Suspended sediment transport of the Hangzhou Bay and its related hydrodynamic analyses

The 25-h measurements of current speed, flow direction, water depth, suspended sediment concentration and salinity were carried out at six anchored stations in the study area during spring and neap tides in winter of 1987 and summer of 1989. Caculations and analyses of the data obtained show that large amounts of suspended sediments are moved back and forth under the action of tidal current, and the net transport of sediment is small, with its predominance upstream in winter and downstream in summer. These calculations and analyses also suggest that the advective transport of sediment is dominant, while the vertical gravitational circulation of the suspended sediment comes next. Meantime, it is indicated that tidal currents play a major role in the suspended sediment transport, and residual flows have effect on the net transport of the suspended sediment, which is more remarkable during neap tide than during spring tide.