Characteristics of sediment transport in the Zhoushan Archipelago sea area

Based on the field data including tidal current, suspended sediment concentration, grain size of surface sediments, the transport mechanism and movement trend of sediments are analyzed using the method of flux decomposition and Grain Size Trend Analysis. The results show that the concentration and flux of suspended sediments decrease sharply from the Hangzhou Bay to the offshore area. The suspended sediment transport is mainly controlled by advection transport including average current transport and Stokes drift-induced transport and the gravitational circulation transport. The surface sediments are transported from the entrance of the Hangzhou Bay to the offshore area in general; meanwhile, the sediment transport has two obvious transport trends in the offshore area. The interaction of tidal currents, residual currents,the East China Sea coastal current, Taiwan Warm Current and wind waves appear to play important roles in the sediment transport. Furthermore, the sediment distribution and transport are significantly affected by the Zhoushan Archipelago.