A decline of the fluvial sediment supply leads to coastal erosion and land loss. However, the fluvial sediment load may influence not only coastal morphodynamics but also estuarine hydrodynamics and associated saltwater intrusion. Previous studies revealed that suspended sediments influence estuarine hydrodynamics through various flow–sediment interactions. In this contribution, we systematically investigate how changes in fluvial sediment load and other climate-change-induced environmental change influence estuarine hydrodynamics and sediment dynamics. For this purpose, we utilize a well-calibrated fully coupled model in which hydrodynamics, saltwater intrusion, and sediment transport interact with each other, to explore saltwater intrusion in the Yangtze Estuary in response to a decline in the sediment load, modified discharge, and sea-level rise. Model results suggest that a 70% decline in the suspended sediment load weakens the impact of sediments on salinity-induced stratification and thereby reducing saltwater intrusion. Sea-level rise or discharge peak reduction increases saltwater intrusion. However, a fully coupled model accounting for sediment effects predicts a much larger increase in saltwater intrusion compared to noncoupled models. Whether this effect is important depends on estuarine sediment concentrations and therefore the potential role of sediments should be carefully investigated before applying a noncoupled model. This work highlights not only the relevance of a suspended sediment decline but also the use of fully coupled models for predicting saltwater intrusion in turbid estuaries and has broad implications for freshwater resource management in turbid estuarine systems influenced by human interventions and climate change.

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Reclamation of low-lying tidal flats and floodplains adjacent to present shorelines has been implemented worldwide for both coastal defense and development. While it is technically feasible to monitor the short-term impact of tidal flat embankments, it is challenging to identify long-term and cumulative morphodynamic impact, particularly considering centennial sea-level rise (SLR). In this study, we construct a process-based hydro-morphodynamic model for a schematized tidal basin and examine its morphodynamic evolution under the combined influence of SLR and tidal flat embankments. We see that rising sea levels lead to inundation of low-lying floodplains just above high water, creating new intertidal flats that mitigate the drowning impact of SLR. This mitigation effect is lost if the low-lying floodplains and tidal flats are reclaimed, preventing any shoreline migration under SLR. Removing a large portion of intertidal flats within the tidal basin induces significant changes in basin hypsometry and potentially, a reversal of flood/ebb dominance. The resulting hydro-morphodynamic impact of large-scale tidal flat embankment is more significant than SLR at a centennial time scale. This suggests a need for much greater management awareness regarding the cumulative impact of human activities. These findings imply that allowing lateral shoreline migration under SLR sustains tidal basin's inherent morphodynamic buffering capacity, whereas reclaiming tidal flats significantly alters hydro-morphodynamic adaptation at the decadal to centennial time scales. It highlights the importance of conserving low-lying floodplains and tidal flats in tide-dominated systems to counteract the drowning impact of SLR.@en

The mechanisms controlling the formation of an estuarine turbidity maximum (ETM) in estuaries have been extensively investigated, but one aspect that has received much less scientific attention is the role of high suspended sediment concentrations in combination with tidal asymmetry in ETM formation. Particularly in highly turbid estuaries, sediment suspensions influence ETM development through a combination of horizontal sediment-induced density currents, a reduction in turbulent mixing, and water-bed exchange processes. In this study, we developed a schematic model resembling the Yangtze Estuary where the ETM is controlled by tidal pumping, estuarine circulation, and advection operating simultaneously. Model results suggest that high water slack tide asymmetry with Sediment-induced density effects (SedDE) favors landward migration of the ETM. In addition, without SedDE, stronger flood tidal dominance leads to more pronounced sediment trapping through tidal pumping. Depending on the type of tidal asymmetry, SedDE strengthen ETM growth by increasing estuarine circulation but may also lead to increased or reduced sediment concentration in the ETM due to enhanced or weakened landward tidal pumping, respectively. Higher near-bed sediment concentrations as a result of water-bed exchange processes, in turn, strengthen the effect of estuarine circulation but simultaneously strengthen the divergence of sediment by tidal pumping. Overall, the SedDE and higher near-bed sediment concentration, in combination with tidal asymmetry, play an important role in ETM formation and should be properly accounted for in studies on ETM dynamics in turbid estuaries.

