FINE SEDIMENT PROCESSES IN THE CHANGJIANG RIVER ESTUARY, CHINA

摘要

This invited lecture is an attempt to summarize some of the recent process-oriented field and numerical studies undertaken in the Changjiang River estuary. Both estuarine circulation and tidal asymmetry are of great importance to the fine sediment processes. The settling velocities of fine suspended sediments appear to increase with mean concentration of fine suspended sediments. Four different settling velocity equations have different effects on the modeled concentration profiles of fine sediment. Two important physical processes are revealed by acoustic imaging, the near-bed impulsive resuspension and the transport processes driven by fine sediment-induced plumes during spring tide. Further field and numerical studies should focus on dynamics of the turbidity maximum. Better parameterizations for fine sediment transport models are required for the Changjiang River estuary.