Volume 7 Issue 3
Jul.  2014
Turn off MathJax
Article Contents
Yun-ping YANG, Yi-tian LI, Yong-yang FAN, Jun-hong ZHANG. 2014: Impact of water and sediment discharges on subaqueous delta evolution in Yangtze Estuary from 1950 to 2010. Water Science and Engineering, 7(3): 331-343. doi: 10.3882/j.issn.1674-2370.2014.03.008
Citation: Yun-ping YANG, Yi-tian LI, Yong-yang FAN, Jun-hong ZHANG. 2014: Impact of water and sediment discharges on subaqueous delta evolution in Yangtze Estuary from 1950 to 2010. Water Science and Engineering, 7(3): 331-343. doi: 10.3882/j.issn.1674-2370.2014.03.008

Impact of water and sediment discharges on subaqueous delta evolution in Yangtze Estuary from 1950 to 2010

doi: 10.3882/j.issn.1674-2370.2014.03.008
Funds:  This work was supported by the National Basic Research Program of China (the 973 Program, Grant No. 2010CB429002)
  • Received Date: 2013-03-06
  • Rev Recd Date: 2013-11-07
  •     In order to determine how the subaqueous delta evolution depends on the water and sediment processes in the Yangtze Estuary, the amounts of water and sediment discharged into the estuary were studied. The results show that, during the period from 1950 to 2010, there was no significant change in the annual water discharge, and the multi-annual mean water discharge increased in dry seasons and decreased in flood seasons. However, the annual sediment discharge and the multi-annual mean sediment discharge in flood and dry seasons took on a decreasing trend, and the intra-annual distribution of water and sediment discharges tended to be uniform. The evolution process from deposition to erosion occurred at the ?10 m and ?20 m isobaths of the subaqueous delta. The enhanced annual water and sediment discharges had a silting-up effect on the delta, and the effect of sediment was greater than that of water. Based on data analysis, empirical curves were built to present the relationships between the water and sediment discharges over a year or in dry and flood seasons and the erosion/deposition rates in typical regions of the subaqueous delta, whose evolution followed the pattern of silting in flood seasons and scouring in dry seasons. Notably, the Three Gorges Dam has changed the distribution processes of water and sediment discharges, and the dam’s regulating and reserving functions can benefit the subaqueous delta deposition when the annual water and sediment discharges are not affected.

     

