Abstract
Systematic morphological changes of the coastline of the outer Yangtze River mouth in response to storms versus calm weather were documented by daily surveys of tidal marshes and flats between April 1999 and May 2001 and by boat surveys offshore during this and earlier periods. The largest single event during 1999 to 2001 was Typhoon Paibaian, which eroded the unvegetated tidal flat and lower marsh and led to accretion on the middle-to-upper marsh and in the subtidal channel. The greatest erosion of 21 cm occurred at the border between the marsh and the unvegetated flat due to the landward retreat of the marsh edge during the storm. Strong waves on the flats increased suspended sediment concentration by 10–20 times. On the upper marsh, where the frequency of submergence by astronomical tides is only 3%, Typhoon Paibian led to 4 cm of accretion, accounting for 57% of the net accretion observed over the 2-yr study. Typhoon Paibian led to 4 cm of accretion, accounting for 57% of the net accretion observed over the 2-yr study. Typhoon Paibian and other large storms in the 1990s caused over 50 cm of accretion along the deep axis of the river mouth outlet channel. During calm weather, when hydrodynamic energy was dominated by tides, deposition was centered on the unvegetated flats and lower, marsh with little deposition on the high marsh and erosion in the subtidal channel. Depositional recovery of the tidal flat from typhoon-induced erosion took only several days, whereas recovery of the subtidal channel by erosion took several weeks. A conceptual model for the morphological responses of tidal marshes, flats, and subtidal channels to storms and calm weather is proposed such that sediment continually moves from regions of highest near-bed energy towards areas of lower energy.
Similar content being viewed by others
Literature Cited
Alizai, S. A. K. andJ. McManus. 1980. The significance of reed beds on siltation in the Tay estuary.Proceedings of the Royal Society Edinburgh 78:1–13.
Boorman, L. A., A. Garbutt, andD. Barratt. 1998. The role of vegetation in determining patterns of the accretion of salt marsh sediment, p. 389–400.In K. S. Black, D. M. Paterson, and A. Cramp (eds.), Sedimentary Processes in the Intertidal Zone. The Geological Society. London, U.K..
Bricker-Urso, S., S. W. Nixon, J. K. Cochran, D. J. Hirschberg, andC. Hunt. 1989. Accretion rates and sediment accumulation in Rhode Island salt marshes.Estuaries 12:300–317.
Cahoon, D. R., J. C. Lynch, andA. N. Powell. 1996. Marsh vertical accretion in a Southern California estuary, U.S.A.Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science 43:19–32.
Cahoon, D. R. andD. J. Reed. 1995. Relationships among marsh surface topography, hydroperiod, and soil accretion in a deteriorating Louisiana salt marsh.Journal of Coastal Research 11:357–369.
Childers, D. L. andJ. W. Day. 1990. Direct quantification of nutrient and material fluxes between microtidal Gulf Coast wetlands and the estuarine water column.Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science 27:483–494.
Day, J. W., D. Pont, P. F. Hensel, andC. IBanez. 1995. Impacts of sea-level rise on deltas in the Gulf of Mexico and Mediterranean: The importance of pulsing events to sustainability.Estuaries 18:636–647.
Day, J. W., J. Rybczyk, F. Scarton, A. Rismondo, D. Are, andG. Cecconi. 1999. Soil accretionary dynamics, sea-level rise and the survival of wetlands in Venice lagoon: A field and modelling approach.Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science 49:607–628.
Dyer, K. 1986. Coastal and Estuarine Sediment Dynamics., Wiley, New York.
Esselink, P., K. S. Dijkema, S. Reents, andG. Hageman. 1998. Vertical accretion and profile changes in abandoned manmade tidal marshes in the Dollard estuary, the Netherlands.Journal of Coastal Research 14:570–582.
Finkelstein, K. andC. S. Hardaway. 1988. Late Holocene sedimentation and erosion of estuarine fringing marshes, York River, Virginia.Journal of Coastal Research 4:447–456.
French, J. R. 1994. Tide-dominated coastal wetlands and accelerated sea-level rise: A northwestern European perspective.Journal of Coastal Research 12:91–101.
French, J. R. andT. Spencer. 1993. Dynamics of sedimentation in a tide-dominated backbarrier salt marsh, Norfolk, U.K..Marine Geology 110:315–331.
