NUMERICAL SIMULATION AND ANALYSIS OF THE YELLOW RIVER ESTUARY SEDIMENT MOVEMENT

摘要

The Yellow River is famous for its great amount of sediment transport and high concentration. Because of many limitations, it is very difficult to study tides, tidal currents, sediment movement and bed deformation in the estuary. Based on the observed field data, satellite remote sensing data, a 2-D finite element numerical model and its calculation results, typical tidal current vector charts and sediment concentration distribution diagrams are presented. These diagrams indicate that the tide in the Laizhou Bay is of a semi-diurnal type and sediment diffuses and moves under the action of both tidal current and river runoff. The tongue-shaped sediment concentration isolines show that, on the one hand, they sway with flood and ebb tides, on the other hand, they decrease more quickly longitudinally than transversally. The simulated results also show that in this region the tide and tidal current characteristics vary greatly temporally. Sediment diffusion and deposition are discussed and the results are also in good agreement with the field data and satellite remote-sensing data.