  • loading
  • Carriquiry, J. D., Sanchez, A., and Camacho-lbar, V. F. 2001. Sedimentation in the northern Gulf of California after   cessation of the Colorado River discharge. Sedimentary Geology, 144(1-2), 37-62. [doi: 10.1016/S0037-0738(01)00134-8]
    Chen, X. Q., Zhang, E. F., Mu, H. Q., and Zong, Y. 2005. A preliminary analysis of human impacts on sediment discharges from the Yangtze, China, into the Sea. Journal of Coastal Research, 21(3), 515-521. [doi: 10.2112/03-0034.1]
    Dai, S. B., Lu, X. X., Yang, S. L., and Cai, A. M. 2008. A preliminary estimate of human and natural contributions to the decline in sediment flux from the Yangtze River to the China Sea. Quaternary International, 186, 43-54. [doi: 10.1016/j.quaint.2007.11.018] 
    Dai, S. B., Yang, S. L., and Li, M. 2009. The sharp decrease in suspended sediment supply from China’s rivers to the sea: Anthropogenic and natural causes. Hydrological Sciences Journal, 54(1), 135-146. [doi: 10.1623/hysj.54.1.135]  
    Fanos, A. M. 1995. The impact of human activities on the erosion and accretion of the Nile delta coast. Journal of Coastal Research, 11(3), 821-833.
    Frihy, O. E., Debes, E. A., and El Sayed, W. R. 2003. Processes reshaping the Nile delta promontories of Egypt: Pre- and post-protection. Geomorphology, 53(3-4), 263-279. [doi:10.1016/S0169-555X (02)00318-5]
    Gao, S. 2010. Changjiang delta sedimentation in response to catchment discharge changes: Progress and problems. Advances in Earth Science, 25(3), 233-241. (in Chinese)
    Gong, C. L., and Yun, C. X. 2002. Floods rebuilding the riverbed of the Changjiang estuary. Ocean Engineering, 20(3), 94-97. [doi: 10.3969/j.issn.1005-9865.2002.03.016]
    Li, C. X., Yang, S. Y., Fan, D. D., and Zhao, J. 2004. The change in Changjiang suspended load and its impact on the delta after completion of three gorges dam. Quaternary Sciences, 24(5), 495-500. (in Chinese)
    Li, P., Yang, S. L., Dai, S. B., and Zhang, W. X. 2007. Accretion/erosion of the subaqueous delta at the Yangtze Estuary in recent 10 years. Acta Geographica Sinica, 62(7), 707-716. (in Chinese)
    Li, Q. F., Yu, M. X., Lu, G. B., Cai, T., Bai, X., and Xia, Z. Q. 2011. Impacts of the Gezhouba and Three Gorges reservoirs on the sediment regime in the Yangtze River, China. Journal of Hydrology, 403(3-4), 224-233. [doi: 10.1016/j.jhydrol.2011.03.043]
    Lou, F. 2005. The Sedimentary and Accretion-erosion Environment of the Outer Navigation Channel in Changjiang Estuary. Ph. D. Dissertation. Shanghai: East China Normal University. (in Chinese)
    Qian, N., Zhang, R., and Zhou, Z. D. 1989. Riverbed Evolution. Beijing: Science Press. (in Chinese)
    Ren, M. E. 1989. Man’s impact on the coastal zone of the Mississippi River Delta. Acta Geographica Sinica, 44(2), 221-229. (in Chinese)
    Syvitski, J. P. M., Vorosmarty, C. J., Kettner, A. J., and Green, P. 2005. Impact of humans on the flux of terrestrial sediment to the global coastal ocean. Science, 308(5720), 376-380. [doi: 10.1126/science.1109454]
    Trenhaile, A. S. 1997. Coastal Dynamics and Landforms. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
    Wang, A. D., Pan, S. M., Zhang, Y. Z., and Liu, Z. Y. 2010. Modern sedimentation rate of the submarine delta of the Changjiang River. Marine Geology and Quaternary Geology, 30(3), 1-6. [doi:10.3724/SP.J. 1140.2010.03001]. (in Chinese)
    Xu, J. X. 2002. A study of thresholds of runoff and sediment for the land accretion of the Yellow River Delta. Geographical Research, 21(2), 163-170. (in Chinese) [doi: 10.3321/j.issn:1000-0585.2002.02.004]
    Xu, J. X. 2008. Response of land accretion of the Yellow River delta to global climate change and human activity. Quaternary International, 186(1), 4-11. [doi: 10.1016/j.quaint.2007.08.032]
    Yang, S. L., Zhu, J., and Zhao, Q. Y. 2003a. A preliminary study on the influence of Changjiang River sediment supply on subaqueous delta-Evidences in late 20th century and an expectation for the coming decades. Acta Oceanologica Sinica, 25(5), 83-91. (in Chinese)
    Yang, S. L., Belkin, I. M., Belkin, A. I., Zhao, Q. Y., Zhu, J., and Ding, P. 2003b. Delta response to decline in sediment supply from the Yangtze River: Evidence of the recent four decades and expectations for the next half-century. Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science, 57(4), 689-699. [doi:10.1016/S0272- 7714(02)00409-2]
    Yang, S. L., Shi, Z., Zhou, H. Y., Li, P., Dai, S. B., and Gao, A. 2004. Effects of human activities on the Yangtze River suspended sediment flux into the estuary in the last century. Hydrology and Earth System Sciences, 8(6), 1210-1216.
    Yang, S. L., Milliman, J. D., Li, P., and Xu, K. 2011. 50000 dams later: Erosion of the Yangtze River and its delta. Global and Planetary Change, 75(1-2), 14-20. [doi: 10.1016/j.gloplacha.2010.09.006] 
    Yun, C. X. 2004. The Recent Development Rules of the Changjiang Estuary. Beijing: Ocean Press. (in Chinese)
  • 加载中

Catalog

    通讯作者: 陈斌, bchen63@163.com
    • 1. 

      沈阳化工大学材料科学与工程学院 沈阳 110142

    1. 本站搜索
    2. 百度学术搜索
    3. 万方数据库搜索
    4. CNKI搜索

    Article Metrics

    Article views (1990) PDF downloads(2104) Cited by()
    Proportional views
    Related

    /

    DownLoad:  Full-Size Img  PowerPoint
    Return
    Return