Tetrabromobisphenol A and hexabromocyclododecane in sediments from the Zhujiang(Pearl) River Estuary and South China Sea

Marine sediments collected from the Zhujiang(Pearl) River Estuary(ZRE) and South China Sea(SCS) were utilized to study the occurrence and spatial distribution of tetrabromobisphenol A(TBBPA) and hexabromocyclododecane(HBCDD).The levels of TBBPA and HBCDD in sediments ranged from not detected(nd) to 6.14 ng/g dry weight(dw) and nd to 0.42 ng/g dw.TBBPA concentrations in marine sediments were substantially higher than HBCDD.The concentrations of TBBPA and HBCDD in the ZRE sediments were significantly greater than those in the SCS.α-HBCDD(48.7%) and γ-HBCDD(46.2%) were the two main diastereoisomers of HBCDD in sediments from the ZRE,with minor contribution of β-HBCDD(5.1%).HBCDD were only found in one sample from the northern SCS.The enantiomeric fraction of α-HBCDD in sediments from the ZRE was obviously greater than 0.5,indicating an accumulation of(+)-α-HBCDD.The enantiomers of HBCDD were not measured in sediments from the SCS.This work highlighted the environmental behaviors of TBBPA and HBCDD in marine sediments.

Distribution Characteristics of COD in the Waters of Pearl River Estuary

The surveys on the COD in the Lingdingyang waters of Pearl River estuary were carried out in May and August of 2002. The results showed that the concentrations of COD in the waters ranged from 0,41 to 2.72 mg·L^-1 with an average of 1.21 mg·L^-1.The spatial distributions showed that COD concentration decreased gradually from the north to south of Pearl River estuary, and the concentration near coastal waters was higher than that in offshore waters. The concentration of COD in summer was higher than in spring. Evaluated by the first class （COD ≤ 2 mg·L^-1） of sea water quality standard （Chinese standard）, there were about 15 % of COD concentrations over the standard. The concentration of COD showed a positive correlation with the concentration of suspend substances in spring and summer, but in summer it showed a negative correlation with the concentrations of inorganic nitrate and phosphate.

An Optimal Algorithm for the Retrieval of Chlorophyll,Suspended Sediments and Gelbstoff of Case Ⅱ Waters in the Pearl River Estuary

An optimal algorithm for the retrieval of chlorophyll, suspended sediments and gelbstoff of case Ⅱ waters in the Pearl River estuary was established with the optical parameters derived from the in-situ data obtained in Jan. 2003 in the same area. And then, the chlorophyll, suspended sediments and gelbstoff of the SeaWiFS pixels on Jan. 29, 2003 corresponding to the in-situ sites of Jan. 25 and 26, 2003 were synchronously retrieved, with average relative errors of 14.9%, 12.1% and 13.6% for chlorophyll, suspended sediments and gelbstoff, respectively. The research results indicated that the optimal retrieval algorithm established here was relatively fit for the retrieval of the chlorophyll, suspended sediments and gelbstoff of case Ⅱ waters in the Pearl River estuary, and had quite good retrieval accuracy.

Industrial Carbon Emission Distribution and Regional Joint Emission Reduction:A Case Study of Cities in the Pearl River Basin,China

