Hydrodynamical transport structure and lagrangian connectivity of circulations in the Pearl River Estuary

Chu，Nanyang1,2; Liu，Guangliang3; Xu，Jie1,4; Yao，Peng5; Du，Yan4,6,7; Liu，Zhiqiang8; Cai，Zhongya1,2

2022-10-14

10.3389/fmars.2022.996551

Frontiers in Marine Science   Impact Factor & Quartile

2296-7745

Using a three-dimensional (3D) hydrodynamic model, this study explored the seasonal hydrodynamic transport structure in the Pearl River Estuary and illustrated the intrinsic connectivity under multiscale motions from a Lagrangian perspective. Generally, the surface Lagrangian residual current (U) is uniformly southwestward/southeastward in summer/winter, with a stronger intensity in the lower estuary. The bottom U features in the southeastward direction in the upper estuary and northwest direction in the lower estuary. The fluvial–tide interaction line advances southeastward and northwestward in summer and winter, respectively. The U captured the major transport processes and was in good agreement with the mean surface sediment transport patterns. In the transition region between Lantau Island and Neilingding Island, where it is largely affected by the interaction between the periodic tidal current and river discharge, the spatially averaged U showed intensified intratidal variations and had a larger difference with the locally temporally averaged Eulerian residual current. The remarkable Lagrangian coherent structures that illustrated the transport paths and transport convergence regions were identified, which are generally consistent with the bottom sediment depocenters. Based on the Lagrangian connectivity analysis, it was revealed that a barrier between the western and eastern estuaries existed, which was weakened by the strong river discharge during summer. Two convergence regions near the Macau and Hong Kong waters were identified, where the sediment and pollutants easily settled. The study demonstrated the importance of the Lagrangian view in understanding the hydrodynamic process and transport structure in the estuary–shelf regions.

circulation connectivity hydrodynamical transport structure Lagrangian analysis pearl river estuary residual current

SCI

English

Corresponding

Science and Technology Development Fund of Macau["0093/2020/A2","SKL-IOTSC(UM)-2021-20 23","EF007/IOTSCCZY/2022/HKUST"] ; China Postdoctoral Science Foundation[2021M703788] ; Science, Technology and Innovation Commission of Shenzhen Municipality[JCYJ20210324105401004] ; Special Fund of Shandong Province for PilotNational Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology (Qingdao)[2022QNLM010203-1] ; Guangdong Basic and Applied Basic Research Foundation[2021B1515120080] ; National Natural Science Foundation of China[42276004]

Environmental Sciences & Ecology ; Marine & Freshwater Biology

Environmental Sciences ; Marine & Freshwater Biology

WOS:000876995800001

FRONTIERS MEDIA SA

2-s2.0-85140836660

Scopus

1.State Key Laboratory of Internet of Things for Smart City,Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering,University of Macau,Macao
2.State Key Laboratory of Internet of Things for Smart City,Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering,University of Macau,Macao
3.Shandong Provincial Key Laboratory of Computer Networks,Qilu University of Technology,Shandong Academy of Sciences,Jinan,China
4.State Key Laboratory of Tropical Oceanography,South China Sea Institute of Oceanology,Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS),Guangzhou,China
5.College of Harbor,Coastal and Offshore Engineering,Hohai University,Nanjing,China
6.University of Chinese Academy of Sciences,Beijing,China
7.Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Guangzhou),Guangzhou,China
8.Department of Ocean Science and Engineering,Southern University of Science and Technology,Shenzhen,China

Chu，Nanyang,Liu，Guangliang,Xu，Jie,et al. Hydrodynamical transport structure and lagrangian connectivity of circulations in the Pearl River Estuary[J]. Frontiers in Marine Science,2022,9.

Chu，Nanyang.,Liu，Guangliang.,Xu，Jie.,Yao，Peng.,Du，Yan.,...&Cai，Zhongya.(2022).Hydrodynamical transport structure and lagrangian connectivity of circulations in the Pearl River Estuary.Frontiers in Marine Science,9.

Chu，Nanyang,et al."Hydrodynamical transport structure and lagrangian connectivity of circulations in the Pearl River Estuary".Frontiers in Marine Science 9(2022).