The role of exposure on the vertical variation of mudflat sediment erodibility

Variations in meteorological conditions are known to influence the erodibility of sediments on tidal flats. However, there is limited understanding of how evaporation during exposure affects the stability of mudflats. In this study, we conducted field tests spanning 5 days in January 2021 and 14 days in August 2022 in the intertidal zone along the Yancheng coast in Jiangsu Province, China. We selected critical shear stress for erosion (τ_cr) and shear strength (SS) as erosion parameters, and analyzed the variations in hydrodynamic and meteorological parameters, and vertical sediment properties. Our results indicate that bed exposure in summer significantly enhances sediment stability, an effect that extends below the surface layer and even to deeper layers. As exposure duration increases, the differences with depth become more pronounced, leading to increased variability in τ_cr. This vertical gradient increases with exposure duration and atmospheric evaporation intensity, with both the values of vertical τ_cr and SS in summer showing a nearly 2 times increase compared to that in winter. The primary controlling parameter for changes in sediment erodibility during summer exposure is water content, while in winter, the mean grain size (D50) and salinity are more significant. The causal relationship between summer and winter exposure and resistance to vertical erosion of mudflats, shown in this study, underscores the need to pay greater attention to the seasonal influence of atmospheric processes on the spatial heterogeneity of sediments that arises from tidal exposure.