Estimation of critical shear stress for erosion in the Changjiang Estuary: A synergy research of observation, GOCI sensing and modeling

Simulating the sediment transport in a high-turbidity region with spatially varying bed properties is challenging. A comprehensive strategy that integrates multiple methods is applied here to retrieve the critical shear stress for erosion, which plays a major role in suspended sediment dynamics in the Changjiang Estuary (CE). Time-series of sea surface suspended sediment concentration (SSC) were retrieved from the Geostationary Ocean Color Imager (GOCI) satellite data at hourly intervals (for 8 h each day) and combined with hydrodynamic modeling of high-resolution CE Finite-Volume Community Ocean Model (CE-FVCOM) to estimate the near-bed critical shear stress in the clay-dominated bed region (plasticity index > 7%). An experimental algorithm to determine the in situ critical shear stress via the plasticity index method was also used to verify the GOCI-derived critical shear stress. Implemented with this new critical shear stress, the sediment transport model significantly improved the simulation of the distribution and spatial variability of the SSC during the spring and neap tidal cycles in the CE. The results suggest that a significant lateral water exchange between channels and shoals occurred during the spring flood tide, which led to a broader high-SSC area in the CE throughout the water column.