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The observations of seabed sediment erosion and resuspension processes in the Jiaozhou Bay in China

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Abstract

In estuarine and coastal areas, the seabed is in a constant process of dynamic change under marine conditions. Seabed sediment erosion and resuspension are important processes that safely control the geological environment. Field tripod observations conducted in the Jiaozhou Bay in China are reported, to investigate the effects of hydrodynamic conditions on the erosion and resuspension processes of the seabed. The observational results show that the maximum shear stress created by tidal currents can reach 0.35 N/m2, which is higher than the wave-induced shear stress during fair weather conditions. A seabed erosion frequently occurs during the flood tide, whereas a seabed deposition occurs during ebb tide. Waves can produce a bottom shear stress approximately equivalent to that induced by currents when the local wind reaches Force 4 with a speed of 5 m/s. When the wind reaches 7 m/s and the significant wave height reaches 26 cm, waves play a more significant role than currents in the dynamic processes of the seabed sediment resuspension and lead to a high value of turbidity that is approximately two to eight times higher than that in fair weather. These analyses clearly illustrate that periodic current-induced sediment erosion and resuspension are dominant in fair weather, whereas episodic high waves are responsible for significant sediment resuspension. Additional work is needed to establish a more thorough understanding of the mechanisms of sediment dynamics in the Jiaozhou Bay.

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Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank Guo Tengfei, Lian Shengli, Zhang Shaotong, Zhang Shun, Wang Zhen, and Wang Weihong for their help in carrying out the in situ observations.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Shandong Provincial Key Laboratory of Marine Environment and Geological Engineering, Ocean University of China, Qingdao, 266100, China

    Xiaolei Liu, Chaoqi Zhu & Yonggang Jia

  2. Laboratory for Marine Geology, Qingdao National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology, Qingdao, 266061, China

    Xiaolei Liu, Jiewen Zheng & Yonggang Jia

  3. Key Laboratory of Marine Environmental and Ecology, Ministry of Education, Ocean University of China, Qingdao, 266100, China

    Chaoqi Zhu

  4. Qingdao Institute of Marine Geology, Chinese Geology Science, Qingdao, 266071, China

    Lei Guo & Ping Yin

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  1. Xiaolei Liu
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  3. Jiewen Zheng
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  4. Lei Guo
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Correspondence to Yonggang Jia.

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Foundation item: The National Natural Science Foundation of China under contract Nos 41402253, 41427803 and 41372287; the Project of Qingdao National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology under contract No. QNLM2016ORP0110.

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Liu, X., Zhu, C., Zheng, J. et al. The observations of seabed sediment erosion and resuspension processes in the Jiaozhou Bay in China. Acta Oceanol. Sin. 36, 79–85 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13131-016-1072-5

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