Seasonal Variation of Catenary-Bead Dunes in the Yangtze River Estuary: Causes and Implications
Low-angle lee-side slopes of dunes are commonly developed on the world’s riverbeds, and dune migration associated with sediment transport exert a major influence on riverine processes. However, the catenary-bead dune has been identified in the Yangtze River (YR) Estuary, featuring a higher lee-side...
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MDPI AG
2022-06-01
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| Series: | Journal of Marine Science and Engineering |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2077-1312/10/7/886 |
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| author | Shuwei Zheng Xinmeng Yuan Suxian Yang Heqin Cheng Xingjie Guo Yurong Cui Enfeng Liu Zijun Li |
| author_facet | Shuwei Zheng Xinmeng Yuan Suxian Yang Heqin Cheng Xingjie Guo Yurong Cui Enfeng Liu Zijun Li |
| author_sort | Shuwei Zheng |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Low-angle lee-side slopes of dunes are commonly developed on the world’s riverbeds, and dune migration associated with sediment transport exert a major influence on riverine processes. However, the catenary-bead dune has been identified in the Yangtze River (YR) Estuary, featuring a higher lee-side angle. To date, the morphological variation and formation reasons of catenary-bead dunes in the YR Estuary remain uncharacterized. In this study, we used a multibeam echo system (MBES) to investigate the bedforms of the YR estuary during 2014–2015, as well as to discuss the seasonal variation of catenary-bead dunes. The results indicate that the catenary-bead dunes of the YR Estuary are characterized by growth during the flood season and extinction during the dry season. The lee-side angle is typically ~16.7°, which is larger than that of other dune types (3.7–8°) in the estuary; moreover, the catenary-bead dunes are higher than other dune types of the same length in the YR Estuary. The relationship between the dune height (<i>H</i>) and length (<i>L</i>) was found to be <i>H</i> = 0.1667<i>L</i><sup>0.603</sup> (<i>R</i><sup>2</sup> = 0.38), while the other dune types yielded the relationship of <i>H</i> = 0.0845<i>L</i><sup>0.758</sup> (<i>R</i><sup>2</sup> = 0.52). Strong runoff superimposing the ebb tide led to the development of catenary-bead dunes. Furthermore, the higher coarse sediment content (69.9–72%) and lower clay content (6.3–6.7%) of the riverbed sediment are favorable for their formation, while the higher curved crest-lines are favorable for the formation of the associated elliptical pits. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T13:35:16Z |
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| issn | 2077-1312 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T13:35:16Z |
| publishDate | 2022-06-01 |
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| series | Journal of Marine Science and Engineering |
| spelling | doaj.art-a54b3864f9714fdeb199b9ceb22108932023-11-30T21:12:58ZengMDPI AGJournal of Marine Science and Engineering2077-13122022-06-0110788610.3390/jmse10070886Seasonal Variation of Catenary-Bead Dunes in the Yangtze River Estuary: Causes and ImplicationsShuwei Zheng0Xinmeng Yuan1Suxian Yang2Heqin Cheng3Xingjie Guo4Yurong Cui5Enfeng Liu6Zijun Li7College of Geography and Environment, Shandong Normal University, Jinan 250358, ChinaCollege of Geography and Environment, Shandong Normal University, Jinan 250358, ChinaCollege of Geography and Environment, Shandong Normal University, Jinan 250358, ChinaState Key Lab of Estuarine & Coastal Research, East China Normal University, Shanghai 200062, ChinaShanghai Institute of Geological Survey, Shanghai 200072, ChinaCollege of Geography and Environment, Shandong Normal University, Jinan 250358, ChinaCollege of Geography and Environment, Shandong Normal University, Jinan 250358, ChinaCollege of Geography and Environment, Shandong Normal University, Jinan 250358, ChinaLow-angle lee-side slopes of dunes are commonly developed on the world’s riverbeds, and dune migration associated with sediment transport exert a major influence on riverine processes. However, the catenary-bead dune has been identified in the Yangtze River (YR) Estuary, featuring a higher lee-side angle. To date, the morphological variation and formation reasons of catenary-bead dunes in the YR Estuary remain uncharacterized. In this study, we used a multibeam echo system (MBES) to investigate the bedforms of the YR estuary during 2014–2015, as well as to discuss the seasonal variation of catenary-bead dunes. The results indicate that the catenary-bead dunes of the YR Estuary are characterized by growth during the flood season and extinction during the dry season. The lee-side angle is typically ~16.7°, which is larger than that of other dune types (3.7–8°) in the estuary; moreover, the catenary-bead dunes are higher than other dune types of the same length in the YR Estuary. The relationship between the dune height (<i>H</i>) and length (<i>L</i>) was found to be <i>H</i> = 0.1667<i>L</i><sup>0.603</sup> (<i>R</i><sup>2</sup> = 0.38), while the other dune types yielded the relationship of <i>H</i> = 0.0845<i>L</i><sup>0.758</sup> (<i>R</i><sup>2</sup> = 0.52). Strong runoff superimposing the ebb tide led to the development of catenary-bead dunes. Furthermore, the higher coarse sediment content (69.9–72%) and lower clay content (6.3–6.7%) of the riverbed sediment are favorable for their formation, while the higher curved crest-lines are favorable for the formation of the associated elliptical pits.https://www.mdpi.com/2077-1312/10/7/886dunessedimentary environmentmultibeam echo soundermorphological variationYangtze River Estuary |
| spellingShingle | Shuwei Zheng Xinmeng Yuan Suxian Yang Heqin Cheng Xingjie Guo Yurong Cui Enfeng Liu Zijun Li Seasonal Variation of Catenary-Bead Dunes in the Yangtze River Estuary: Causes and Implications Journal of Marine Science and Engineering dunes sedimentary environment multibeam echo sounder morphological variation Yangtze River Estuary |
| title | Seasonal Variation of Catenary-Bead Dunes in the Yangtze River Estuary: Causes and Implications |
| title_full | Seasonal Variation of Catenary-Bead Dunes in the Yangtze River Estuary: Causes and Implications |
| title_fullStr | Seasonal Variation of Catenary-Bead Dunes in the Yangtze River Estuary: Causes and Implications |
| title_full_unstemmed | Seasonal Variation of Catenary-Bead Dunes in the Yangtze River Estuary: Causes and Implications |
| title_short | Seasonal Variation of Catenary-Bead Dunes in the Yangtze River Estuary: Causes and Implications |
| title_sort | seasonal variation of catenary bead dunes in the yangtze river estuary causes and implications |
| topic | dunes sedimentary environment multibeam echo sounder morphological variation Yangtze River Estuary |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2077-1312/10/7/886 |
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