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An estuarine turbidity maximum (ETM) is a region of elevated suspended sediment concentration (SSC) resulting from residual transport mechanisms driven by river flow, tides, and salinity-induced density gradients (SalDG). However, in energetic and highly turbid environments such as the Yangtze Estuary, SedDG may also substantially contribute to the formation and maintenance of the ETM. Since this mechanism is relatively poorly understood, we develop a three-dimensional model to explore the effect of SedDG on tidal dynamics and sediment transport. By running sensitivity simulations considering SalDG and/or SedDG, we conclude that the longitudinal SedDG leads to degeneration and landward movement of the ETM. Moreover, two effects of the vertical SedDG are identified to be responsible for sediment trapping: One by enhancing the vertical sediment concentration gradients, and another by additionally affecting hydrodynamics including the water levels, velocities and salinities. The longitudinal and vertical SedDG leads to seasonal and spring-neap variations of upstream migration of the salt wedge: Vertical SedDG is more pronounced at neap tides in the wet season due to stronger stratification effects, whereas longitudinal SedDG is more pronounced at intermediate tides in the dry season due to weaker mixing and limited deposition. These findings imply that the SedDG contributes substantially to channel siltation and salt intrusion in highly turbid systems, and need to be accounted for when numerically modeling such phenomena.

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Estuarine sediment dynamics involves estuarine hydrodynamics, sediment transport, and morphology, and strongly influence ecosystem dynamics and sustainability. In the current geological epoch, referred to as the Anthropocene, human activities are exerting increasing impacts on the environment on all scales, changing hydrodynamics, sediment transport, and morphology in many ways outcompeting natural processes. For sustainable use of these impacted estuaries, human activities must be part of, or compensated by, estuarine sediment management strategies. Such management strategies must be based on detailed physical knowledge of natural sediment dynamics, and the effect of human activities thereon. The Yangtze Estuary is a system where estuarine sediment dynamics is influenced by intensive human interventions in the upstream river basin and within the estuary. This study aims to explore the changes in morphological development and tidal evolution in the Yangtze Estuary on a decadal scale. More specifically, this dissertation differentiates the effects of local engineering works and of the decline of fluvial sediment supply due to human interventions in the upstream river basin, and understand the role of sediments on hydro- and sediment dynamics in highly turbid estuaries.Using a series of bathymetric maps from 1953 to 2016, we investigate the morphological changes in the mouth zone of the Yangtze Estuary. Both shoals in the mouth zone, i.e., the Hengsha flat and Jiuduan shoal, exhibited accretion at different rates until ∼2010, followed by a period of erosion since then. The Hengsha flat accreted slower than the Jiuduan shoal. Moreover, the accretion in the Hengsha flat is mainly ascribed to land reclamation whereas salt marsh introduction strongly contributes to the accretion in the Jiuduan shoal. Erosion in the two shoals after 2010 may be caused by the reduction in silt supply due to dam constructions in the river basin. Erosion of the entire mouth zone that occurred between 1997 and 2010 is mainly the result of local engineering works whose impact masks the impacts of the fluvial sediment decline. Our results further indicate that dredging volumes should be included in the analysis of bed level changes accounting for their large contribution (∼50%) on the erosion after 2010. A response time lag of ∼30 years is suggested to occur in the mouth zone to the riverine sediment decline.The changes in tides are evaluated with the water levels observed at Xuliujing and Yanglin in 1990-1991, 2009-2010 and 2019-2020 and the yearly-averaged high and low water levels between 1996 and 2011 in seven downstream stations. Data reveal a strong reduction in tidal damping from 1990 to 2010, followed by a slightly enhanced tidal damping from 2010 to 2020 in the South Branch. The reduced tidal damping in the South Branch from 1990 to 2010 is controlled by sediment decline which induces an increase in water depth (erosion). In the mouth zone, tidal damping is enhanced from 1997 to 2010 and weakened after 2010. The change in tidal damping in the mouth zone is not as pronounced as that in the South Branch, and the effect of morphological changes is limited. We applied a two-dimensional (2D) barotropic numerical model to explore the effect of bed friction. The model suggests a 60% increase in the effective bottom roughness