China’s low-carbon development path will make significant contributions to achieving global sustainable development goals.Due to the diverse natural and economic conditions across different regions in China,there exists an imbalance in the distribution of car-bon emissions.Therefore,regional cooperation serves as an effective means to attain low-carbon development.This study examined the pattern of carbon emissions and proposed a potential joint emission reduction strategy by utilizing the industrial carbon emission intens-ity(ICEI)as a crucial factor.We utilized social network analysis and Local Indicators of Spatial Association(LISA)space-time trans-ition matrix to investigate the spatiotemporal connections and discrepancies of ICEI in the cities of the Pearl River Basin(PRB),China from 2010 to 2020.The primary drivers of the ICEI were determined through geographical detectors and multi-scale geographically weighted regression.The results were as follows:1)the overall ICEI in the Pearl River Basin is showing a downward trend,and there is a significant spatial imbalance.2)There are numerous network connections between cities regarding the ICEI,but the network structure is relatively fragile and unstable.3)Economically developed cities such as Guangzhou,Foshan,and Dongguan are in the center of the network while playing an intermediary role.4)Energy consumption,industrialization,per capita GDP,urbanization,science and techno-logy,and productivity are found to be the most influential variables in the spatial differentiation of ICEI,and their combination in-creased the explanatory power of the geographic variation of ICEI.Finally,through the analysis of differences and connections in urban carbon emissions under different economic levels and ICEI,the study suggests joint carbon reduction strategies,which are centered on carbon transfer,financial support,and technological assistance among cities.

Discovery and inspiration of large-and medium-sized glutenite-rich oil and gas fields in the eastern South China Sea:An example from Paleogene Enping Formation in Huizhou 26 subsag,Pearl River Mouth Basin

Based on the practice of oil and gas exploration in the Huizhou Sag of the Pearl River Mouth Basin,the geochemical indexes of source rocks were measured,the reservoir development morphology was restored,the rocks and minerals were characterized microscopically,the measured trap sealing indexes were compared,the biomarker compounds of crude oil were extracted,the genesis of condensate gas was identified,and the reservoir-forming conditions were examined.On this basis,the Paleogene Enping Formation in the Huizhou 26 subsag was systematically analyzed for the potential of oil and gas resources,the development characteristics of large-scale high-quality conglomerate reservoirs,the trapping effectiveness of faults,the hydrocarbon migration and accumulation model,and the formation conditions and exploration targets of large-and medium-sized glutenite-rich oil and gas fields.The research results were obtained in four aspects.First,the Paleogene Wenchang Formation in the Huizhou 26 subsag develops extensive and thick high-quality source rocks of semi-deep to deep lacustrine subfacies,which have typical hydrocarbon expulsion characteristics of"great oil generation in the early stage and huge gas expulsion in the late stage",providing a sufficient material basis for hydrocarbon accumulation in the Enping Formation.Second,under the joint control of the steep slope zone and transition zone of the fault within the sag,the large-scale near-source glutenite reservoirs are highly heterogeneous,with the development scale dominated hierarchically by three factors(favorable facies zone,particle component,and microfracture).The(subaqueous)distributary channels near the fault system,with equal grains,a low mud content(<5%),and a high content of feldspar composition,are conducive to the development of sweet spot reservoirs.Third,the strike-slip pressurization trap covered by stable lake flooding mudstone is a necessary condition for oil and gas preservation,and the NE and nearly EW faults obliquely to the principal stress have the best control on traps.Fourth,the spatiotemporal configuration of high-quality source rocks,fault transport/sealing,and glutenite reservoirs controls the degree of hydrocarbon enrichment.From top to bottom,three hydrocarbon accumulation units,i.e.low-fill zone,transition zone,and high-fill zone,are recognized.The main area of the channel in the nearly pressurized source-connecting fault zone is favorable for large-scale hydrocarbon enrichment.The research results suggest a new direction for the exploration of large-scale glutenite-rich reservoirs in the Enping Formation of the Pearl River Mouth Basin,and present a major breakthrough in oil and gas exploration.

