Effects of Turbulence Parameterization on Hydrodynamics and Sediment Transport in Tidal Channels: A Case Study of Yamen Channel in the Northern South China Sea

Abstract

In this study, we conducted numerical experiments to examine the effects of turbulence parameterization on temporal and spatial variations of suspended sediment dynamics. Then, we applied the numerical model to the Yamen Channel, one of the main eight outfalls in the Pearl River Delta. For the field application, we implemented the k−ε scheme with a reasonable stability function using the continuous deposition formula during the erosion process near the water-sediment interface. We further validated and analyzed the temporal-spatial suspended sediment concentrations (SSCs). The experimental results show that under specified initial and boundary conditions, turbulence parameterization with stability functions can lead to different vertical profiles of the velocity and SSC. The k−ε predicts stronger mixing with a maximum value of approximately twice the k−kl. The k−kl results in smaller SSCs near the surface layer and a larger vertical gradient than the k−ε. In the Yamen Channel, though the turbulent dissipation, turbulent viscosity and turbulence kinetic energy exhibit similar trends, SSCs differ significantly between those at low water and high water due to the tidal asymmetry and settling lag mechanisms. The results can provide significant insights into environmental protection and estuarine management in the Pearl River Delta.

Keywords

Suspended sediment / General ocean turbulence model (GOTM) / Turbulence parameterization / Yamen Channel / Finite volume community ocean model (FVCOM)

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