Analysis of wave shoaling and shore-breakers on a low tide terrace beach based on in-situ measurements at Xisha Bay on South China coast

Low tide terrace beach is a main beach type along South China coasts with strong tidal actions.How strong tides affect wave transformations on low tide terrace beach still remains unclear.In this study,in-situ measurements are conducted on the low terrace beach at Xisha Bay to provide quantitative descriptions of wave shoaling and shore-breaker phenomena under the tidal effects.It is found that wave breaking is unsaturated on the low tide terrace beach at Xisha Bay.Magnitudes of wave skewness and asymmetry increase as wave shoals and achieve the maximum value at the shore-breaker,and then decrease rapidly.Mean energy dissipation rates of shore-breakers are tide-modulated since the bottom slope changes at the shoreward boundary of wave propagation in a tidal cycle.The remaining wave energy flux at the initialization of the shore-breaker is 1%–12%of offshore wave energy flux,and the energy flux ratio decreases with increasing offshore wave heights.Wave attenuation at shore-breakers can be estimated directly from offshore wave conditions based on findings in this study,favoring designs of seawalls or beach nourishment projects.Field datasets on wave transformations can also be used for verifications of wave numerical models.

Thermodynamics and Microphysical Characteristics of an Extreme Rainfall Event Under the Influence of a Low-level Jet over the South China Coast

In this paper,the data of Automatic Weather Stations(AWSs),ERA5 reanalysis,sounding,wind profile radar,and dual-polarization radar are used to study an extreme rainfall event in the south China Coast on 11 to 12 May 2022 from the aspects of thermodynamics and microphysical characteristics under the influence of low-level jets(LLJs).Results show that:(1)The extreme rainfall event can be divided into two stages:the first stage(S1)from 0000 to 0600 LST on May 12 and the second stage(S2)from 0700 to 1700 LST on the same day.During S1,the rainfall is mainly caused by the upper-level shortwave trough and the boundary layer jet(BLJ),characterized by strong upward motion on the windward side of mountains.In S2,the combined influence of the BLJ and synoptic-system-related low-level jet(SLLJ)increases the vertical wind shear and vertical vorticity,strengthening the rainstorm.In combination with the effect of topography,a warm and humid southwest flow continuously transports water vapor to farther north,resulting in a significant increase in rainfall over the study area(on the terrain’s windward slope).From S1 to S2,the altitude of a divergence center in the upper air decreases obviously.(2)The rainfalls in the two stages are both associated with the mesoscale convergence line(MCL)on the surface,and the wind field from the mesoscale outflow boundary(MOB)in S1 is in the same direction as the environmental winds.Due to a small area of convergence that is left behind the MOB,convection moves eastward quickly and causes a short duration of heavy rainfall.In S2,the convergence along the MOB is enhanced,which strengthens the rainfall and leads to strong outflows,further enhancing the surface convergence near the MOB and forming a positive feedback mechanism.It results in a slow motion of convection and a long duration of heavy rainfall.(3)In terms of microphysics,the center of a strong echo in S1 is higher than in S2.The warm-rain process of the oceanic type characterizes both stages,but the convective intensity in S2 is significantly stronger than that in S1,featuring bigger drop sizes and lower concentrations.It is mainly due to the strengthening of LLJs,which makes small cloud droplets lift to melting levels,enhancing the ice phase process(riming process),producing large amounts of graupel particles and enhancing the melting and collision processes as they fall,resulting in the increase of liquid water content(LWC)and the formation of large raindrops near the surface.

A study on Holocene aeolian shell-clastic sandstonesalong the coasts of South China andthe analysis of its formation

The Holocene aeolian shell-clastic sandstones at 13 places along the coasts of Fujian, Guangdong and Hainan Provinces are studied in the following respects; describing their features from both macroscopic and microscopic views, listing their distributions, altitudes and forming ages, and discussing the nomenclatures of this kind of rock and its differences from beach rock.

Coastal dune rock development and Holocene climate changes in South China

Coastal dune rocks in China are eolian sands cemented by calcium carbonate under subaerial conditions, widely distributing on the tropical and subtropical coasts of South China. Particular temperature and precipitation as well as local wave and landform conditions are required for the formation of the dune rocks. A correspondence was found between Holocene environmental changes and coastal dune rock development by comparing the features of the sea-level and climate changes in the Holocene period with the ages, scales, and cementation of the dune rocks on the South China coasts. The findings provide well grounded explanation for some problems unresolved in the past researches on the coastal dune rock in South China： （1） There were no dune rocks with ages older than 6000 years in South China because the dune rocks formed before 6000 a BP were covered by the sea water that rose in the later period; （2） the dune rocks with ages of around 3000 a BP were widely found in South China today because the coastal dunes were cumulated on a large scale at that time as a result of temperature falling after the end of Megathermal; （3） Medieval Warm Period was the main period for the eolian dunes to be cemented into the coastal dune rocks in South China; （4） lack of dune rocks of younger than 1000 a BP was accounted for by that the climate conditions in recent one thousand years were not suitable for the cementation.

Preliminary research on sea-level changes of the South China coast since late Epipleistocene

Several views on sea-level changes of the South China coast are briefly introduced in this paper. On the basis of 236 samples whose ages are determined by 14C chronological method and their sites are corrected with ancient water depth and crustal deformation, a basic model about sea-level changes of the South China coast since late Epipleistocene is set up. This model basically accords with the general cognitions of predecessors, i. e. it not only represents the common characteristics of sea-level changes of the East China coast but has some features of the South China coast itself. In general, this model is relatively close to the Fairbridge's curve, indicating that the sea-level undulations exist since 6 ka ago but the ranges of undulations are slightly larger than those of Fairbridge's curve.