Inter-annual variations of dissolved oxygen and hypoxia off the northern Changjiang River(Yangtze River) Estuary in summer from 1997 to 2014

Hypoxia off the Changjiang River Estuary has been the subject of much attention,yet systematic observations have been lacking,resulting in a lack of knowledge regarding its long-term change and drivers.By revisiting the repeated surveys of dissolved oxygen(DO) and other relevant hydrographic parameters along the section from the Changjiang River Estuary to the Jeju-do in the summer from 1997 to 2014,rather different trends were revealed for the dual low-DO cores.The nearshore low-DO core,located close to the river mouth and relatively stable,shows that hypoxia has become more severe with the lowest DO descen ding at a rate of -0.07 mg/(L·a) and the thickness of low-DO zone rising at a rate of 0.43 m/a.The offshore core,centered around 40-m isobath but moving back and forth between 123.5°-125°E,shows large fluctuations in the minimum DO concentration,with the thickness of low-DO zone falling at a rate of -1.55 m/a.The probable factors affecting the minimum DO concentration in the two regions also vary.In the nearshore region,the decreasing minimum DO is driven by the increase in both stratification and primary productivity,with the enhanced extension of the Changjiang River Diluted Water(CDW) strengthening stratification.In the offshore region,the fluctuating trend of the minimum DO concentration indicates that both DO loss and DO supplement are distinct.The DO loss is primarily attributed to bottom apparent oxygen utilization caused by the organic matter decay and is also relevant to the advection of low-DO water from the nearshore region.The DO supplement is primarily due to weakened stratification.Our analysis also shows that the minimum DO concentration in the nearshore region was extremely low in 1998,2003,2007 and 2010,related to El Ni?o signal in these summers.

Biogeochemistry of sedimentary organic matter in the Yongjiang River estuary in the southern part of Hangzhou Bay,China,since the Late Pleistocene

A sediment core(YJK19-02)collected from the southern outlet of Hangzhou Bay near the Yongjiang River estuary in East China was analyzed for grain size,lignin,bulk elemental composition,stable carbon isotope,and rare earth elements(REEs)to determine the sources and diagenesis of sedimentary organic matter(OM)of the estuary and adjacent areas since the Late Pleistocene.δ^(13)C values(-24.80‰–-23.60‰),total organic carbon/total nitrogen(TOC/TN)molar ratios(8.00–12.14),and light rare earth element/heavy rare earth element ratios(LREE/HREE=8.34–8.91)revealed the predominance of terrestrial sources of OM,mainly from the Changjiang(Yangtze)River.The lignin parameters of syringyl/vanillyl(S/V=0.20–0.73)and cinnamyl/vanillyl(C/V=0.03–0.19)ratios indicate the predominance of nonwoody angiosperms,and the vanillic acid/vanillin ratios[(Ad/Al)_(V)=0.32–1.57]indicate medium to high degrees of lignin degradation.An increasing trend ofΛ(total lignin in mg/100-mg OC)values from ca.14500 a BP to ca.11000 a BP reflected the increase in temperature during the Late Pleistocene.However,a time lag effect of temperature on vegetation abundance was also revealed.The relatively higher and stableΛvalues correspond to the higher temperature during the mid-Holocene from ca.8500 a BP to ca.4500 a BP.Λvalues decreased from ca.4000 a BP to the present,corresponding to historical temperature fluctuations during this time.Our results show that the vegetation abundance in the Yongjiang River Basin since the Late Pleistocene was related to the temperature fluctuation duo to climate change.

Effects of phosphorus limitation on sinking velocities of phytoplankton during summer in the Changjiang River Estuary

