Dynamics of Large River-Derived Sediments in the Yellow Sea

The Yellow Sea, a marginal sea in the Western Pacific Ocean, receives and hosts a large amount of large river-derived sediments, including those from the Yangtze, Yellow, and paleo-Yellow (prior to 1855) Rivers. Seasonal variability of regional hydrodynamics and suspended sediment concentration (SSC) were captured by transections collected during the cruises in 2010-2012. High SSC were observed in both northern and western Yellow Sea, which was ascribed to the Yellow and paleo-Yellow river source, respectively, while the contribution from the Yangtze River is limited. Regional hydro- and sediment dynamics are jointly controlled by the Yellow Sea Warm Current (YSWC) and wind waves: 1) The presence of high SSC is strongly correlated with elevated significant wave height particularly in spring-winter seasons; 2) Seasonal variability of the location of the high SSC water coincided with that of thermal front as induced by the interactions between YSWC and monsoon-driven coastal current; 3) During fall and winter, high SSC water was confined shoreward of the thermal front because of strong resuspension in the shallow water; 4) During summer when wave is weak, only very low SSC was observed resulting in a limited sediment transport. Understanding of sediment transport process is of importance to interpretating the sedimentary records in this region at different time scales.