French, J. R., T. Spencer, A. L. Murray, andN. S. Arnold. 1995. Geostatistical analysis of sediment deposition in two small tidal wetlands, Norfolk, U.K.Journal of Coastal Research 11:308–321.
Friedrichs, C. T. andD. G. Aubrey. 1996. Uniform bottom shear stress and equilibrium hypsometry of intertidal flats, p. 421–452.In C. Pattiaratchi (ed.), Mixing Processes in Estuaries and Coastal Seas. American Geophysical Union, Washington, D.C.
Friedrichs, C. T. andJ. E. Perry. 2001. Tidal salt marsh morphodynamics.Journal of Coastal Research 27:7–37.
Gleason, M. L., D. A. Elmer, N. C. Pien, andJ. S. Fisher. 1979. Effects of storm density upon sediment retention by saltmarsh cord grass,Spartina alterniflora Loisel.Estuaries 2:271–273.
Goodbred, S. L. andA. C. Hines. 1995. Coastal storm deposition: Salt-marsh response to a severe extratropical storm, March 1993, west-central Florida.Geology 23:679–682.
Group of Shanghai Coastal Comprehensive Investigation (GSCCI). 1988. Report of the Shanghai Coastal Comprehensive Investigation. Shanghai Scientific and Technologic Publisher. Shanghai, China. (in Chinese)
Group of Shanghai Islands Comprehensive Investigation (GSICI). 1996. Report of the Shanghai Islands Comprehensive Investigation. Shanghai Scientific and Technologic Publisher, Shanghai, China. (in Chinese)
Hensel, P. F., J. W. Day, andD. Pont. 1999. Wetland vertical accretion and soil elevation change in the Rhone river delta, France: The importance of riverine flooding.Journal of Coastal Research 15:668–681.
Kirby, R. 1992. Effects of sea-level on muddy coastal margins, p. 313–334.In D. Prandle (ed.), Dynamics and Exchanges in Estuaries and the Coastal Zone. American Geophysical Union, Washington, D.C.
Kirby, R. 2000. Practical implications of tidal flat shape.Continental Shelf Research 20:1061–1077.
Kirby, R., R. J. Bleakley, S. T. C. Weatherup, P. J. Raven, andN. D. Donaldson. 1993. Effect of episodic events on tidal flat stability, Ardmillan Bay, Strangford Lough, Northern Ireleand, p. 378–392.In A. J. Mehta (ed.), Nearshore and Estuarine Cohesive Sediment Transport. American Geophysical Union. Washington, D.C..
Klein, G. DeVries. 1985. Intertidal flats and intertidal sand bodies, p. 187–224In R. A. Davis (ed.), Coastal Sedimentary Environments. Springer-Verlag, New York.
Komar, P. D. 1976. Beach Processes and Sedimentation. Prentice-Hall. Englewood, New Jersey.
Leonard, L. A. 1997. Controls of sediment transport and deposition in an incised mainland marsh basin, southeastern North CarolinaWetlands 17:263–274.
Leonard, L. A., A. C. Hine, andM. E. Luther. 1995a. Surficial sediment transport and deposition processes in aJuncus roemerianus marsh, west-central Florida.Journal of Coastal Research 11:322–336.
Leonard, L. A., A. C. Hine, M. E. Luther, R. P. Stumpf, andE. E. Wright. 1995b. Sediment transport processes in a westcentral Florida open marine marsh tidal creek; the role of tides and extra-tropical storms.Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science 41:225–248.
Moeller, I. andT. Spencer. 2002. Wave dissipation over macrotidal saltmarshes: Effects of marsh edge typology and vegetation change.Journal of Coastal Research 36:506–521.
National Technological Supervision Bureau of China (NTSBC). 1992. Marine meteorological observations. The Specification for Oceanography Survey. National Standard of the Peoples Republic of China. Beijing, China.
Nichols, M. M. andR. B. Biggs. 1985. Estuaries, p. 77–186.In R. A. Davis (ed.), Coastal Sedimentary Environments, Springer-Verlag, New York.
Nyman, J. A., C. R. Crozier, andR. D. DeLaune. 1995. Roles and patterns of hurricane sedimentation in an estuarine marsh landscape.Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science 40:665–679.
