Journal of Tropical Oceanography ›› 2022, Vol. 41 ›› Issue (4): 105-115.doi: 10.11978/2022036CSTR: 32234.14.2022036

• Marine geomorphology • Previous Articles     Next Articles

Dynamic geomorphologic evolution of the Haitan Strait, Fujian province, in the past 50 years

WANG Weibin1,2(), YAO Hongyi1,2(), YU Guangxin1,2, ZHENG Chengzhong1,2   

  1. 1. Fujian Institute of Oceanography, Xiamen 361013, China
    2. Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory for Coastal Ecology and Environmental Studies, Xiamen 361102, China
  • Received:2022-02-24 Revised:2022-03-07 Online:2022-07-10 Published:2022-03-26
  • Contact: YAO Hongyi E-mail:wwb@fjio.net;yhy@fjio.net
  • Supported by:
    Basic Research Projects of Fujian Provincial Public Welfare Research Institutes(2018R1006-6);Basic Research Projects of Fujian Provincial Public Welfare Research Institutes(2020R1006007)

Abstract:

The Haitan Strait in Fujian province is an important channel for the southward transportation of material from the Minjiang River and the Zhejiang-Fujian Coastal Current to the Xinghua Bay and the south-central coast of Fujian. The topographic data of the Haitan Strait in the past 50 years was analyzed using GIS tools. The results indicate that strong siltation occurred in the Haitan Strait due to the influence of several catastrophic floods in the Minjiang River Basin during 1964~1975. The Haitan Strait experienced strong erosion during 1975~1990 which is caused by water and soil conservation and reservoir constructions in the Minjiang River Basin. After that, the erosion rate declined gradually and the strait maintained slight scouring. Large-scale artificial sand mining started since 2007 that caused severe erosion in the northern part of the Strait. Before 2007, sediment discharge from the Minjiang River was the main factor restricting the geomorphological evolution of the Haitan Strait. Flood, sand mining and reservoir construction had a direct impact on the geomorphologic evolution of the strait. However, after 2007, large-scale artificial sand mining activities and reclamation projects in the strait have gradually become the main factors to affect its geomorphologic evolution.

Key words: the Haitan Strait, geomorphologic evolution, the Minjiang River, sand excavation

CLC Number: 

  • P737.2