The sinking of phytoplankton is critical to organic matter transportation in the ocean and it is an essential process for the formation of coastal hypoxic zones.This study was based on a field investigation conducted during the summer of 2022 in the Changjiang River(Yangtze River) Estuary(CJE) and its adjacent waters.The settling column method was employed to measure the sinking velocity(SV) of different size fractions of phytoplankton at the surface of the sea and to analyze their environmental control mechanisms.The findings reveal significant spatial variation in phytoplankton SV(-0.55-2.41 m/d) within the CJE.High-speed sinking was predominantly observed in phosphate-depleted regions beyond the CJE front.At the same time,an upward trend was more commonly observed in the phosphate-rich regions near the CJE mouth.The SV ranges for different sizefractionated phytoplankton,including micro-(>20 μm),nano-(2-20 μm),and picophytoplankton(0.7-2 μm),were-0.50-4.74 m/d,-1.04-1.59 m/d,and-1.24-1.65 m/d,respectively.Correlation analysis revealed a significant negative correlation between SV and dissolved inorganic phosphorus(DIP),implying that the influence of DIP contributes to SV.The variations in phytoplankton alkaline phosphatase activity suggested a significant increase in SV across all size fractions in the event of phosphorus limitation.Phytoplankton communities with limited photo synthetic capacity(maximum photochemical efficience,Fv/Fm <0.3) were found to have higher SV than that of communities with strong capacity,suggesting a link between sinking and alterations in physiological conditions due to phosphate depletion.The findings from the in situ phosphate enrichment experiments confirmed a marked decrease in SV following phosphate supplementation.These findings suggest that phosphorus limitation is the primary driver of elevated SV in the CJE.This study enhances the comprehension of the potential mechanisms underlying hypoxic zone formation in the CJE,providing novel insights into how nearshore eutrophication influences organic carbon migration.

Coastal hypoxia response to the coupling of catastrophic flood,extreme marine heatwave and typhoon:a case study off the Changjiang River Estuary in summer 2020

Massive bodies of low-oxygen bottom waters are found in coastal areas worldwide,which are detrimental to coastal ecosystems.In summer 2020,the response of coastal hypoxia to extreme weather events,including a catastrophic flooding,an extreme marine heatwave,and Typhoon Bavi,is investigated based on multiple satellite,four cruises,and mooring observations.The extensive fan-shaped hypoxia zone presents significant northward extension during July-September 2020,and is estimated as large as 13 000 km^(2) with rather low oxygen minimum(0.42 mg/L) during its peak in 28-30 August.This severe hypoxia is attributed to the persistent strong stratification,which is indicated by flood-induced larger amount of riverine freshwater input and subsequent marine heatwave off the Changjiang River Estuary.Moreover,the Typhoon Bavi has limited effect on the marine heatwave and coastal hypoxia in summer 2020.

Geometry and 3D seismic characterisation of post-rift normal faults in the Pearl River Mouth Basin,northern South China Sea

Based on high-resolution 3D seismic data acquired in the Pearl(Zhujiang)River Mouth Basin of the northern South China Sea,this study investigated the geometry,spatial extension,and throw distribution of the post-rift normal fault through detailed seismic interpretation and fault modeling.A total of 289 post-rift normal faults were identified in the study area and can be classified into four types:(1)isolated normal faults above the carbonate platform;(2)isolated normal faults cutting through the carbonate platform;(3)conjugate normal faults,and(4)connecting normal faults.Throw distribution analysis on the fault planes show that the vertical throw profiles of most normal fault exhibit flat-topped profiles.Isolated normal faults above the carbonate platform exhibit roughly concentric ellipses with maximum throw zones in the central section whereas the normal faults cutting through the carbonate platform miss the lowermost section due to the chaotic seismic reflections in the interior of the carbonate platform.The vertical throws of conjugate normal faults anomalously decrease toward their intersection region on the fault plane whereas the connecting normal faults present two maximum throw zones in the central section of the fault plane.According to the symmetric elliptical distribution model of fault throw,an estimation was made indicating that normal faults cutting through the carbonate platform extended downward between-1308 s and-1780 s(two-way travel time)in depth and may not penetrate the entire Liuhua carbonate platform.Moreover,it is observed that the distribution of karst caves on the top of the carbonate platform disaccord with those of hydrocarbon reservoirs and the post-rift normal faults cutting through the carbonate platform in the study area.We propose that these karst caves formed most probably by corrosive fluids derived from magmatic activities during the Dongsha event,rather than pore waters or hydrocarbons.

