Morphodynamics and tidal flow asymmetry of the Huanghe River Estuary

The asymmetry of flood and ebb plays an important role in the process of sediment transport and geomor-phological evolution, which is a significant feature of the flow field in estuaries. The erosion and accumulation, sediment transport and sediment characteristics in the Huanghe River Estuary based on the measured topography, sediment particle size, hydrological and sediment observation data were analyzed in this paper. The Delft 3D model was used to simulate the flow field in the Huanghe River Estuary, and the spatial distribution of magnitude differences between flood and ebb velocities under different conditions were calculated. Combining the above, the dynamic mechanism of erosion and accretion in coastal area of the Huanghe River Estuary was discussed. The results show that there are multiple siltation and erosion centers distributed between the active river mouth and the Laizhou Bay. There is a noticeable asymmetry of flood and ebb velocities in the area, and there is the flood dominant area off the active river mouth, extending the Laizhou Bay southward in a tongue shape, while the near shore and the Laizhou Bay are dominated by ebb. The erosion and deposition in the Huanghe River Estuary are largely controlled by the spatial distribution of flow velocity asymmetry and the conversion of dominant flow. The strong north wind strengthens and expands flood-dominance, and promotes siltation and coarsening of sediment in the Laizhou Bay.