from 1990 to 2010 in the South Branch, which is probably caused by the observed 80% decrease in suspended sediment concentration (SSC). This effect enhances tidal damping, which counteracts the contribution of water depth increase on amplifying tides between 1990 and 2010 and may dominate the stronger tidal damping from 2010 to 2020. In the mouth zone, the effective bottom roughness mainly becomes larger due to engineering works but may be counterbalanced by the opposite role of fluid mud formation. The influence of fluid mud may become progressively larger, leading to a decrease in friction after 2010. Overall, we have identified that the strong effects of SSC influence tidal dynamics through its impact on bed level and effective bottom roughness. The changes in tides in the South Branch are controlled by the sediment decline whereas the changes in tides in the mouth zone are still dominated by the local engineering works.To obtain insight into the density-induced effects of SSC on hydro- and sediment dynamics in highly turbid estuaries, we set up and calibrated a three-dimensional (3D) baroclinic sediment transport model for the Yangtze Estuary. In this model, sediment transport is supply-limited implying that sediment is prescribed at the model boundaries and not as an initial condition. The computed estuarine turbidity maximum (ETM) therefore results from converging sediment transport pathways and not from local bed erosion, representing equilibrium conditions. Model results suggest that the horizontal and vertical sediment-induced density gradients have an opposite effect: the horizontal sediment-induced density gradients lead to the dispersion of the ETM and the vertical sediment-induced density gradients promote sediment trapping. Vertical sediment-induced density gradients influence trapping directly by reducing vertical mixing but also by indirectly through its effect on water levels, velocities and salinities. Furthermore, comparisons between the dry and wet seasons indicate that horizontal and vertical SSC density gradients are relatively more important under weaker and stronger salinity stratification conditions, respectively.The effect of sediment-induced density gradients is also influenced by tidal asymmetries. To evaluate this effect, we set up a schematized model and carried out simulations with a symmetric tide and asymmetric tide prescribed at the open sea boundary. Depending on the type of tidal asymmetry (represented by the relative phase lag between semi-diurnal and quarter-diurnal tides), sediment-induced density effects strengthen or weaken the ETM due to enhanced or weakened landward tidal pumping, respectively. Higher near-bed sediment concentrations as a result of water-bed exchange processes strengthen the effect of estuarine circulation and therefore promote ETM formation, but simultaneously strengthen the divergence of sediment by tidal pumping.We finally explore the importance of sediment-induced density effects on saltwater intrusion in the Yangtze Estuary for conditions representing climate change and human interventions (changes in river discharge, sediment supply and sea-level rise (SLR)). Changes in river discharge and SLR affect sediment trapping efficiency and ETM location, thereby influencing saltwater intrusion. Therefore, the impact of future changes is influenced by the turbidity of the estuary. For realistic future scenarios, the period in which sufficient freshwater is available at a major freshwater intake (Qingcaosha reservoir), decreases by several days for sediment concentrations below∼2 kg/m3 but may exceed a month for sediment concentrations exceeding 10-30 kg/m3. A 70% decline in the Yangtze sediment load leads to reduced sediment concentrations in the estuary, which leads to a seaward migration of the salt wedge of ∼3 km and an extension of freshwater supply period for over 2 months. A reduction in the sediment load of the Yangtze therefore mitigates saltwater intrusion and water shortage issues.Concluding, the morphology and tides have been regulated by various human interventions in the Yangtze Estuary. The Yangtze Estuary response to human interventions varies spatially: the changes in tides, SSC, and morphology in the South Branch and mouth zone are controlled by the riverine sediment decline and local engineering works, respectively. Temporally, the short-term effects of local engineering works mask the long-term effects of riverine sediment decline (time lag effects). The response of turbid estuaries to interventions is influenced by sediment-induced density effects, introducing feedback mechanisms coupling changes in the hydrodynamics (saltwater intrusion) and sediment dynamics (ETM formation). A better understanding of the estuarine sediment dynamics in response to riverine sediment decline requires detailed monitoring and integrated studies relating the observed changes to sediment-induced feedback mechanisms controlling hydrodynamics and sediment transport.@en