Impact of Hinterland Manufacturing on the Development of Container Ports: Evidence from the Pearl River Delta, China

Container ports and hinterland manufacturing are two important forces of the local participation in economic globalization.This study,taking the Pearl River Delta(PRD),China with an export-oriented economy as an example,applies Huff and panel regres-sion models to evaluate the impact of hinterland manufacturing on the development of container ports during the period of 1993–2019.The results show that 1)the spatial patterns of hinterlands for hub ports help to determine the distribution range and scale of economic variables that affect port throughput;2)the hinterland’s gross manufacturing output has universally positive influence on port through-put,wherein export-oriented processing and the entire manufacturing industry have significantly positive impact on port throughput in 1993–2011 and 2001–2019,respectively;3)the two internal structural factors related to an export-oriented economy,labor-intensive sectors and foreign-funded terminals,have positively moderate the direct influence of hinterland manufacturing on port throughput.Our results highlight the importance of local context in understanding port-manufacturing relationship in developing economies.Based on our findings,policy implications are further proposed to enhance port network organization in PRD.

High-quality Development of the Pearl River Night Tour in the Context of Deep Integration of Culture and Tourism

Urban night tourism is a new form of urban tourism development and an important driving force for the prosperity of urban night economy.As the most prestigious business card among many night tour projects in Guangzhou,the Pearl River water night tour has contributed to the development of Guangzhou s night economy,which cannot be underestimated.However,in the process of rapid development,there are also problems such as diversified operators,insufficient integration of intangible cultural elements,excessive commercial attributes,issues of tourism facilities and service facilities.Under the new stage of integrated development of culture and tourism,how to use mutual promotion of culture and tourism in the Pearl River night tour to seek innovative paths for high-quality development in the future is the main problem expected to be solved in this paper.Therefore,based on the perspective of culture and tourism integration,this paper analyzes the general situation and development status of the Pearl River night tour,and proposes five development strategies:the overall planning of culture and tourism integration,the deep integration of intangible cultural elements,the balance of commercial attributes and tourism attributes,the high integration of culture,business,tourism and education,and the creation of tourism atmosphere,in order to provide inspiration for the healthy,orderly and high-quality development of the Pearl River night tour.

Offshore Fault Geometrics in the Pearl River Estuary,Southeastern China:Evidence from Seismic Reflection Data

The Pearl River Estuary(PRE) is located at the onshore-offshore transition zone between South China and South China Sea Basin, and it is of great significant value in discussing tectonic relationships between South China block and South China Sea block and seismic activities along the offshore active faults in PRE. However, the researches on geometric characteristics of offshore faults in this area are extremely lacking. To investigate the offshore fault distribution and their geometric features in the PRE in greater detail, we acquired thirteen seismic reflection profiles in 2015. Combining the analysis of the seismic reflection and free-air gravity anomaly data, this paper revealed the location, continuity, and geometry of the littoral fault zone and other offshore faults in PRE. The littoral fault zone is composed of the major Dangan Islands fault and several parallel, high-angle, normal faults, which mainly trend northeast to northeast-to-east and dip to the southeast with large displacements. The fault zone is divided into three different segments by the northwest-trending faults. Moreover, the basement depth around Dangan Islands is very shallow, while it suddenly increases along the islands westward and southward. These has resulted in the islands and neighboring areas becoming the places where the stress accumulates easily. The seismogenic pattern of this area is closely related to the comprehensive effect of intersecting faults together with the low velocity layer.

