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Dynamic characteristics of saltwater intrusion in the Pearl River Estuary, China

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Abstract

River discharge, tide, wind, topography and other factors all have great impacts on the saltwater intrusion of Modaomen Waterway (MW), a major outlet of the Pearl River Estuary. A coupled 1D–3D numerical model was applied in this study to account for the dynamic characteristics of saltwater intrusion in the MW, and the impacts of tide and river discharge on the length of saltwater intrusion were uncovered. Results are as the followings: (1) River discharge from upstream induces an obvious dilution of salinity along the MW, whereas tide can exert a positive force that pushes salt water landward. The effects of river discharge and tide on the length of saltwater intrusion can be well described by a regression function; (2) the saltwater intrusion along the MW is generally aggravated by increases in tidal range from the South China Sea. The length of saltwater intrusion usually reaches a maximum 2 or 3 days before spring tide, and the hourly length of saltwater intrusion along the MW usually slows the tidal process for approximately 4 h, which can provide important information that the pumping operation along the MW to store freshwater in the backup storages needs to be at least 3 days ahead of the spring tide so as to avoid serious impact from saltwater intrusion; (3) the length of saltwater intrusion generally decreases with increasing river discharge. In 2005, 2009 and 2010, the average river discharge from upstream was 2680, 2630 and 3160 m3/s, respectively, with corresponding average lengths of saltwater intrusion of 32.7, 42.3 and 21.4 km. The inverse correlation between the water flow and the length of saltwater intrusion may provide some guidance for operations to maintain enough upstream flow to dilute the salinity and therefore satisfy the domestic water supply.

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Acknowledgements

The research in this paper is fully supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 50909106, 51210013 and 41301627), and the Water Conservancy Science and Technology Project of Guangdong Province, China (Grant No. 2014-20).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Water Resources and Environment, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510275, People’s Republic of China

    Bingjun Liu, Yeying Liao, Shulan Yan & Hengheng Yan

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  1. Bingjun Liu
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Correspondence to Bingjun Liu.

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Liu, B., Liao, Y., Yan, S. et al. Dynamic characteristics of saltwater intrusion in the Pearl River Estuary, China. Nat Hazards 89, 1097–1117 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11069-017-3010-4

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