Morphological variation and sediment dynamic in a cape-bay beach with a tidal channel around (Sanshan Daobeach, west coast of Laizhou Bay, China)

Grain size distrbution of surface sediments exhibits a transverse regular as well as slight biannual variations. Futher analysis indicates that morphodynamic process varies in the four sedimentary units and the tidal channel plays a significate role on the sedimentation of the subaqueous area. An analysis combined Grain Size Trend Analysis model (GSTA) with topographic changes and collected hydrodynamic reveals the sediment dynamic process in both subaerial beach and subaqueous beach. They jointly indicate that: 1) the westward tidal current (ebb current)is the donimant force in the subaqueous beachas well as the key factor for the formation of tidal channel system;2) wave strength dominates the morphodynamic at the subaerial beach; 3) the effects of swash wave and boundary current are presumed the secondary dynamics at low-tidal beach and edges of the tidal channel system, respectively.