Phytoplankton Assemblage Structure Shaped by Key Environmental Variables in the Pearl River Estuary, South China

Spatial distribution and temporal dynamics of phytoplankton community and their relationships with environmental factors were studied in the Pearl River Estuary(PRE), South China, in three seasons. Salinity was considered as the key environmental variable controlling horizontal distributions of phytoplankton community composition. A transition from dominance of freshwater diatoms(Aulacoseira granulata and A. granulata v. angustissima) to estuarine species(Skeletonema costatum and Pseudonitzschia delicatissima) was observed in the high flow season(summer) along the estuary gradient; in the low flow season(spring), the inner estuary was relatively homogeneous and some typical estuarine species could be found near the river mouth. In the normal flow season(autumn), a potentially toxic bluegreen species, Microcystis spp. was predominant in the middle reaches of the estuary, which should be seeded from upstream and transported downstream by river discharges. Phytoplankton abundance was negatively correlated with suspended solid content and nutrient concentration in the PRE, suggesting that turbidity and nutrient availability were the crucial factors regulating the algal biomass. Phytoplankton abundance in the outer estuary was enhanced by increasing irradiance and continued to be enhanced until phosphorus-limitation.

Chemometric study of spatial variations of environmental and ecological characteristics in the Zhujiang River (Pearl River) Estuary and adjacent waters

Chemometric approach based on principal component analysis（PCA） was utilized to examine the spatial variances of environmental and ecological characteristics in the Zhujiang River（Pearl River） Estuary and adjacent waters（ZREAW） in the South China Sea. The PCA result shows that the ZREAW can be divided into different zones according to the principal components and geographical locations of the study stations,and indicates that there are distinct regional variances on environmental features and the corresponding phytoplankton biomass and community structures among different areas. The spatial distribution of ecological features was implied to be influenced by various degrees of the different water resources,such as the Pearl River discharges,the coastal current and the oceanic water from the South China Sea. The variation of the biomass maximum zone and the complex impacts on the spatial distributions of phytoplankton biomass and production were also evaluated.

Effects of Nitrogen and Phosphorus on the Growth of Levanderina fissa:How It Blooms in Pearl River Estuary

Effects of nitrogen(N) and phosphorus(P) from different sources and at different concentrations on the growth of Levanderina fissa(= Gyrodinium instriatum) were studied in laboratory conditions. The findings might explain the recurrent blooms of this species in Pearl River Estuary, China. Results showed that nutrient limitation significantly inhibited the growth of L. fissa. The values of specific growth rate(μmax) and half-saturation nutrient concentration(KS) were 0.37 divisions/d and 8.49 μmol L^(-1) for N, and 0.39 divisions/d and 1.99 μmol L^(-1) for P, respectively. Based on KS values, dissolved inorganic N level in PRE was sufficient to support the high proliferation of L. fissa, while dissolved inorganic P concentration was far lower than the minimum requirement for its effective growth. L. fissa was not able to utilize dissolved organic N(DON) compounds such as urea, amino acids, and uric acid. However, it grew well by using a wide variety of dissolved organic P(DOP) sources like nucleotides, glycerophosphate, and 4-nitrophenylphosphate. The results from this study suggested that the ability in DOP utilization of L. fissa offers this species a competitive advantage in phytoplankton communities. The high level and continuous supply of DIN, enrichment of DOP, together with warm climate and low salinity in the Pearl River Estuary provided a suitable nutrient niche for the growth of L. fissa, and resulted in the recurrent blooms in the estuary.

Modeling of suspended sediment by coupled wave-current model in the Zhujiang(Pearl) River Estuary

A three-dimensional wave-current-sediment coupled numerical model is developed to understand the sediment transport dynamics in the Zhujiang(Pearl)River Estuary(ZRE),China.The model results are in good agreement with observed data,and statistics show good model skill scores.Numerical studies are conducted to assess the scenarios of suspended sediment in the ZRE under the effects of different forcing(river discharges,waves,and winds).The model results indicate that the estuarine gravitational circulation plays an important role in the development of estuarine turbidity maximum in the ZRE,particularly during neap tides.The increased river discharge can result in a seaward sediment transport.The suspended sediment concentration(SSC)in the bottom increases with both wave bottom orbital velocity and wave height.Because of the shallow water depth,the effect of waves on sediment in the west shoal is greater than that in the east channel.The southwesterly wind-induced wave affects the SSC more than those resulting from the northeasterly wind,while the northeasterly wind-driven circulation has a slightly greater influence on the SSC than that of the southwesterly wind.However,a steady southwesterly wind condition favors the increase of the SSC in the Lingding Bay more so than a steady northeasterly wind condition.If the other forcings are same,the averaged SSC under a steady southwesterly wind condition is about 1.1 times that resulting from a steady northeasterly wind.

