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Turbidity maximum formation and its seasonal variations in the Zhujiang (Pearl River) Estuary, southern China

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Abstract

Real-time observations in the field and numerical simulations (with Delft3D) were combined to study the formation, distribution and the relevant influencing factors of turbidity maximum (TM) in the Zhujiang (Pearl River) Estuary (ZE). The spatial distribution pattern of the TM varies with the longitudinal distributions of salinity and suspended sediment concentration (SSC). The SSC is enhanced and the TM is intensified during dry seasons, whereas the center of the TM moves upstream by a distance of 10 km during wet seasons. The formation of the TM is influenced by a complex combination of numerous factors, including tides, river discharges and topography, wherein sediment resuspension and vertical circulation dominate the formations and variability of the TM.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Collaborative Innovation Center of South China Sea Studies, Nanjing, 210093, China

    Runqi Liu, Yaping Wang & Jianhua Gao

  2. Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for Coast and Island Development, Nanjing University, Nanjing, 210023, China

    Runqi Liu, Yaping Wang & Jianhua Gao

  3. Key Laboratory of Submarine Geosciences, State Oceanic Administration, Hangzhou, 310012, China

    Ziyin Wu

  4. State Key Laboratory of Satellite Ocean Environment Dynamics, Second Institute of Oceanography, State Oceanic Administration, Hangzhou, 310012, China

    Weibing Guan

Authors
  1. Runqi Liu
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  2. Yaping Wang
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  3. Jianhua Gao
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  4. Ziyin Wu
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  5. Weibing Guan
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Yaping Wang.

Additional information

Foundation item: The Ocean Special Funds for Scientific Research on Public Causes under contract No. 201105001-2; the National Basic Research Program (973 Program) of China under contract No. 2013CB956502; the National Natural Science Foundation of China under contract Nos 41376044, 41276083 and 41476049.

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Liu, R., Wang, Y., Gao, J. et al. Turbidity maximum formation and its seasonal variations in the Zhujiang (Pearl River) Estuary, southern China. Acta Oceanol. Sin. 35, 22–31 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13131-016-0897-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13131-016-0897-7

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