流,而从五里湖口至拖山附近的梅梁湾东线湖水由北向南流动,且在中部附近分为两支,一支向西,再流向北以补偿西岸的向北流,另一支扩散至整个梅梁湾南部,向南流经湾口进入太湖.在梅梁湾东北部,发现有弱辐合中心,该范围内Chl.a和TP、TN的含量明显高于周围水域.从所有点的垂直运动判断,梅梁湾水流以弱上升运动为主,大小为2cm/s以下.从水量平衡分析,以梅梁湾流入太湖为主要特征,水量补给主要来自于北部的五里湖和直湖港及武进港.     

太湖北部典型乔木冠层对酸性降雨的中和作用

2003年6—7月梅雨期间,于太湖北部测定大气降雨、典型林冠穿透雨和地表径流水等样品的pH和N、P等营养元素化合物离子浓度,结果表明,林冠层穿透水pH平均值比大气自然降水高约1.2个pH单位,其中和酸性物质效率为82%-97%,中和能力显示出阔叶树大于阔、针叶混交树,阔、针叶混交树大于针叶树的规律,并计算比较了乔木冠层和草坪、村镇地表径流水相对于自然降水中的TN、TP比值.从而得出,树木冠层穿透水中的离子浓度的变化是对酸沉降的一种积极的响应.     

太湖北部风浪波高计算模式观测分析

通过用无量纲分析和线性回归方法对2002-2003年太湖4测点1000多组波浪资料的分析,给出了太湖不同时段风浪平均波高(H)与风区长度(F)、水深(d)、风速(v)6个关系模式.在此基础上,开展了模式的误差分析及与前人模式对比.结果表明,太湖北部不同区域风浪平均波高的计算应选用不同计算模式,但是可用如下形式表示:其中,a1-a8为和地形及水生植物覆盖度等相关的参数.误差分析结果显示:离岸距离大于1km区域的参数a1-a8的取值分别为0.217456、1、0.15、0.6、0.09、0.6、1.0、0.0052,模式估算平均波高的误差小于24％;近岸区参数a7大于1,a8取0,a4取值介于0.6-0.72,a5介于0.00131-0.00168,模式估算平均波高的误差较大,表明近岸区波浪还需进行进一步的观测研究.