Estimation of total suspended matter in the Zhujiang (Pearl) River estuary from Hyperion imagery

Although remote sensing data have been used to estimate total suspended matter （TSM） in coastal waters, it has limitations when applied to estuary waters in low spatial resolution situations. The spatial resolution of ocean color satellites such as SeaWiFS and MODIS is usually -1 km, and therefore is not adequate for small, local-scale areas such as the Zhujiang （Pearl） River estuary. In contrast, 30 m-resolution EO-1 Hyperion imagery has potential for studying TSM in localized areas. We measured the surface spectral radiance reflectance of the river estuary water in the visible and near infra-red spectral range. Sensitivity analysis indicated that the ratio of remote sensing reflectance at 813 nm （Rrs（813）） to reflectance at 559 nm （Rrs（559）） could be used to estimate TSM concentration, and a linear relationship was established between the ratio and in-situ TSM concentration. We applied the linear relationship to Hyperion imagery to map TSM concentration in the estuary. The Hyperion imagery provided sufficient spatial resolution to detect spatiotemporal changes in TSM concentrations in the estuary small estuary area. This study demonstrated the usefulness of Hyperion imagery for mapping the distribution of TSM in estuary waters. Keyword： Hyperion; total suspended matter （TSM）; Zhujiang （Pearl） River estuary

The influence of runoff and wind on the dispersion patterns of suspended sediment in the Zhujiang(Pearl) River Estuary based on MODIS data

Cloud-free moderate-resolution imaging spectroradiometer(MODIS) images of the Zhujiang(Pearl) River Estuary(ZRE) taken between 2002 and 2012 are retrieved and used to study the spatial and temporal patterns of suspended sediment concentrations(SSCs) across the estuary under runoff, wind, and tropical storm conditions.Five typical dispersal patterns of suspended sediments in the estuary are defined: Case I shows generally low SSCs under low dynamics; Case Ⅱ shows a river-dominant dispersal pattern of suspended sediments from the outlets,particularly from Modaomen, Jiaomen, Hengmen, and others; Case Ⅲ shows wind-dominant dispersal of high SSCs derived from the west shoal and southwesterly transport under a strong NE wind; Case IV is the combination of relatively large runoff and wind; and Case V is caused by a strong tropical storm with high river discharge and wind, which is characterized by the high SSCs across the entire estuary that are transported eastward by winddriven and buoyancy currents outside the estuary. Runoff is a dominant factor that controls seasonal and annual SSC variations in the ZRE, with the area of high SSCs being largest in the summer and smallest in the spring. The correlation coefficients between the monthly averaged river-suspended sediment discharge and the area of the high SSCs are approximately 0.6. The wind power over the west shoal increases with a wind speed, which induces more sediment resuspension and shows a close relationship between the wind speed and high SSC area.

Turbidity maximum formation and its seasonal variations in the Zhujiang(Pearl River)Estuary,southern China

Real-time observations in the field and numerical simulations（with Delft3D） were combined to study the formation, distribution and the relevant influencing factors of turbidity maximum（TM） in the Zhujiang（Pearl River） Estuary（ZE）. The spatial distribution pattern of the TM varies with the longitudinal distributions of salinity and suspended sediment concentration（SSC）. The SSC is enhanced and the TM is intensified during dry seasons,whereas the center of the TM moves upstream by a distance of 10 km during wet seasons. The formation of the TM is influenced by a complex combination of numerous factors, including tides, river discharges and topography, wherein sediment resuspension and vertical circulation dominate the formations and variability of the TM.