Nyman, J. A., R. D. DeLaune, H. H. Roberts, andW. H. Patrick. 1993. Relationship between vegetation and soil formation in a rapidly submerging coastal marsh.Marine Ecology Progress Series 96:269–279.
O'Brien, D. J., R. J. S. Whitehouse, andA. Cramp. 2000. The cyclic development of a macrotidal mudflat on varying time-scales.Continental Shelf Research 20:1593–1619.
Pethick, J. S. 1992. Saltmarsh geomorphology, p. 41–62.In J. R. L. Allen and K. Pye (eds.), Saltmarshes: Morphodynamics, Conservation and Engineering Significance. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, U.K.
Postma, H. 1967. Sediment transport and sedimentation, p. 153–186.In G. H. Lauff (ed.), Estuaries, American Association for the Advancement of Science, Washington, D.C.
Pritchard, D., A. J. Hogg, andW. Roberts. 2002. Morphological modeling of intertidal mudflats: The role of cross-shore tidal currents.Continental Shelf Research 22:1887–1895.
Reed, D. J. 1989. Patterns of sediment deposition in subsiding coastal salt marshes: The role of winter storms.Estuaries 12: 222–227.
Reed, D. J. 1990. The impact of sea-level rise on coastal salt marshes.Progress in Physical Geography 14:465–481.
Reed, D. J., T. Spencer, A. L. Murray, J. R. French, andL. Leonard. 1999. Marsh surface sediment deposition and the role of tidal creeks: Implications for created and managed coastal marshes.Journal of Coastal Conservation 5:81–90
Rejmanek, M., C. E. Sasser, andG. W. Peterson. 1988. Hurricane-induced sediment deposition in a Gulf Coast marsh.Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science 27:217–222.
Ren, M. E., R. S. Zhang, andJ. H. Yang. 1985. The influence of storm tide on mud plain coast with special reference to Jiangsu Province.Journal of Coastal research 1:21–28.
Roberts, W., P. Le Hir, andR. J. S. Whitehouse. 2000. Investigations using simple mathematical models of the effect of tidal currents and waves on the profile shape of intertidal mudflats.Continental Shelf Research 20:1079–1097.
Shi, Z. andJ. Y. Chen. 1996. Morphodynamics and sediment dynamics on intertidal mudflats in China (1961–1994).Continental Shelf Research 16:1909–1926.
Stevenson, J. C., L. G. Ward, andM. S. Kearney. 1988. Sediment transport and trapping in marsh system: Implication of tidal flux students.Marine Geology 80:37–59.
Stumpf, R. P. 1983. The processes of sedimentation on the surface of a salt marsh.Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science 17:495–508.
Wang, B. C. andD. Eisma. 1990. Supply and deposition of sediment along the north bank of Hangzhou Bay, P.R. China.Netherlands Journal of Sea Research 25:377–390.
Wang, F. C., T. S. Lu, andW. B. Sikora. 1993. Intertidal marsh suspended sediment transport processes, Terrebonne Bay. Louisiana, U.S.A.Journal, of Coastal Research 9:209–220.
Wells, J. T. andJ. M. Coleman. 1987. Wetland loss and the subdelta life cycle.Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science 25:111–125.
Wells, J. T. andY.-A. Park. 1992. Observations on shelf and subtidal channel flow: Implications of sediment dispersal seaward of the Keum River estuary, Korea.Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science 34:365–379.
Yang, S. L. 1998. The role of Sirpus marsh in attenuation of hydrodynamics and retention of fine sediment in the Yangtze estuary.Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science 47:227–233.
Yang, S. L. 1999a. Sedimentation on a growing intertidal island in the Yangtze river mouth.Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science 49:401–410.
Yang, S. L. 1999b. Tidal wetland sedimentation in the Yangtze Delta.Journal of Coestal Research 15:1091–1099.
Yun, C. X. 1983. Tidal flat erosion-accretion processes and sediment exchanges in the Changjiang (Yangtze) estuary.Journal of Sediment Research 3:235–244. (in Chinese with an English abstract)
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Yang, SL., Friedrichs, C.T., Shi, Z. et al. Morphological response of tidal marshes, flats and channels of the Outer Yangtze River mouth to a major storm. Estuaries 26, 1416–1425 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02803650
Received:
Revised:
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02803650