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The Krone–Partheniades (K-P) framework has been used for decades to quantify and analyze the sediment exchange at a water–bed interface. Measuring the erosion and deposition parameters that are part of this framework requires time-consuming field observations. Additionally, the erosion parameters are measured independently of deposition parameters, while in reality they are coupled. In numerical models applying the K-P framework these parameters are often assumed to be constant in time and mutually independent. In this study, we develop a relatively simple methodology to determine the erosion and deposition parameters, using conventional near-bed observations of bed level, sediment concentration and flow velocity. This methodology is subsequently applied to tripod observations collected in the Changjiang estuary, China, to compute continuous time-varying erosion and settling parameters. We propose a diagram to visualize the interdependency and accuracy of erosion and deposition parameters, which is the input for K-P framework models requiring this interdependency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Salt marshes are ecologically and physically essential habitats in coastal intertidal flats. In addition to providing nursery grounds for various wildlife, vegetation in marshes acts as a buffer zone that slows flooding waters. Extensive marsh platforms can also attenuate wave energy to protect coastal communities. Complex geometries make it challenging for models to capture the spatiotemporal variabilities in the transport of lateral water and sediment over tidal creek‐marsh complexes. To study water exchange processes between tidal creeks and marshes, field observations were conducted within tidal creeks in the Chongming Dongtan Shoal of the Changjiang Estuary, an area dominated by Phragmites australis, Scirpus mariqueter, and Spartina alterniflora. A coupled wave‐current‐sediment‐vegetation model that parameterized the three vegetation species was developed and applied to the tidal creek complex of Chongming Dongtan. Validated with the observational data, the modeling results were used to examine the influence of vegetation on flooding/draining processes within tidal creeks and mudflats. The model showed that vegetation not only modified the flow pattern at high tide in the high‐elevation marsh but also significantly intensified the tidal flows in tidal creeks in the low‐elevation regions. Both the observations and model detected significant transport of water and sediment from the marsh to tidal creeks, seaward sediment export over tidal cycles. The simulated salinity exhibited a considerable spatial gradient, matching well with the salt tolerances of the major vegetation types. This model can be potentially used to determine how future scenarios of hydrodynamics could affect vegetation zonation. Key Points: A vegetation model was developed to simulate the impacts of multiple vegetation species on flow, turbulence, waves and sedimentThree vegetation species were parameterized in the module, which was successfully applied to the tidal creek complex of Chongming DongtanModel demonstrated seaward sediment export from creeks, and consistency between the predicted salinity and the vegetation zonation [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Estuarine fronts have significant effects on estuarine circulation, water quality, and productivity. However, there are limited studies on the joint ecological effects of sediment and plume fronts caused by tidal mixing and a low-salinity plume in and off the Changjiang River Estuary (CRE). Based on observational data during the summers of 1988–2016, we analyzed the spatial correlations between environmental factors and chlorophyll-a (Chl-a) concentrations along the two frontal boundaries. The water mass that is shoreward of the sediment front was characterized by the highest nutrients and total suspended matter (TSM); extensive light limitation caused by TSM consequently led to the lowest Chl-a. The water mass between the sediment and plume fronts displayed the highest Chl-a, which benefited from increased light availability due to rapid deposition of TSM across the sediment front and higher nutrients contributed by the plume and coastal upwelling. Shelf water mass beyond the plume front showed the lowest TSM and nutrients; the distinct reduction of nutrient supply resulted in a relatively low Chl-a. The spatial pattern of summer phytoplankton biomass tended to be a result of the balance of light and nutrients constructed by the two fronts and coastal upwelling in and off the CRE. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: This study investigated the effects of sediment dewatering on the phosphorus transformations concerning about the production and emission of phosphine in the intertidal marsh of the Yangtze Estuary. The concentrations of matrix-bound phosphine ranged from 18.62–72.53ngkg−1 and 31.14–61.22ngkg−1 within the August and January exposure incubations, respectively. The responses of matrix-bound phosphine concentrations to sediment dessication demonstrate that the production (or accumulation) of matrix-bound phosphine significantly increased with water loss at the start of the emersion incubations. However, further dehydration inhibited the formation of matrix-bound phosphine in sediments. The significant correlations of matrix-bound phosphine with the organic-P bacteria abundance and alkaline phosphatase activities implicate that the production of matrix-bound phosphine within the dessication incubations was linked closely to the microbial decomposition of organic P. The emissions of phosphine generally decreased with sediment dewatering, with the fluxes of 7.51–96.73ngm−2 h−1 and 5.34–77.74ngm−2 h−1 over the exposure incubations of both August and January, respectively. Also, it is observed that the releases of phosphine during the entire exposure periods were affected not only by its production but also by sediment water and redox conditions. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]