Numerical simulation of sediment transport in Bohai Bay

Abstract

Numerical simulations were carried out to discover the characteristics of sediment transport in the Bohai Bay. Two scenarios were set in the simulations to understand the impact of the high strength exploitation in recent years on sediment transport in the coastal zone of Bohai Bay. The simulated results show that (a) the sediment in western Bohai Bay mainly transports along the coastline in the near shore area; (b) The sediment transport is significantly correlated with the distribution of the residual currents; and (c) the changes in geomorphology and coastline caused by coastal zone development have impact on sediment transport in western Bohai Bay to a certain extent. However, the in situ investigation of radioactive isotope activities near Tianjin Port show a non-steady sedimentation feature, which is inconsistent with the results from the simulated results and could be a result of frequent human disturbance.