Tidal flat erosion of the Huanghe River Delta due to local changes in hydrodynamic conditions

Abstract

An ideal nature system for the study of post-depositional submarine mass changing under wave loading was selected in the inter-tidal platform of the subaqueous Huanghe River Delta, a delta formed during period from 1964 to 1976 as the Huanghe River discharged into the Bohai Gulf by Diaokou distributary. A road embankment constructed for petroleum recovery on the inter-tidal platform in 1995 induced the essential varieties of hydrodynamic conditions on the both sides of the road. With both sides sharing similarities in (1) initial sedimentary environment, (2) energetic wave loading, (3) differential hydrodynamic conditions in later stages, (4) enough long-range action, and (5) extreme shallow water inter-tidal platforms; the study is representative and feasible as well. Two study sites were selected on each side of the road, and a series of measurements, samplings, laboratory experiments have been carried out, including morphometry, hydrodynamic conditions, sediment properties, granularity composition, and fractal dimension calculation of the topography in the two adjacent areas. It was observed that in the outer zone, where wave loading with high magnitude prevailed, the tidal flat was bumpy and exhibited a high erosion rate and high fractal dimension. Further, the fractal dimension diminished quickly, keeping with the enlarging of calculative square size. However in the inner zone, where the hydrodynamic condition was weak, the tidal flat was flat and exhibited a low erosion rate and low fractal dimensions; the fractal dimension diminished with the enlarging of calculative square size. The fractal dimensions in the different hydrodynamic areas equalized increasingly as the calculative square size accreted to threshold, indicating that the hydrodynamic condition plays a significant role in topography construction and submarine delta erosion process. Additionally, the later differentiation of sediment properties, granularity composition, microstructure characteristics, and mineral composition induced by the different hydrodynamic conditions can also contribute to the variation of topography and sea-bed erosion in the two adjacent areas.