Estuarine tidal dynamics are influenced by changes in morphology and friction. In this work, we quantified changes in tidal damping in the Yangtze Estuary and explored the impact of morphology and friction using a numerical model. In-depth analyses of tidal data reveal a strong reduction in tidal damping from 1990 to 2010, followed by a slightly enhanced damping from 2010 to 2020 in the South Branch. The reduced tidal damping in the South Branch from 1990 to 2010 is controlled by sediment decline which induces an increase in water depth (erosion), thereby strongly amplifying tides. However, the effective bottom roughness (Manning coefficient) is increased by 60%, which is probably related to the (Formula presented.) 80% decrease in the suspended sediment concentration (SSC). Such an effect may enhance tidal damping, which counteracts the contribution of water depth increase on amplifying tides by (Formula presented.) 75%. From 2010 to 2020, the tides in the South Branch became more damped, suggesting a dominance of the decrease in SSC over the morphological changes. In the mouth zone, tidal dissipation is enhanced from 1997 to 2010, which is mainly caused by an overall increase in effective bottom roughness. Local structures dominate the increase in effective bottom roughness; however, fluid mud formation may contribute to a decrease after 2010. Overall, we argue that estuarine morphological and sedimentary changes in response to riverine sediment decline and local engineering works control the tidal evolution in the Yangtze Estuary, which is important for evaluation of human activities and estuarine management.

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Channel deepening often triggers positive feedback between tidal deformation, sediment import and drag reduction, which leads to the regime shift in estuaries from low-turbid to hyper-turbid state. In this study, a transition in profiles of suspended sediment concentration (SSC) is hypothesised by including a positive feedback loop of vertical mixing and settling. Such a hypothesis is validated by the historical observations in the North Passage of Changjiang (Yangtze River) Estuary, with decreasing SSC in mid-lower layers and increasing SSC near the bed after the deepening. A mobile pool of concentrated benthic suspensions (CBS) develops in the North Passage, with a tidally averaged length of ~20 km and a mean thickness of ~4 m. The width of the CBS pool is limited (<1 km) as the CBS is concentrated in the Deepwater Navigational Channel. The movements of the CBS pool, combined with tidal asymmetry (e.g., slack-water asymmetry and lateral flow asymmetry), results in sediment trapping in the middle reaches and on the south flank of the channel. Observations by a bottom tripod system show the response of friction/drag coefficient to sediment concentration: (1) nearly linear decrease within low SSC (<10 kg/m³); (2) constant and minimum coefficient (with drag reduction up to 60–80%) in the presence of CBS (10–80 kg/m³). An empirical relationship was derived, which can be used to predict the friction coefficient and the magnitude of drag reduction for sediment transport studies, particularly for modelling regime shifts in estuaries.

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Net sediment transport is predominantly seaward in fluvial-dominated estuaries worldwide. However, a distributary branch in the Changjiang Estuary, the North Branch, undergoes net landward sediment transport, which leads to severe channel aggradation. Its controlling mechanism and the role of human activities remain insufficiently understood, although such knowledge is necessary for better management and restoration opportunities. In this study we revisit the centennial hydro-morphodynamic evolution of the North Branch based on historical maps, field data, and satellite images and provide a synthesis of the regime change from ebb to flood dominance. The North Branch was once a major river and ebb-dominant distributary channel. Within which alternative meandering channels and sand bars developed. Deposition of river-borne sediment leads to infilling of the branch, while tidal flat embankment reduces the bankfull width and modifies the channel configuration, resulting in a profound decline in the sub-tidal flow partition rate. The North Branch then becomes tide-dominant with an occurrence of tidal bores and elongated sand ridges. Once tidal dominance is established, extensive tidal flat reclamation enhances the funnel-shaped planform, amplifying the incoming tides and initiating a positive feedback process that links tidal flat loss, sediment import, and channel aggradation. Overall, the shift in branch dominance is a combined result of a natural southeastward realignment of the deltaic distributary channels and extensive reclamation. One management option to mitigate channel aggradation is to stop the aggressive reclamation and allow tidal flats to build up, which might reduce the sediment import and eventually lead to a morphodynamic equilibrium in the longer term. Understanding the impact of tidal flat reclamation is informative for the management of similar tidal systems under strong human interference.

