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Critical threshold of periodic point bar scour and sediment body transport path in tidal reaches: A case study of Fujiangsha reach, Yangtze River

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Abstract

The evolution of point bars in changing sections of a downstream tidal current limit is periodic. Accordingly, assessing the critical morphology and hydrodynamic characteristics of point bar scour and the sediment transport process of scour sediment bodies can support river regulation and waterway maintenance. The frequent scour of point bars in changing sections of tidal current limits within the Yangtze River directly restricts waterway stability. This study examined the Fujiangsha reach of the Yangtze River, hydrological data on sediment transport, and riverbed topography from 1950. The Jingjiang bank tail exhibited an evolutionary cycle (siltation>scour>siltation), with a primary period ranging from 3–6 years. Additionally, certain morphological and dynamic conditions were necessary for scour. The Datong station flow (Q) ranged from 20,000–40,000 m3·s−1 for ⩾180 days·yr−1, enabling the bank silt layers to widen. Scour occurred during flooding and was concentrated in areas 5.0–7.5 km downstream from Ebizui. When Q⩾40,000 m3·s−1 scouring occurred in the bank middle and lower reaches, whereas Q⩾50,000 m3·s−1 for >50 consecutive days, scour occurred at the tail as well. Moreover, the volume of the scour shoals increased with the number of high-flow days (⩾60,000 m3·s−1). Bottom sand transport mainly occurred in the low-bank zone. Before the project’s second phase, the longitudinal transport of the scouring sand bodies occurred as follows: Jingjiang bank > low bank on the north side of Shuangjiansha > Fubei anabranch. During the second phase, the longitudinal transport route changed to Jingjiang bank > Fubei anabranch. The Jingjiang bank volume was also reduced; thus, its development was controlled. Owing to changes in the longitudinal transport routes, dredging should be conducted in areas where scouring sand bodies are separately transported from the tail, thereby reducing the load of dredging and maintenance for the Fubei anabranch during dry years.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. State Key Laboratory of Hydraulic Engineering Simulation and Safety, Tianjin University, Tianjin, 300072, China

    Jianjun Wang & Shaowu Li

  2. Key Laboratory of Engineering Sediment, Tianjin Research Institute for Water Transport Engineering, Ministry of Transport, Tianjin, 300456, China

    Yunping Yang & Mingjin Zhang

  3. Bureau of Hydrology Changjiang Water Resources Commission, Wuhan, 430010, China

    Lingling Zhu

  4. Nanjing Hydraulic Research Institute of Ministry of Water Resources, Ministry of Transport, National Energy Administration, Nanjing, 210024, China

    Yuncheng Wen

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  1. Jianjun Wang
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  2. Yunping Yang
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  3. Mingjin Zhang
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  4. Lingling Zhu
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  5. Shaowu Li
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  6. Yuncheng Wen
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Correspondence to Yunping Yang.

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Foundation: National Key Research and Development Program of China, No.2021YFB2600500; National Natural Science Foundation of China, No.52279066; Jiangsu Water Conservancy Science and Technology Project, No.2020001

Author: Wang Jianjun (1980−), PhD and Associate Professor

Corresponding author: Yang Yunping (1985−), Associate Professor

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Wang, J., Yang, Y., Zhang, M. et al. Critical threshold of periodic point bar scour and sediment body transport path in tidal reaches: A case study of Fujiangsha reach, Yangtze River. J. Geogr. Sci. 33, 1334–1358 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11442-023-2132-8

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