A numerical study of transport dynamics and seasonal variability of the Yellow River sediment in the Bohai and Yellow seas

A sediment numerical model was embedded into a wave-tide-circulation coupled model to simulate the transport processes of the Yellow River-derived sediment considering the wave-induced vertical mixing (By) and the wave-current coupled bottom shear stress (BSS). Numerical results show that the main stream of the Yellow River-derived sediment moves first eastward off the northern Shandong Peninsula and then southward into the South Yellow Sea all year round. In spring, the sediment moves north-eastward in the Bohai Sea. In summer, there is a northeastward branch of sediment in the Bohai Sea off the west coast of the Liaodong Peninsula. while the main part goes eastward to the Yellow Sea. The Yellow River-derived sediment transport from the Bohai Sea to the North Yellow Sea across the Bohai Strait is mainly limited to the top 10 m, and with a maximum centered at 37.9 degrees N in summer. The transport from the North Yellow Sea to the South Yellow Sea across the transect of 37 degrees N is mainly in the 0-30 m layer with a maximum around 123.7 degrees E in autumn. The simulated Yellow River-discharged sediment deposits along the Shandong Peninsula and between 20 and 30 m isobaths in the Yellow Sea, which is consistent with observation. If surface waves are not considered in the model, the sediment deposits westward to the nearshore area in the South Yellow Sea. The sediment would deposit further southward in the numerical experiment results without wind influence. In the numerical experiment of no tide, there is hardly any sediment deposited on the Yellow Sea floor, while in the Bohai Sea most of the sediment is transported southward and northwestward around the river mouth instead of eastward as in the Control Run, indicating the tides play a key role in forming the deposition pattern. (C) 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.