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The Changjiang Delta (CD) is one of well-studied large deltas of critical socio-economical and ecological importance regionally and global representativeness. Cumulated field data and numerical modeling has facilitated scientific understanding of its hydro-morphodynamics at multiple spatial and time scales, but the changing boundary forcing conditions and increasing anthropogenic influences pose management challenges requiring integrated knowledge. Here we provide a comprehensive synthesis of the multi-scale deltaic hydro-morphodynamics, discuss their relevance and management perspectives in a global context, and identify knowledge gaps for future study. The CD is classified as a river-tide mixed-energy, muddy and highly turbid, fluvio-deltaic composite system involving large-scale land-ocean interacted processes. Its hydro-morphodynamic evolution exhibits profound temporal variations at the fortnightly, seasonal, and inter-annual time scales, and strong spatial variability between tidal river and tidal estuary, and between different distributary channels. As the river-borne sediment has declined >70%, the deltaic morphodynamic adaptation lags behind sediment decline because sediment redistribution within the delta emerges to play a role in sustaining tidal flat accretion. However, the deltaic channels have become narrower, deepened and growingly constrained under cumulated human activities, e.g., extensive embankment and construction of jetties and groins, possibly initiating a decrease in morphodynamic activities and sediment trapping efficiency. Overall, the CD undergoes transitions from net sedimentation and naturally slow morphodynamic adaptation to erosion and human-driven radical adjustment. A shift in management priority from delta development to ecosystem conservation provides an opportunity for restoring the resilience to flooding and erosion hazards. The lessons and identified knowledge gaps inform study and management of worldwide estuaries and deltas undergoing intensified human interferences.

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Tidal waves traveling into estuaries are modified by channel geometry and river flow. The damping effect of river flow on incident astronomical tides is well documented, whereas its impact on low‐frequency tides like MSf and Mm is poorly understood. In this contribution, we employ a numerical model to explore low‐frequency tidal behavior under varying river flow. MSf and Mm are locally generated by frictional mechanisms inside an estuary, and they are larger in amplitude far upstream in tidal rivers and persist landward of the point of tidal extinction. Increasing river flow nonlinearly modulates the longitudinal variations of MSf and Mm amplitudes. This is dynamically explained by flow‐enhanced asymmetry in subtidal friction over the spring‐neap (MSf) and perigee‐apogee (Mm) cycles, respectively. Estuaries act as frequency filters, where low‐frequency waves decay at a smaller rate and propagate more inland than high‐frequency waves. Strong inland penetration of low‐frequency tides informs compound flood management.@en

Many large rivers in the world delivers decreasing sediment loads to coastal oceans owing to reductions in sediment yield and disrupted sediment deliver. Understanding the sediment load regime is a prerequisite of sediment management and fluvial and deltaic ecosystem restoration. This work examines sediment load changes across the Changjiang River basin based on a long time series (1950–2017) of sediment load data stretching from the headwater to the delta. We find that the sediment loads have decreased progressively throughout the basin at multiple time scales. The sediment loads have decreased by ~96% and ~74% at the outlets of the upper basin and entire basin, respectively, in 2006–2017 compared to 1950–1985. The hydropower dams in the mainstem have become a dominant cause of the reduction, although downstream channel erosion causes moderate sediment load recovery. The basin-scale sediment connectivity has declined as the upper river is progressively dammed, the middle-lower river is leveed and river-lake interplay weakens. The middle-lower river has changed from a slight depositional to a severe erosional environment, from a sediment transport conduit to a new sediment source zone, and from a transport-limited to a supply-limited condition. These low-level sediment loads will likely persist in the future considering the cumulative dam trapping and depleted channel erosion. As a result, substantial hydro-morphological changes have occurred that affect the water supply, flood mitigation, and the aquatic ecosystem. The findings and lessons in this work can shed light on other large river systems subject to intensified human interference.@en

