Migration and Diffusion of Surface Sediments in Bohai Bay: Evidence from Grain Size and Elements

Abstract

Grain size and element content of surface sediment from Bohai Bay were analyzed to study the sediment migration and diffusion based on grain size trend analysis (GSTA) and discriminant function (DF). The sediment in the southern, central and western part of Bohai Bay mainly originates from the Yellow River, while that in the northern part of Bohai Bay mainly originates from the Luanhe River. The influence boundary between the Yellow River and the Luanhe River is estimated to be at 38°50′ N. In both the southern and northern parts of Bohai Bay, sediment is transported into the bay under the influence of prevailing waves, strongest waves and tidal remnants, resulting in sediment accumulation in western Bohai Bay. The coastal sediment of Bohai Bay is generally in a state of offshore movement, which is consistent with the large-scale coastline retreat in past decades found by previous studies.

Keywords

• Bohai Bay
• sediment migration
• diffusion
• grain size
• element