Evolution of sedimentary dynamic process/pattern in the Quanzhou Bay under impact of Typhoon Matmo (2014)

Typhoons are one of the most dramatic weather events affecting the nearshore environment, which significantly affect the processes of sediment erosion, transport, and redeposition in a short period of time. In this study, the hydrodynamic evolution and sedimentary source and sink processes in the Quanzhou Bay after the typhoon’s passing were systematically studied by using the water column observation data (flow field and turbidity) and the surface sediment grain-size analysis results obtained in two surveys: 3–4 days and 1 month after Typhoon Matmo (2014), respectively. The results show that the typhoon process significantly increased the sediment flux input from the Jinjiang River and expanded the sediment “sink” in the Jinjiang River estuary. After the typhoon’s passing, the sediments in the bay were redistributed under the stable tidal transport, and the estuarine sediments were transformed from a sink of riverine material into a source of sediment transport and diffusion. Typhoon processes play an important role in the evolution of estuarine sediments and sedimentary environment.