Sediment distributions and transport patterns in the Pearl River Estuary and its adjacent coastal ocean

Abstract

Coastal sediment is important for the development of river deltas and for carrying both nutrients and pollutants into estuaries and coasts. Totally 265 surficial sediments collected from the Pearl River Estuary and its adjacent coastal ocean were analyzed by using Gao-Collins method to study the sediment transport path and deposition center. The Pearl River Estuary was an area of sandy mud sediment and showed some muddy patches. There were 5 distinguishable sediment convergence centers, which represent 3 types of sediment transport patterns and hydrodynamic environments. The net sediment transport pathways in the estuary and shelf sea were mainly in the offshore and landward direction, respectively. The analyzed results indicated that the main part of muddy sediment was confined to the mouth of the estuary due to the combined effects of the expansion and salinity intrusion.