Abstract:

Caofeidian is the only natural harbor site in Bohai Bay to build large-sized deep water berths without excavation of artificial waterways, and it is rare harbor resources in China. In this paper, the characteristics of tides, tidal currents, waves and sediment transport are analyzed in detail, which lay the important foundation for the development of harbor area. Present studies show that creeks in the north of Caofeidian, parts of the gulf-lagoon tidal inlet system, are mainly controlled by shoal flows, and theirs convergence and diversion are the predominant driving forces for maintenance of creeks in Caofeidian; dominance in the deep channel at the south of Caofeidian is EW reversing flow other than shoal flow. Analysis of sediment concentration of suspended load in Caofeidian harbor area shows that waves can influence the sediment concentration significantly, while the effect of tidal currents is insignificant and therefore can be neglected. In recent years, the mean sediment concentration is generally in a tendency of decline, resulted from the decrease of sediment sources.

Keywords: wave; tidal current; sediment; development of harbor area; Caofeidian; Bohai Bay