Distribution and its mechanism of suspended particulate matters in the southern Huanghai Sea and the East China Sea in summer

Water temperature, turbidity, chlorophyll-a and suspended sediment concentration (SSC) were investigated at 61 stations of eight sections in the southern Huanghai Sea (HS) and the East China Sea (ECS) during the summer (28 June to 15 July) of 2006. The horizontal distribution of suspended parti culate matter (SPM) displayed a high concentration inshore and a low value offshore. The maximum value can reach 10.4 mg/dm³, which can be found at the Changjiang River mouth. For the same site, the SSC was generally higher at the bottom than on the surface. In the vertical direction, distribution characteristics of turbidity can be divided into two types: in the southern HS high values at the bottom while low values on the surface, and in the ECS high values inshore with low values offshore. The thermocline in the HS and the Taiwan Warm Current in the ECS could be important factors preventing the SPM from diffusing upward and seaward. Even the typhoon Ewiniar was not able to work on the major sediment transport under the thermocline during the observation.