Tripod measured residual currents and sediment flux: Impacts on the silting of the Deepwater Navigation Channel in the Changjiang Estuary

Four bottom-mounted instrument-equipped tripods were deployed at two sections spanning the region characterized by severe sedimentation rates in the Deepwater Navigation Channel (DNC) along the North Passage of Changjiang Estuary in order to observe currents, near-bed suspended sediment, and salinity. Seaward residual currents predominated in the up-estuary section. In contrast, a classical two-layered estuarine circulation pattern occurred in the down-estuary section. Flow moved seaward in the upper layer and a heavier inflow, driven by the salinity gradient, moved landward in the lower layer. The near-bed residual currents in the up-estuary section and the down-estuary section acted in opposing directions, which implies that the region is a convergence zone of near-bed residual currents that trap sediment at the bottom. The maximum salinity gradient at the maximum flood current indicates the presence of a strong front that induces sediment trapping and associated near-bottom convergence of sediment, which explains the high sedimentation rates in this section of the estuary.