Combined Effects of Unsteady River Discharges and Wave Conditions on River Mouth Bar Morphodynamics
Abstract River mouth bar formation, a key process in fluvial‐deltaic morphodynamics, is subject to both river discharge and waves. Given the increasing variability of both forcings under continuous climate change and human interventions, assessing their combined effects on mouth bar formation is an...
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| Main Authors: | , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Wiley
2018-12-01
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| Series: | Geophysical Research Letters |
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1029/2018GL080447 |
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| _version_ | 1850134885254037504 |
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| author | Weilun Gao Dongdong Shao Zheng Bing Wang William Nardin Wei Yang Tao Sun Baoshan Cui |
| author_facet | Weilun Gao Dongdong Shao Zheng Bing Wang William Nardin Wei Yang Tao Sun Baoshan Cui |
| author_sort | Weilun Gao |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract River mouth bar formation, a key process in fluvial‐deltaic morphodynamics, is subject to both river discharge and waves. Given the increasing variability of both forcings under continuous climate change and human interventions, assessing their combined effects on mouth bar formation is an imperative issue. In this study, an extensive set of combined high and low river flows coupled with varying wave conditions and sediment grain sizes was assumed for numerical experiments conducted in Delft3D‐SWAN. The results suggested that three regimes existed for mouth bar formation, namely, stable, ephemeral, and absent. These regimes corresponded to consistently weak, initially‐weak‐then‐strong, and initially strong relative wave strengths, respectively, during the onset and reworking stages. Suppression of mouth bar formation further led to the inhibition of deltaic distributary networks. These findings have important implications for water and sediment management strategies, such as water diversion and dam regulation, in estuaries and deltas to prevent coastal erosion. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-39ea6d7f9d5346299d7412e62f96d23c |
| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 0094-8276 1944-8007 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2018-12-01 |
| publisher | Wiley |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Geophysical Research Letters |
| spelling | doaj-art-39ea6d7f9d5346299d7412e62f96d23c2025-08-20T02:31:37ZengWileyGeophysical Research Letters0094-82761944-80072018-12-01452312,90312,91110.1029/2018GL080447Combined Effects of Unsteady River Discharges and Wave Conditions on River Mouth Bar MorphodynamicsWeilun Gao0Dongdong Shao1Zheng Bing Wang2William Nardin3Wei Yang4Tao Sun5Baoshan Cui6State Key Laboratory of Water Environment Simulation and School of Environment Beijing Normal University Beijing ChinaState Key Laboratory of Water Environment Simulation and School of Environment Beijing Normal University Beijing ChinaState Key Laboratory of Water Environment Simulation and School of Environment Beijing Normal University Beijing ChinaHorn Point Laboratory University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science Cambridge MD USAState Key Laboratory of Water Environment Simulation and School of Environment Beijing Normal University Beijing ChinaState Key Laboratory of Water Environment Simulation and School of Environment Beijing Normal University Beijing ChinaState Key Laboratory of Water Environment Simulation and School of Environment Beijing Normal University Beijing ChinaAbstract River mouth bar formation, a key process in fluvial‐deltaic morphodynamics, is subject to both river discharge and waves. Given the increasing variability of both forcings under continuous climate change and human interventions, assessing their combined effects on mouth bar formation is an imperative issue. In this study, an extensive set of combined high and low river flows coupled with varying wave conditions and sediment grain sizes was assumed for numerical experiments conducted in Delft3D‐SWAN. The results suggested that three regimes existed for mouth bar formation, namely, stable, ephemeral, and absent. These regimes corresponded to consistently weak, initially‐weak‐then‐strong, and initially strong relative wave strengths, respectively, during the onset and reworking stages. Suppression of mouth bar formation further led to the inhibition of deltaic distributary networks. These findings have important implications for water and sediment management strategies, such as water diversion and dam regulation, in estuaries and deltas to prevent coastal erosion.https://doi.org/10.1029/2018GL080447river mouth bardeltaic distributary networkunsteady river dischargecoastal wavesnumerical modeling |
| spellingShingle | Weilun Gao Dongdong Shao Zheng Bing Wang William Nardin Wei Yang Tao Sun Baoshan Cui Combined Effects of Unsteady River Discharges and Wave Conditions on River Mouth Bar Morphodynamics Geophysical Research Letters river mouth bar deltaic distributary network unsteady river discharge coastal waves numerical modeling |
| title | Combined Effects of Unsteady River Discharges and Wave Conditions on River Mouth Bar Morphodynamics |
| title_full | Combined Effects of Unsteady River Discharges and Wave Conditions on River Mouth Bar Morphodynamics |
| title_fullStr | Combined Effects of Unsteady River Discharges and Wave Conditions on River Mouth Bar Morphodynamics |
| title_full_unstemmed | Combined Effects of Unsteady River Discharges and Wave Conditions on River Mouth Bar Morphodynamics |
| title_short | Combined Effects of Unsteady River Discharges and Wave Conditions on River Mouth Bar Morphodynamics |
| title_sort | combined effects of unsteady river discharges and wave conditions on river mouth bar morphodynamics |
| topic | river mouth bar deltaic distributary network unsteady river discharge coastal waves numerical modeling |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1029/2018GL080447 |
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