Storm-induced saltwater intrusion responds divergently to sea level rise in a complicated estuary
Global warming and sea level rise (SLR) not only increase the intensity and frequency of coastal hazards but also complicate associated dynamics. The exacerbated saltwater intrusion in this context will further be adversely affected by storms with deepening distances and growing duration, aside from...
| Main Authors: | , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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IOP Publishing
2023-01-01
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| Series: | Environmental Research Letters |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/ad0e32 |
| _version_ | 1797447747536683008 |
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| author | Jie Yang Wei Zhang |
| author_facet | Jie Yang Wei Zhang |
| author_sort | Jie Yang |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Global warming and sea level rise (SLR) not only increase the intensity and frequency of coastal hazards but also complicate associated dynamics. The exacerbated saltwater intrusion in this context will further be adversely affected by storms with deepening distances and growing duration, aside from the simultaneous coastal flooding they cause. Here, we investigate storm-induced saltwater intrusion and its responses to SLR in the Pearl River Estuary by numerical simulation. Predominant in competition with river runoffs, typhoons passing by cause fast stratification and dramatic increase of saltwater intrusion lengths via wind mixing. Stronger destratification and longer recovery time are linked to a narrow long channel, where the tidal excursion is weak owing to bay/channel-shape modulation. The rising sea levels enhance the tidal prism and shift the saline water universally to the upper reaches, and this impact tends to be amplified in the upper part of the bays owing to the narrowing bay shape and shoaling bathymetry. The saltwater intrusion length could be expressed as a linear relationship with the water level, but with divergent responses to storms, depending on bay/channel shapes. Amplification of saline intrusion is indicated in the channel-shaped estuary, but the farthest distance during a storm is less sensitive to SLR than in a bell-shaped estuary. The present study reveals the potential importance of storm-induced compound hazards to coastal communities, and highlights the notably specific salinity responses whereby tributary morphology. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T14:00:24Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-dbf185339f4b4918ab5a97ccb7745621 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1748-9326 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T14:00:24Z |
| publishDate | 2023-01-01 |
| publisher | IOP Publishing |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Environmental Research Letters |
| spelling | doaj.art-dbf185339f4b4918ab5a97ccb77456212023-11-30T09:18:12ZengIOP PublishingEnvironmental Research Letters1748-93262023-01-0119101401110.1088/1748-9326/ad0e32Storm-induced saltwater intrusion responds divergently to sea level rise in a complicated estuaryJie Yang0https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1083-1321Wei Zhang1https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6253-9659National Key Laboratory of Water Disaster Prevention, Hohai University , Nanjing 210024, People’s Republic of China; Key Laboratory of Coastal Disaster and Defence of Ministry of Education, Hohai University , Nanjing 210024, People’s Republic of China; College of Harbor, Coastal and Offshore Engineering, Hohai University , Nanjing 210024, People’s Republic of ChinaNational Key Laboratory of Water Disaster Prevention, Hohai University , Nanjing 210024, People’s Republic of China; College of Harbor, Coastal and Offshore Engineering, Hohai University , Nanjing 210024, People’s Republic of ChinaGlobal warming and sea level rise (SLR) not only increase the intensity and frequency of coastal hazards but also complicate associated dynamics. The exacerbated saltwater intrusion in this context will further be adversely affected by storms with deepening distances and growing duration, aside from the simultaneous coastal flooding they cause. Here, we investigate storm-induced saltwater intrusion and its responses to SLR in the Pearl River Estuary by numerical simulation. Predominant in competition with river runoffs, typhoons passing by cause fast stratification and dramatic increase of saltwater intrusion lengths via wind mixing. Stronger destratification and longer recovery time are linked to a narrow long channel, where the tidal excursion is weak owing to bay/channel-shape modulation. The rising sea levels enhance the tidal prism and shift the saline water universally to the upper reaches, and this impact tends to be amplified in the upper part of the bays owing to the narrowing bay shape and shoaling bathymetry. The saltwater intrusion length could be expressed as a linear relationship with the water level, but with divergent responses to storms, depending on bay/channel shapes. Amplification of saline intrusion is indicated in the channel-shaped estuary, but the farthest distance during a storm is less sensitive to SLR than in a bell-shaped estuary. The present study reveals the potential importance of storm-induced compound hazards to coastal communities, and highlights the notably specific salinity responses whereby tributary morphology.https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/ad0e32Pearl River Estuarytropical cyclonesaltwater intrusionsea level risestratification |
| spellingShingle | Jie Yang Wei Zhang Storm-induced saltwater intrusion responds divergently to sea level rise in a complicated estuary Environmental Research Letters Pearl River Estuary tropical cyclone saltwater intrusion sea level rise stratification |
| title | Storm-induced saltwater intrusion responds divergently to sea level rise in a complicated estuary |
| title_full | Storm-induced saltwater intrusion responds divergently to sea level rise in a complicated estuary |
| title_fullStr | Storm-induced saltwater intrusion responds divergently to sea level rise in a complicated estuary |
| title_full_unstemmed | Storm-induced saltwater intrusion responds divergently to sea level rise in a complicated estuary |
| title_short | Storm-induced saltwater intrusion responds divergently to sea level rise in a complicated estuary |
| title_sort | storm induced saltwater intrusion responds divergently to sea level rise in a complicated estuary |
| topic | Pearl River Estuary tropical cyclone saltwater intrusion sea level rise stratification |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/ad0e32 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT jieyang storminducedsaltwaterintrusionrespondsdivergentlytosealevelriseinacomplicatedestuary AT weizhang storminducedsaltwaterintrusionrespondsdivergentlytosealevelriseinacomplicatedestuary |