The morphology of the Yangtze Estuary has changed substantially at decadal time scales in response to natural processes, local human interference and reduced sediment supply. Due to its high sediment load, the morphodynamic response time of the estuary is short, providing a valuable semi-natural system to evaluate large-scale estuarine morphodynamic responses to interference. Previous studies primarily addressed local morphologic changes within the estuary, but since an overall sediment balance is missing, it remains unclear whether the estuary as a whole has shifted from sedimentation to erosion in response to reduced riverine sediment supply (e.g. resulting from construction of the Three Gorges Dam). In this paper we examine the morphological changes of two large shoals in the mouth zone (i.e. the Hengsha flat and the Jiuduan shoal) using bathymetric data collected between 1953 and 2016 and a series of satellite images. We observe that the two shoals accreted at different rates before 2010 but reverted to erosion thereafter. Human activities such as dredging and dumping contribute to erosion, masking the impacts of sediment source reduction. The effects of local human intervention (such as the construction of a navigation channel) are instantaneous and are likely to have already resulted in new dynamic equilibrium conditions. The morphodynamic response time of the mouth zone to riverine sediment decrease is further suggested to be >30 years (starting from the mid-1980s). Accounting for the different adaptation time scales of various human activities is essential when interpreting morphodynamic changes in large-scale estuaries and deltas.@en

Streamflow and sediment loads undergo remarkable changes in worldwide rivers in response to climatic changes and human interferences. Understanding their variability and the causes is of vital importance regarding river management. With respect to the Changjiang River (CJR), one of the largest river systems on earth, we provide a comprehensive overview of its hydrological regime changes by analyzing long time series of river discharges and sediment loads data at multiple gauge stations in the basin downstream of Three Gorges Dam (TGD). We find profound river discharge reduction during flood peaks and in the wet-to-dry transition period, and slightly increased discharges in the dry season. Sediment loads have reduced progressively since 1980s owing to sediment yield reduction and dams in the upper basin, with notably accelerated reduction since the start of TGD operation in 2003. Channel degradation occurs in downstream river, leading to considerable river stage drop. Lowered river stages have caused a ‘draining effect’ on lakes by fostering lake outflows following TGD impoundments. The altered river–lake interplay hastens low water occurrence inside the lakes which can worsen the drought given shrinking lake sizes in long-term. Moreover, lake sedimentation has decreased since 2002 with less sediment trapped in and more sediment flushed out of the lakes. These hydrological changes have broad impacts on river flood and drought occurrences, water security, fluvial ecosystem, and delta safety.

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Sediment transport provides a critical bridge between hydrodynamics and morphodynamics. Sediment transport behaviour has obvious impacts on morphodynamic development. Long-term morphodynamic modelling enables examination of large scale morphological patterns, such as channel-shoal patterns in estuaries and deltaic channel structures. Non-cohesive sand is mostly used as the material in shaping morphology. However, most of estuaries and deltas in nature are partly or fully dominated by cohesive sediment or mud. There are researches on sand-mud interactions and their implications on total sediment transport (van Ledden, 2003). It is increasingly aware that adding mud to the system can make a big differences on the large scale morphodynamic development behaviour (Edmond and Slinger, 2009; Gelynese et al., 2010; Caldwel and Edmond, 2014). However mud transport is notoriously difficult to be defined properly in the model given the combined sensitivity to a few fundamental parameters (Partheniades, 1965; Mehta, 2014). It is thus not clearly known how mud have controls on development of large scale morphodynamics and the sensitivity to the mud property. @en

Model results suggest that 1) varying lateral bed-slope factor has strong impacts; larger value leads to gentler channel-shoal interface or smaller lateral channel bedslope. 2) Different sediment transport formulas lead to considerable differences in morphodynamic patterns. 3) Sediment transport formulas considering both suspension and bed load transport tolerate a smaller morphological acceleration factor and requires a larger bed-slope factor.@en

Estuarine morphodynamics undergo significant changes due to declined sediment supply from river, rising sea-level, and human interferences (Syvitski and Saito, 2007; Syvitski et al., 2009). The Yangtze Estuary is such a case whose decadal morphodynamic evolution was broadly examined. It was documented that the subaqueous delta shifted from deposition to erosion since the early 2000s due to sediment supply reduction after the Three Gorges Dam (Yang et al., 2015) while some others reported that the estuary mouth bar area sustains accretion until 2010 (Luan et al., 2016; Zhu et al., 2016). The mouth bar area of the Yangtze Estuary is where the turbidity maximum exists. To clarify the morphodynamic changes therein, we examine the two large scale shoals, i.e. the Hengsha flat and the Jiuduan shoal, based on bathymetric data between 1958 and 2016 and satellite images since 1985.@en